Space saver wheel

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deanlo

New Member
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Sep 5, 2016
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Car
Mercedes c200
I want to buy a space saver wheeljust a second hand one to get me out of trouble when needed
Apart from the obvious size etc what should I look for some wheels have an e35 etc number ?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Regards
 
I want to buy a space saver wheeljust a second hand one to get me out of trouble when needed
Apart from the obvious size etc what should I look for some wheels have an e35 etc number ?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Regards
Which car exactly do you have ? Model , year , first six characters of VIN - eg WDB203 ?

If a W203 , you have room for a full size spare wheel under the floor .

Space savers are hateful things ; limited in speed rating and permissible distance - eg no further than 50 miles at no more than 50 mph .

If you had to brake hard with two very different wheels on the same axle - how is the car going to react ?

I bought a brand new steel wheel for my S203 from the dealership for only £50 . Even a secondhand full size steel wheel with a new budget tyre is going to be a darn sight safer than a space saver , and you can drive any distance you need to on it at normal road speeds .
 
Don't forget the jack, wheel-brace and shorter/steel wheel bolts that you will need to carry. Mine is a deflated folded tyre that need a 12V compressor as well.
 
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Had a space saver on my B Class, contrary to above, there is no maximum distance only max speed and, surprisingly, the bolts for the space saver were exactly the same size as were on the car. I must admit, that did surprise me. Back to question, on looking for space savers for my Nissan, on the bay, second hand alloys were cheaper by a good few quid but as Petrol Pete says, there are a few additional extras required :D
 
And keep in mind if you have a staggered wheel setup you have to use a space saver, or carry two full sized spares!
 
My previous W203 had a space saver. It came with its own bolts. The well was deep enough for a full size spare, but if using only a space saver, there was a tray with extra storage space on top of the wheel which was very useful.

My current W204 came with a space saver that uses the standard wheel bolts. However the design is a bit silly, because in spite of the fact that well is deep enough for a full size spare, the tools tray is the same height as full size spare so the free space can't really be used.

I bought a full size spare and this is what I have in the boot on the W204 now. The original space saver is currently in storage.

That said, I have a feeling the OP has a W205?
 
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The other reason some people might prefer to carry a space saver ove a full size spare (in a car that has the space for a full size spare), is to save weight.
 
When you say 'apart from the obvious size etc..', not sure what's 'obvious' and what isn't.

You need to check the PCD, wheelbolt diameter, rolling circumference (general view is that +/- 9mm from original tyre is okay). The ET on spacesaver will probably be different to ET of original wheel. Sometimes wheels from other models will fit but possibly only the rear because, for example, it doesn't clear the front calipers). Most MB have the same size wheel bolt diameter and pcd.

If it's specific to your model, the wheel bolts are usually the same as the original wheel, however, at one time when MB supplied full-size steel spare wheels but car had 4 x alloys, the steel spare wheel came with different wheel bolts.

There is a view that space savers should only be fitted to rear, particularly with fwd cars, as the front wheels are doing the driving, steering and the bulk of the braking. It just means moving full size from rear to front if puncture is in the front tyre. However, not everybody subscribes to this view but it is logical
 
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The other reason some people might prefer to carry a space saver ove a full size spare (in a car that has the space for a full size spare), is to save weight.
It is a marginal saving that no one will ever notice , but they will notice if the have to emergency brake on a space saver and the car goes sideways .
 
And keep in mind if you have a staggered wheel setup you have to use a space saver, or carry two full sized spares!
Theoretically, and legally , yes , but I’d still feel a darn sight safer with one slightly narrower tyre on the rear axle as opposed to a space saver .
 
I've had to use the space saver on my S204 without problem, but the one on the SLK was/is another matter. First off it took forever for the 12v compressor connected to the only 12v outlet in the front passenger footwell to inflate the damned thing, then despite leaving the compressor running for ages (with the engine running) only 1 side of the tyre came fully out bulged away from the rim, the other side did not (compressor showing tyre at about 45psi). It didn't look right but got us the about 8 miles home OK - but within 2 hours had gone flat. Something I should really attend to, but I'm not sure what to do, there's only space for a space saver and I'm not confident that, if I connect it to my proper compressor and inflate it to the recommended 50psi and it's OK, that I will then be able to deflate it and pack it back into the well!
 
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When you say 'apart from the obvious size etc..', not sure what's 'obvious' and what isn't.

You need to check the PCD, wheelbolt diameter, rolling circumference (general view is that +/- 9mm from original tyre is okay). The ET on spacesaver will probably be different to ET of original wheel. Sometimes wheels from other models will fit but possibly only the rear because, for example, it doesn't clear the front calipers). Most MB have the same size wheel bolt diameter and pcd.

If it's specific to your model, the wheel bolts are usually the same as the original wheel, however, at one time when MB supplied full-size steel spare wheels but car had 4 x alloys, the steel spare wheel came with different wheel bolts.

There is a view that space savers should only be fitted to rear, particularly with fwd cars, as the front wheels are doing the driving, steering and the bulk of the braking. It just means moving full size from rear to front if puncture is in the front tyre. However, not everybody subscribes to this view but it is logical
I’ve never seen an alloy space saver , so , assuming other wheels are alloys , you will need shorter bolts for space saver .

You can mount a steel spare on the front with long bolts , but on the back they will foul the handbrake shoes .

Bolt diameter varies too ; I know those on my W140 are a size up from all my other cars .
 
I've had to use the space saver on my S204 without problem, but the one on the SLK was/is another matter. First off it took forever for the 12v compressor connected to the only 12v outlet in the front passenger footwell to inflate the damned thing, then despite leaving the compressor running for ages (with the engine running) only 1 side of the tyre came fully out bulged away from the rim, the other side did not (compressor showing tyre at about 45psi). It didn't look right but got us the about 8 miles home OK - but within 2 hours had gone flat. Something I should really attend to, but I'm not sure what to do, there's only space for a space saver and I'm not confident that, if I connect it to my proper compressor and inflate it to the recommended 50psi and it's OK, that I will then be able to deflate it and pack it back into the well!
I hate space savers ; your only other option is a breakdown organisation.

Also , if no space for full size wheel , where are you meant to put the flat ?

Suppose you are on a trip with passenger and a full boot ?
 
I was lucky both times - the S204 has loads of space, and the SLK with the roof up we were able to get the 17" wheel (that had come adrift loosing all 5 bolts in the process) fitted in the boot roof up. The downside with the s204 was that we were 200 miles from home so had to find a place that could replace the tyre next day with exactly the tyre on the opposite side - cost me twice what the original had cost!
 
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I was more thinking of your SLK
 
Had a space saver on my B Class, contrary to above, there is no maximum distance only max speed and, surprisingly, the bolts for the space saver were exactly the same size as were on the car. I must admit, that did surprise me. Back to question, on looking for space savers for my Nissan, on the bay, second hand alloys were cheaper by a good few quid but as Petrol Pete says, there are a few additional extras required :D
Good to know , but most space savers have distance limit as well as speed
 
IIRC you can legally use different sized tyres on the same axle on a 'temporary basis', normally interpreted as getting home or to somewhere that you can get the tyre replaced/repaired but a bit of a grey area. I think the 50mph speed limit is law though.

I actually drove our Vito home down the motorway on a space saver once without knowing. It had been at the garage and they'd spotted that the front tyres were worn on the inside edges (a W639 characteristic) to the point where one was borderline illegal. So before road testing they'd put the spare (which is a 16" steel, but carrying a big red 50 mph sticker) on. They didn't mention this when I picked it up, and it was parked with the offside (where the spare had been fitted) close to a wall. I wasn't impressed when I got home and noticed (and yes this was an MB dealership).
 
I have seen cars (yes , more than one) in the car park at the last place I worked arriving with space savers on . Sometimes the car will be in and out for weeks still sporting the space saver. It's often just ignorance or lack of funds or both.
My space saver is one of those flat profile ones that needs inflating before use, not long after I got the car I took it out and used the in car compressor to inflate it just to check it over.

Popped it back in it's space and hope never to have to use the spindly looking thing !
 
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I've driven the Vito (as above!) and our S203 on space savers without any issues, and don't have any great objection to using them in an emergency. Both the S203 and the R129 have staggered setups, so a 'full sized' spare for either of those would be too small if fitted at the back anyway.
 

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