Another spare wheel for cc thread!

[NeilS]

Hi,
I'm planning to get a spare wheel for my cc, can't bear the idea of having to rely on that cheap-arse foam kit. Don't mind going the space saver route so can someone recomend wheel diameter and tyre profile? Also do I need shorter wheel bolts?

I may also visit some scrappies and try to get a 17" steel, hopefully with a 205/50 tyre already on it. What wheels from other makes/models with the same hub diameter as the Meg wil fit? (4 x 100mm PCD). I did the same for my previous car, spare wheel + tyre cost a tenner.

Cheers.

BTW, has anyone here actually had the misfortune to have to use the foam kit? If so, how did it go?

[petepete]

foam kit doesn't even work on a very thin nail puncture I found out

I bought one of these kits...


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161368506562? ... EBIDX%3AIT

[continentalgt]

I got hold of a matching alloy I found on a well known auction site as I found it impossible to find the correct size space saver.
I then cut out the depressed area of the removable boot floor that sits over the spare wheel well and flattened it out so that the alloy now fits underneath with only a small loss in boot space.
I had to find alternative homes for the jack etc but there is plenty of room down there for them.
Just needs a little DIY to either convert the removable boot floor or make a flat plywood replacement using the original as a pattern and then carpeting it.

[NeilS]

Thanks guys, I'll take a look . . .

[Autolycus]

Re spare or space-saver wheels, I did find a very useful table on one of the major tyre manufacturer's sites that gave you an on-screen calculator to work out which size of tyre was needed to avoid excessive speedo error - all based on rolling diameter and with wheel width & diameter thrown in for added zest. All good stuff, but that was many moons ago and I cannot find it now. The information is out there - somewhere.
The other critical factor when fitting odd wheels - not that one should ever try such a thing at home - is the wheel hole Pitch, Spacing and Number of holes - and that will have to be sought on't interweb or physically measured & transferred from an existing wheel to an (accurately marked), cardboard template that you can take to your local Surplus Component Removing And Provisioning - Yard...
Above all, when working with wheels, try not to get too tyred

[Malroy]

I'd suggest you take the advice offered and get yourself a 2nd hand matching alloy. Did what others did with the liner well and new false floor from ply. It looks the business when done. Tip: Fixing the spare in the well with the original plastic nut left the wheel a bit wobbly so used 15mm pipe insulation slit in half and placed cut lengths radially in the well, the the wheel on top fixed once again with the plastic nut. Now nicely and firmly seated on the insulation strips. Cheap fix.
Now looking to make my own foam / polystyrene tool insert to fit in the wheel with cut outs for the jack and brace etc. Anyone done it or found a clever alternative?

[NeilS]

Well I managed to get hold of a spare wheel, so out came the insert for the accessories, and in went the spare:




. . . then I put in my bits & pieces:




I found some 3mm PVC sheet, which isn't quite rigid enough - I'd have preferred ply or similar - but if at some point I decide to re-visit the project, I've now got the template. I joined the bulkhead section with some small hinges I had in the Man Drawer in the kitchen:




Then I acquired some thick heavy duty cloth to cover the board, dark grey was the best match I could find, and stuck it on with hot melt glue:




Job done!



As you can see it's far from perfect, but better than a wobbly boot insert with recess. OK - you lose some space with the recess gone, but time will tell if that proves to be an issue.

To finish, I'm gonna try to get some of that spongy sound-absorbing material to stick underneath the board which will also act as a cushion, and as Malroy mentioned, try to fabricate some sort of circular insert for the spare wheel itself for the wheel brace and nuts etc.

[Stranger]

Job well done there Squire