Aftermarket Spare wheel

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Mon 18 Oct 2021 14:38
Aftermarket Spare wheel - thirts

HI,

I've discovered that a second hand car we are about to buy does not have a spare wheel and I think I'll need to buy one for peace of mind.

Are aftermarket products OK or should I go for only Genuine parts? . If aftermarket parts are OK do you have any recommendations?

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Mon 18 Oct 2021 14:57
Aftermarket Spare wheel - _

www.thewheelshop.co.uk/

myself and others on here have used them.

Rated as very good.

Simples..

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Mon 18 Oct 2021 14:57
Aftermarket Spare wheel - badbusdriver

If the spare in question is a space saver it would only ever be used temporarily, and at no higher than about 50mph, so I wouldn't be too concerned about getting a genuine item. If you really wanted genuine, look for a second hand one, it shouldn't be too expensive.

If it is going to be a full size, that is a slightly different kettle of fish. You would almost certainly have good intentions of, if you need to use it, get the damaged tyre fixed ASAP, but in reality, you will probably end up keeping the spare on (especially if your car has steel wheels with trims). In that case, I still wouldn't be too bothered about getting an aftermarket (or second hand) wheel, but I would want a decent quality tyre on it

Edited by badbusdriver on 18/10/2021 at 14:59

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Mon 18 Oct 2021 15:30
Aftermarket Spare wheel - Bromptonaut

I had a similar experience several years ago buying a Skoda Roomster. No spare at all, just a pump and goo set up. Asked for, and got, a full size spare as part of the deal. Looked new but I'd not be surprised if another model on display lost a spare and gained goo.

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Mon 18 Oct 2021 17:38
Aftermarket Spare wheel - Andrew-T

Does the car have a 'spare-wheel well' to keep it in ? That may be a consideration - if it doesn't.

If you are only looking for an emergency (get me home) spare, then find a matching wheel with tyre on E-bay or somewhere. If you intend to include it with the other four in a scheduled wear cycle - as people used to do way back - then you will probably want it to look right.

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Mon 18 Oct 2021 19:59
Aftermarket Spare wheel - thirts

It does have a wheel well and I'll use the company recommended by a early poster

Thanks for your responses everyone

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Mon 18 Oct 2021 20:17
Aftermarket Spare wheel - Xileno

The spare wheel well may be designed for one of the space savers, as it is on my old Focus. So if you put a full-sized spare in it, you have a bump in the boot floor. Not a great problem but something to be aware of.

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Tue 19 Oct 2021 05:50
Aftermarket Spare wheel - Brit_in_Germany

Don't forget the jack and correct sized spanner/wrench. A fixing bolt would be good too.

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Tue 19 Oct 2021 09:14
Aftermarket Spare wheel - Big John

Sites such as Ebay are useful to find a spare wheel with fitting kit/jack etc complete with the correct foam insert to suit the car. This is important as when you remove the insert for some cars that came with the compressor/tyre sealant you can be lacking in support for the boot floor.

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Tue 19 Oct 2021 09:20
Aftermarket Spare wheel - FoxyJukebox

Quite so--and i notice that Wheel Shop DO include a toolkit with some of their "spares". I have a spare anyway--but if i didn't--I would deffo go down this route. As someone has pointed out--its for emergency only--so aftermarket is absolutely fine if you take care.

The other thing I would do is have a tyre changing dress rehearsal when the stuff was delivered--just to make sure all the bits were there and it all fitted. Better to try it out on a sunny saturday afternoon at home rather than in pouring raining in the middle of the countryside at 23.00hrs!.

Good question--and really useful to know about the Wheel company.

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Tue 19 Oct 2021 09:26
Aftermarket Spare wheel - Andrew-T

The other thing I would do is have a tyre changing dress rehearsal when the stuff was delivered--just to make sure all the bits were there and it all fitted.

Yes - and you might find that you couldn't loosen the wheel nuts to begin with. Certainly better to discover that while at home ....

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Tue 19 Oct 2021 11:45
Aftermarket Spare wheel - edlithgow

The other thing I would do is have a tyre changing dress rehearsal when the stuff was delivered--just to make sure all the bits were there and it all fitted.

Yes - and you might find that you couldn't loosen the wheel nuts to begin with. Certainly better to discover that while at home ....

Almost always.

Unless things have changed a lot in the UK, if commercially maintained it will have been massively overtightened using air tools while unlubricated and possibly gritty. Then it'll have probably corroded some.

New-to-me wheels usually need a long lever and my full weight. After greasing the studs and applying polythene, I can undo them (just) with one hand.

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Tue 19 Oct 2021 13:12
Aftermarket Spare wheel - Big John

After greasing the studs and applying polythene, I can undo them (just) with one hand.

I thought this wasn't usually recommended as there is a danger of the studs/nuts coming loose. Usually torque settings are for dry threads.

It's definitely a plan to try a wheel change to make sure you have everything needed. I discovered I was short of some plastic "tweezers" to remove the silver plastic caps over the wheel nuts.

Myself, in addition to the spare wheel kit I carry a breaker bar with a 1/2" drive 17mm socket. In my Superb this sits nicely behind the spare wheel under the floor near the back of the car. EG www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-AK7301-450mm-Breaker-Silve...1

Edited by Big John on 20/10/2021 at 09:48

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