Replacement for bent compact spare

[rmsmall]

Does anyone know an exact fit replacement for the original compact spare? I got my Elan many years ago and it had 5 bent wheels - including the spare. I replaced the road wheels and straightened the spare enough so would kinda-sorta hold air. I straightened it because I couldn't find a replacement at the time.

I'm tired of trying to remember to refill the spare every time I take the car for a spin so I'm searching for a replacement that will fit in the original slot without modification. I just need a replacement steel wheel as I can buy a tire without problem.

Anyone know of vehicles that have spares that are direct replacements?

Bob Small

[dapinky]

Hi BOB,

there is no such thing as a direct replacement, unfortunately..... but there are ways to replace it with something else.

Basically, the wheel is a 4-stud Vauxhall fitting (and I believe it's the same as VW, but I may have a memory malfunction!)

As such, any 14" vauxhall 4-stud wheel will fit on the car....

If you go for a 13" it won't fit over the front brakes, and even a 14" wont fit over any of the upgraded callipers/discs.

Then you need a tyre to fit, which will still fit into the spare wheel-well.....

...Most 'standard' 14" wheels will be wider than the spacesave fitted, so there will probably be a slight bulge in the boot carpet to consider....

It'l take a man with a tape measure to work it out properly - and will depend on how much you think you'll need the spare, versus bootspace reduction.

[rmsmall]

Dave,

Thanks. Using your lead on the Vauxhall, I found a wheel cross reference that gave all the data. link=http://www.roadkillcustoms.com/hot-rods-rat-rods/Wheel-Bolt-Pattern-Cross-Reference-Database.asp?LugCount=4&StudSpreadInch=3.94&StudSpreadMM=

Full specs for the spare are:
Bolt Pattern: Metric: 4 X 100, Standard: 4 X 3.94, OEM Wheel Size: 3 1/2J x 14 H2, Stud Size: 12 X 1.5b, Hub Center Bore: 57.1, Offset: H

VW does fit as well as many others. Exact matches are on ebay (today) but I'm going to go to pull-a-part and grab one that I can inspect. It's cheaper too.

Bob

[Brit-Car-Nut]

The M100 spare has a huge offset compared to a lot of US ones. measure your rim first or bring it with you for comparison.

[lotos]

How much would a wheel recondition shop charge to get the spare in better condition?

[dapinky]

The M100 spare has a huge offset compared to a lot of US ones. measure your rim first or bring it with you for comparison.

I can't comment on US availability of wheels - it isn't really something I've had to worry about.....

....just a thought following on though - if the offset is different, it will obviously affect whether it fits over the callipers/discs, but other than that (and hitting on the wheelarch) it isn't a big worry....

....affects on ride and handling are fairly irrellevant!

I can actually see very few times when a 'spare' is really needed (but again, distances are often somewhat different in USA, and I'm unsure of suitable tyre size general availability).

We have very good rescue/recovery systems in UK (and covering Europe) who will collect the car from anywhere and take it somewhere else (home or repair) - not ideal at the side of a busy road at night, or stuck in the middle of no-where with no phone signal - which is when I may consider a spare.

If it's only to go a mile or 2, then the current spacesaver you have with a crap tyre would do the job (at very low speed) - even with a flat tyre.

Maybe a wheel that you can get in USA could be bolted onto the hub 'backwards' so it can be used for a short/slow journey???


Obviously, common sence says that any 'mismatched' spare (spacesaver or otherwise) should go on the back axle - even if it means swapping 2 wheels at the side of the road, and the car should be driven at speeds within it's capabilities.

TBH, as it would take about an hour to empty the boot, jack up the car, put spare on rear, put rear tyre on burst front wheel, repack everything into the boot (as the burst tyre/wheel won't go into the space the spare lives in, so will end up in front passenger footwell (with wife having to hitch a lift )....

....I'd rather sit in the pub and wait for the recovery truck!


Oh, and one more thought, any sudden/catastrophic failure of the tyre will probably make the wheel damaged, at least cosmetically - but if it's structurally as well, then the car would need to go home on a truck anyway - so any incident more than say 20 miles from home wouldn't be worth the effort of fitting the spare...

....but as I say, distances etc are different for you - and if i knacker a wheel, others are easly available to UK residents - so I may even just drive slowly on a flat tyre to get me to a 'safe' location to wait for the truck.

[GeoffSmith]

And then there are those who shuffle the wheels around in 15 minutes to make it to Hethel, have to call the AA to fix the exploded heater valve outside the factory and then drive back to Bristol at 50mph.

[Piperman]

Hi i have a gen elan spare wheel if your interested