Technical Panda 2011 spare wheel

[Ians Panda]

I've got a 2011 Panda with 165/65 14 alloys wheels but unfortunatelly it came with the lousy puncture fix kit. Been looking on ebay for a space save spare wheel with jack kit but i'm not sure as to what size i should get, do i need a 14 or 13 inch space saver? The handbook reads 135/80 13 as the space saver but i've also seen 135/80 14 space savers as well.

 

[koalar]

As far as I know all the standard 1.1 and 1.2 use 135/80 13

Try an small independent breakers. wheel and tool kit shouldn't be too much. About a tenner. Most cars come in with unused ones and they end up being melted down as scrap metal. Better than ebays silly priceses and postage.

 

[klu01dbt]

If you are going to the effort of getting a spare wheel why not check if your current wheels fit into the spare wheel well.


A quick search on mytyres suggests a 14" steel wheel with tyre is about £55. Add in a wheel wrench and jack (Amazon £20).


If you do get a puncture being able to change it for a proper wheel and not be restricted to 50mph is a godsend.

 

[Wee Smurf]

The spare wheel size is 135 80 r13. It's only slightly narrower than the 155 80 r13 normal wheel so it doesn't look as ridiculous as some other cars' spares.
If you go for the normal size as a spare, it'll sit up a bit under the boot carpet.
I'd go for the scrapyard as a good source. They were standard in the older Pandas such as my 2005 Dynamic.

 

[jrkitching]

If you do get a puncture being able to change it for a proper wheel and not be restricted to 50mph is a godsend.

If you do get a puncture being able to change it for a spacesaver spare and not having to wait at the side of the road to be rescued when the squirty can thingy doesn't work is a godsend. The additional benefit of being able to drive a bit faster has to be weighed against not being able to fit it into the spare wheel well (there's only room for a 135/80x13 spacesaver) and losing all that loadspace 100% of the time.

That spacesaver will also nag you into getting the problem sorted quickly, so you won't risk being stranded if you are unlucky enough to have a second puncture.

Whatever you choose, do make sure to keep it properly inflated; getting a puncture and being stranded because the spare is almost flat is the ultimate frustration. I keep mine at the maximum pressure marked on the sidewall; it's easy enough to lower it if you need to when the time comes to use it.

I get a puncture on average about once in every five years/60 000 miles and can't imagine the frustration of not being able to change the wheel at the roadside. I also keep a small hydraulic bottle jack in the boot and usually I can have the wheel changed and be on my way in about five minutes or so.

 

[Wee Smurf]

I'll agree with that.

Personally I keep a spacesaver and a compressor in my boot. I discovered flat tyre last Sunday (my first in my Panda after almost 13 years ownership). I decided to try using the compressor first to see how the tyre would hold as I live within 2 miles of the nearest tyre dealer. It held fine so I drove straight there. Saved me having to change the wheel. The spare remains unused and hopefully will stay that way!
I'm a believer of buying the best tyres I can get. I'm currently on my last set of Michelin Alpins and will need to go back to Continental Wintercontacts next time as Michelin stopped doing the right size for me. I think that tyre choice has a lot to do with fewer punctures.

 

[FarNorthPanda]

Wee Smurf has a good point. I have the spacesaver spare, but I also keep a compressor in the boot (they are only about £20, widely available, and work off the 12 volt cigarette lighter socket). It is easy to forget to check the spare tyre, and it is not much good when you do need it to find it is flat. The compresser is also far easier to use for routine inflation of the tyres than pumping away with a foot pump.

 

[MLW]

£45 on ebay, tyre and all the tools
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Pan...401086?hash=item3d557f257e:g:s5wAAOSwBjdaDjDE

 

[The Panda Nut]

Full size wheel will almost certainly fit in your boot. I have a jack / brace etc free to anyone who will pay the postage or collect.

 

[Ians Panda]

Thanks for everyone's comments, much appreciated. Yeah i'm gonna look for a space saver, in the past i've always got the punctured fixed straight away so the space saver makes sense.

Cheers!