- This topic has 25 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by gonefishin.
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Space-saver vs tyre gloop
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CougarFull Member
I know this has been discussed before but the threads are pretty old, so I wondered whether opinions had changed.
I’m getting a new (lease) vehicle in a couple of weeks, and it predictably comes with a jizz bottle rather than a wheel. However, it also comes with breakdown cover which as far as I can tell is backed off to the AA.
Am I mad in requesting a spare wheel? I’m thinking that it’s worth the expense for convenience – the sales guy said “a spare is £250” but didn’t say how much it’d affect my lease costs, assuming I’m billed for it outright then it’ll be £7/month. The well in the boot is half-height meaning a wheel will be secure but will reduce boot space. I’m assuming that if I do have to use it it’ll then be new tyre + another bottle of gloop + whatever premium a garage charges me for cleaning up the wheel, by which point I’m already out of pocket over the price of the spare.
Or according to the Internet a lot of breakdown people carry “multi-fit” spares, presumably meaning that I don’t need to use the kit at all unless I’ve got somewhere I need to be in the next four hours. Anyone have any experience of this?
If I do pay for it outright, does that mean I get to keep it when the lease is up? (-:
Cheers.
johnnersFree MemberCan’t you find a suitable space saver spare on ebay? I’d guess availability will depend on how new your car model is/how common the fitment is but £250 makes it worth a look.
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Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...fossyFull MemberI’d personally like a spare, but 2 of our 3 cars have the squirty stuff. Never had a puncture whilst away from home – if it’s ever happened, I’ve been home with a flat.
CougarFull MemberJust rang Kwik Fit. They said they don’t / can’t / won’t repair them, but ring the AA and they’ll either repair at the roadside or get you to a depot, “if it’s a lease vehicle then don’t worry about it.”
perchypantherFree MemberBuy a multi fit spare like the AA use and you can use it on your next car too or sell it when you’re done
CougarFull MemberCan’t you find a suitable space saver spare on ebay?
Good point.
https://www.thewheelshop.co.uk/space-saver-wheels/
£150 for wheel and tools. They’re more than that on ebay but amusingly I can pick up a (used) matching alloy & tyre for £140.
Buy a multi fit spare like the AA use
I’ve not yet found anywhere selling them to the great unwashed.
CougarFull MemberJust thought, the £250 probably includes a replacement boot floor too.
CheesybeanZFull MemberIt’ll probably have a polystyrene tray round the wheel to level the boot floor .
finishthatFree MemberSpace saver as a minimum , whilst punctures are rare you at least have a chance to continue your journey and have the tyre repaired – with gloop it might work , but very few places will repair it , and if it does not work you are waiting for rcovery to sort you out – depending on when this happens it can be quite a problem. Many cars that only come with gloop/pump have some kind of space saver or even full size option. I got a used full size alloy/tyre as I tow and sometimes abroad. Don`t forget jack and extendable handle wheel nut socket thing + very important – ensure you have sorrect wheel nuts for your spare – steel/alloy are seldom the same.
phil5556Full MemberIf given the choice I’d always go for a spare, even a space saver will do fine.
We’ve had our share of punctures the last couple of years, and have fitted spares about 4 times.
Luckily the 2 punctures in my BMW (no spare) have been slow enough for me to get to the garage. There’s no wheel well in my car otherwise I’d get a space saver for it.
midlifecrashesFull MemberCurrent cars don’t have room for a spare, but if I had the option I’d always carry both. No way I’d change an offside wheel on the roadside these days, I’d bung in some tyreweld to limp to a quiet car park first.
CougarFull MemberIt’ll probably have a polystyrene tray round the wheel to level the boot floor .
There’d be a gap round the edges, it’d almost certainly need a new floor / liner (and be a bit crap if it didn’t).
ensure you have sorrect wheel nuts for your spare – steel/alloy are seldom the same.
Really? I’ve had cars with space-savers for years and never come across that?
phil5556Full MemberThe wheel nut thing isn’t usually an issue with OEM wheels. For example all VAG vehicles use radius bolts for alloys or steels but aftermarket alloys often use Tapered bolts. So the problem comes if you change your wheels and use different bolts, you then need to carry the originals for the spare.
finishthatFree MemberWheel bolts – If its OEM space saver they often use the same bolts – unless they don`t which is when they come with a pack of bolts for the space saver, reasons – the taper on the bolts can be different from alloy to steel , or the alloy bolts are too long and foul the wheel hub or do not tighten.
It depends on the car/wheel – the issues were typically with older cars/space savers , newer ones have raised bolt hole tapers to mimic the thicker alloy wheel flange , its just worth checking as its quite frustrating if they don`t match. Some Mercedes had a 3 bolt space saver with special bolts for example.DaffyFull MemberI’d only have a spare if there was space for it under the boot floor. I’ve had 4 flats in 20 years of driving and only one of them wouldn’t have been fixable by tyre gunk. It worked perfectly for the Mini and the Z4.
bsimsFree MemberSpace saver minimum, squirting that shite in the valve besides a road in the dark is awful, changing a wheel just bad. The gunk often ruins a fixable tyre and can damage the wheel.
Check the boot situation when you get the car, some have a full depth wheel well and use varying sizes/ shapes of polystyrene to fit the wheel, space saver or can.
If you have a full depth well just buy an apporpriate steel wheel from ebay/ scrp yard. If its a shalllow well a full size will fit but it will put a bend in the boot floor. You could experiment with a narrower/ smaller wheel and higher profile tyre.
Ming the MercilessFree MemberSpace saver as a minimum, I know of two people who’ve had to wait for recovery after the foamy rubbish didn’t seal the gaping hole in their tyre.
You know it’ll happen and it’ll be on a wet, dark, Christmas Eve
CougarFull MemberI’ve had 4 flats in 20 years
As a friend of mine once said, “I don’t care what statistics say, it will be me.”
I had the option of tyre cover / maintenance for like a tenner per month on the lease on the Octy. I figured I’d easily get 20k out of a set of tyres on a two year lease and send it back with Right Said Fred on the front two corners so it wasn’t worth it. I had a puncture inside of a fortnight of taking delivery.
When ordering the new car I asked for a spare. The only reason for mentioning it here now is I can’t see it on the initial proposal so was wondering whether to chase it up. I think what I’m going to do is just wait and see whether it actually comes with one or not, if it doesn’t then I’ll play it by ear and see how “breakdown cover” works in lieu of a spare should the unfortunate but probably inevitable happen. I feel better about this now armed with the knowledge that I can just go and buy a wheel later if I want. I’ll only use the squirty cream as an absolute last resort emergency.
(Or I suppose, I could just go “where’s my goddamn wheel?” and kick up a stink if it turns up without one given that it was verbally promised and thus the salesman’s mistake.)
slowoldmanFull MemberRecently tore the sidewall of a tyre on a strangely sharp kerb avoiding a car coming the other way wanting both sides of the road. Luckily I have a full size spare.
MoreCashThanDashFull MemberOur 8 year old Fabia has the gloop and a little electric pump rather than a spare wheel. Front tyre went flat on Friday night when MrsMC was at a friends in a neighbouring town. The friends brought her home as it was dark and pissing down.
I went up Saturday morning to sort it out. Turns out the boot seals have gone and the wheel well where all the bits live was 3 inches deep in water. The little electric pump wasn’t going to work. So i spent two hours sat in the car in more pissing rain till a lovely man from Green Flag turned up to take me to a tyre place.
So I’m really glad the other car has a proper spare. And I’ve drilled some drain holes in the wheel well of the Fabia 🙄
fossyFull MemberOh yes, wheel nuts/bolts. A car I had came with special alloys on the version I had, but the alloy wheel nuts wouldn’t mate to the full size steel wheel. I only found this out after a puncture. Had to order standard nuts as spares (both were OEM wheels).
My current car has a lower model’s steel wheel as a spare – still classed as a ‘space saver’ despite being a full sized wheel the same circumference as the bigger low profiles.
fossyFull MemberMy son’s Mk3 2015 Fabia comes with the gloop, but no jack, no wheel nut brace or anything other than a pump and the gloop. I had to buy a new socket set and breaker as he has ‘odd’ sized bolts on his wheels.
leffeboyFull MemberWe have a spare rather than gloop through choice. It’s not just the space on modern cars but the weight saving affects the fuel economy which is the other reason for not having them any more. When we got a puncture though our garage fixed it for 12squids and told us that had we used goop they would have needed to replace the whole tyre. That matches what we have read as well. You can’t drive at full speed with the spare but at least you can drive.
FuzzyWuzzyFull MemberFor me it would depend how much driving I was doing and the impact of a puncture whilst driving (e.g. if I was in a travelling sales or support role it would be more of an issue than if just commuting to work).
I don’t do a lot of miles and anything work related is just commuting so I’m fine with the can of jizz. If I was commuting a lot further I’d probably get a space saver, if I needed my car as part of my role I’d probably get a full size spare.
gonefishinFree MemberI’ve not had a spare tyre in a car for 12 years. Gloop in one car and run flats/gloop in the other. In that time I’ve had one puncture where I sued the gloop to get myself home. I’m happy to take the reduction in weight and increased boot space that not having a spare tyre means. It’s also one less tyre pressure to monitor and manage.
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