Technical Weird spare

[koalar]

The was my suggestion ages ago. Just mak sure the rolling radius is he same as the other four

Not something I would do on my car. Seeing as the tyres are the only thing keeping me on the road

My space saver rim has a 4.5" width rim and normal steels are 5"

One tyre side wall will flex more than the others when cornering. Very similar to mixing crossply and radials

your space saver and wheels maybe different sizes

 

[koalar]

better or worse than the 15% reduction in grip from the space save I dont know. I just wouldn't gamble

 

[DaveMcT]

Not something I would do on my car. Seeing as the tyres are the only thing keeping me on the road

My space saver rim has a 4.5" width rim and normal steels are 5"

One tyre side wall will flex more than the others when cornering. Very similar to mixing crossply and radials

your space saver and wheels maybe different sizes

Genuine space saver tyres have minimal tread/road contact. If you want to be purist get one of those, or fit a full size spare as the 13" wheel Panda does.

The whole point of a space saver spare wheel is to get you home. Nothing more. It has (or should have) labels and warnings written all over it regarding the many limitations. Any legal tyre that fits the rim with the correct rolling radius will do the job. That will not change the usage limitations.

 

[vexorg]

I wouldn't moan, at least you dont have the silly can of gunk in the boot to get you home. You know, great for 2 inch split in the sidewall that I've had in the past...

 

[mj2k]

For the 500 at least there's no chance a normal wheel will go anywhere near the spare wheel well, so unless you fancy strapping it to the bonnet or tailgate like a Camel trophy Land Rover, you're stuck with the space saver

 

[DaveMcT]

For the 500 at least there's no chance a normal wheel will go anywhere near the spare wheel well, so unless you fancy strapping it to the bonnet or tailgate like a Camel trophy Land Rover, you're stuck with the space saver

Same with 100HP and I suspect any Panda that's got "more than" the basic 13" steels. It came in handy when I hit a lump of wood on the M5 taking out two tyres. One was toast - swapped with the space saver spare. The other stayed pumped-up for long enough to get me home. A space saver also saved the day when my Renault put a snapped a road spring though the tyre side wall. I was only going about a mile to the tyre shop so didn't worry about the fronts now being odd diameters.

 

[mj2k]

Same with 100HP and I suspect any Panda that's got "more than" the basic 13" steels. It came in handy when I hit a lump of wood on the M5 taking out two tyres. One was toast - swapped with the space saver spare. The other stayed pumped-up for long enough to get me home. A space saver also saved the day when my Renault put a snapped a road spring though the tyre side wall. I was only going about a mile to the tyre shop so didn't worry about the fronts now being odd diameters.

Agreed, and certainly no harm for a short distance. On a FWD car sticking the space saver on the rear won't have any bad mechanical effects, it'll just make your braking / handling a little, er, interesting. Which is presumably why they say you can't drive any faster than 60kph, and definitely why you wouldn't want your car wearing one long-term, unless you're a big fan of 1940-50s-style handling

On a 4wd the effects could be more serious if driven for more than a few miles to a tyre shop though, so sticking on a 13" when the rest of the car's wearing 205/40 ZR17s for example could soon result in a cooked centre diff (or a very bald space saver). Wonder if they do stick a space saver in the boot of a Panda 4x4 at the factory, or if they go the same route as the Abarth and give you a can of tyre goo instead to avoid potential warranty issues?

 

[Popitinpete]

I've just acquired another Fiat - its a Panda 4 - and has a REALLY WEIRD spare wheel - says it's a temporary spare etc all over it - bit it's a slick! very rounded tyre, with no tread at all. Seems a bit unsafe to me? Can anyone explain this...

Get the supplying dealer to either get you a new tyre put on your space saver or better still get them to supply a new complete spacesaver.
If you were to get a puncture the spare tyre is obviously illegal, they should not be selling a car with a spare like that, out of respect and reputation if nothing else but most of all your safety.

Speak to the sales manager.

 

[portland_bill]

Genuine space saver tyres have minimal tread/road contact. If you want to be purist get one of those, or fit a full size spare as the 13" wheel Panda does.

My Panda has steels, and a space saver. Original, still 'new', never been on the road in nearly 16 years. Probably rock hard now, but usable in the event of a puncture if driven carefully.
Last Sunday, a friend eventually allowed me to change his engine oil. He's owned the car two years, so likely not done for three. Very black, surprisingly still fluid. (Sorry, a digression). He arrived declaring that one front tyre kept losing pressure. Not surprising with the small bulge in the outer sidewall, so visible. Not far from the valve, so you'd hope noticeable when adding air, but sadly not. In the boot, was a 'new' Michelin full size spare, on a steel, but same size as the alloys. Date code 2005, so same age as the car. I wonder how long before he gets around to replacing the bulged one?
Both examples do give credence to the car manufacturers' claims that we don't need spares, hence their deletion, to save them money, not us. When I bought the Fabia, I put a spare in it, replacing the goo and pump. Have used it twice in 3 years. I'll stick with a spare thank you.

 

[Popitinpete]

My Panda has steels, and a space saver. Original, still 'new', never been on the road in nearly 16 years. Probably rock hard now, but usable in the event of a puncture if driven carefully.
Last Sunday, a friend eventually allowed me to change his engine oil. He's owned the car two years, so likely not done for three. Very black, surprisingly still fluid. (Sorry, a digression). He arrived declaring that one front tyre kept losing pressure. Not surprising with the small bulge in the outer sidewall, so visible. Not far from the valve, so you'd hope noticeable when adding air, but sadly not. In the boot, was a 'new' Michelin full size spare, on a steel, but same size as the alloys. Date code 2005, so same age as the car. I wonder how long before he gets around to replacing the bulged one?
Both examples do give credence to the car manufacturers' claims that we don't need spares, hence their deletion, to save them money, not us. When I bought the Fabia, I put a spare in it, replacing the goo and pump. Have used it twice in 3 years. I'll stick with a spare thank you.

Absolutely agree, my company car had just a bottle of goo and left me stranded for hours on a cold wet miserable night when it would not seal a 'simple' puncture. All my cars have proper spare wheels now

 

[DaveMcT]

Tyre goo is great when something goes through the tread, but car tyres are extremely tough over the tread area. The goo has become a solution looking for a problem. It's completely useless if the valve fails or you hit something (e.g. pot hole or road debris) and damage the side walls.

 

[Yolanda]

I bought one of those puncture repair kits off eBay. Up to now I've used it on the wife's Corsa and my Panda with great results.

 

[timmycm850]

Earlier in the year we ordered a new panda and as the option for a spare wheel and jack/tool set was list price of only £60. You've guessed it we ordered with spare wheel. Who knows if we will ever use it. Well we did at about 1k miles.

Money well spent in my book

 

[Popitinpete]

I bought one of those puncture repair kits off eBay. Up to now I've used it on the wife's Corsa and my Panda with great results.

Yea same here, brilliant bit of kit, so easy to use

 

[mj2k]

Tyre goo is great when something goes through the tread, but car tyres are extremely tough over the tread area. The goo has become a solution looking for a problem. It's completely useless if the valve fails or you hit something (e.g. pot hole or road debris) and damage the side walls.

Very useful for that inevitable "what idiot left that self-tapper on the driveway?" moments though, not that I'd ever do such a thing and then run over the screw of course. Oh no, I'd never do something as daft as that

On the other hand tyre repair places aren't at all fond of that goo since it covers the inside of the tyre with sticky muck so it makes getting a proper repair done more tricky.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Very useful for that inevitable "what idiot left that self-tapper on the driveway?" moments though, not that I'd ever do such a thing and then run over the screw of course. Oh no, I'd never do something as daft as that

On the other hand tyre repair places aren't at all fond of that goo since it covers the inside of the tyre with sticky muck so it makes getting a proper repair done more tricky.

Aye, me too mj2k. I spent some time cursing the inconsiderate so & so who'd left that unusual fitting lying around - until I realized I had a whole box of them in the garage which I'd used just days before to secure a loose undershield on one of the family cars! (picture attached)

 

[DaveMcT]

My wife's 1.2 Dynamic has the 155-80-13 wheels and another 13" spare. My 1.3 Multijet has the same 13 inch wheels and tyres, but the spare tyre is a silly bias-belted space saver. Apart from paint and stickers, I would say the spare rim is the same as the other four on the car. Even the hub caps fit. What were Fiat "on" when they thought up the idea?

So anyone with an age-degraded space saver tyre can just fit a 155-80-13 use it like the space saver (restricted speed etc) and be done with it.

 

[portland_bill]

My wife's 1.2 Dynamic has the 155-80-13 wheels and another 13" spare. My 1.3 Multijet has the same 13 inch wheels and tyres, but the spare tyre is a silly bias-belted space saver. Apart from paint and stickers, I would say the spare rim is the same as the other four on the car. Even the hub caps fit. What were Fiat "on" when they thought up the idea?

So anyone with an age-degraded space saver tyre can just fit a 155-80-13 use it like the space saver (restricted speed etc) and be done with it.

I'm surprised the wheel is the same steel as standard, I've not looked at mine recently, but think it is smaller in width. If I remember tomorrow, I'll have a look.

 

[koalar]

I'm surprised the wheel is the same steel as standard, I've not looked at mine recently, but think it is smaller in width. If I remember tomorrow, I'll have a look.

correct
already posted mine
space saver rim has a 4.5" width rim and normal steels are 5"

 

[DaveMcT]

Fiat saved 1/2 inch of space in the spare wheel well. Wow folks well done!!!

The boot floor with space saver looks identical to the boot floor with standard 80 series 13 inch tyre. The wheel trims fit both wheels and the tool kit drops into a standard 13" wheel just like it does the space saver.