Spare wheel: wrong size!

[abuelo]

Came to swop my spare wheel for N/S front and discovered it is a 16in while all the 4 others are 15in .

Anyone else found this? (Car is an 05 Abiente 1.6 FSI)

[Lummox]

Where did you buy the car?

[bahnstormer vrs]

What size of tyres do you have on both the 16" 'spare' and your other four 15" wheels?

They might be compatible for you to use the 16" spare as a temporary.

If you have 17" or 18" wheels on higher spec cars you still get a 16" spare but with a compatible sized tyre.

[abuelo]

Lummox: Bought it locally from non-Skoda dealer but car was originally purchased in Cardiff from a Skoda dealer. Have had it serviced a few weeks ago at Cannock Skoda dealer but don't know if the spare should be inspected as part of the service.

Bahnstormer: Surely a spare (except for those that are intended as space-savers) should be identical to those fitted originally.

[ag.morley]

If it was a used car purchased from the dealer in Cardiff it may have had aftermarket/differant bigger wheels on and was put back onto 15" wheels so they could sell the others......Maybe??

[Lummox]

It would be odd if a bigger spare would have been originally specified than what is on the car. Do you have 15" alloys or steels? If yes then are the OE spec wheels or an accessory?

[bahnstormer vrs]

Originally Posted by abuelo

Bahnstormer: Surely a spare (except for those that are intended as space-savers) should be identical to those fitted originally.

Doesn't need to be. I have 225/40 18s on my vRS Octy, but the OEM spare is a 205/55 16 on a steel wheel. Not a true spacesaver, but clearly a different size.

What size wheel/tyre combos do you have and I can then tell you if you are safe to use the spare you have?

[abuelo]

Spare is 205/55r16 91v
Others 195/65R15 91H
All are Bridgestone on steel wheels

[Ants]

Sounds like the car originally had the 17" optionally alloys fitted, which would come with the 16" spare, and someone has swapped them at sometime - probably the dealer.

[Lummox]

I'd say at sometime its been swapped then or it didnt come with those 15's from the factory.

[Lummox]

Could have had 16's from the factory maybe.

More than likely though the spare wheel was either punctured or missing, they have swapped it out of another sales car and didnt realise that it was the wrong size.

Or it just had the wrong one put in at the facotry and no one has noticed.

[ag.morley]

Originally Posted by Ants

Sounds like the car originally had the 17" optionally alloys fitted, which would come with the 16" spare, and someone has swapped them at sometime - probably the dealer.

Does that mean I win the Dounut then.??..

[ag.morley]

According to the Skoda web site this Model should have 6.0J X 15" Alloys on. Perhaps the spare is wrong, Should be a 15" steel

[abuelo]

AG Morley: Pretty sure that alloys were only standard on Ambientes after April 2006 (there were several changes introduced at that time eg reversing sensors were dropped in favour of the alloys)

Methinks I'll phone the dealer that supplied the car to see if their records can shed a light on the mystery

[Lummox]

Thats right they had steels on originally and iirc a/c was an option. Alloys and a/c became standard in 2006.

So you have 15" alloys atm?

[abuelo]

Lummox: Steel wheels all round (first reg'd 01.03.05)

[bahnstormer vrs]

Originally Posted by abuelo

Spare is 205/55r16 91v
Others 195/65R15 91H
All are Bridgestone on steel wheels

There seems to be TWO issues here;

1. Is your current 205/55 16 spare 'Safe' to use with your 195/65 15 other three wheels? Answer is - YES. Both sizes are used on the Octy and both have effectively the same 'rolling radius'. Clearly you should use care and moderate your speed, to say 60mph, until you can get your punctured 195/65 15 repaired/replaced.

2. Have you got the right wheels for your car? again (probably) YES. Whilst a 2007 spec 1.6FSi Ambient will have 205/60 15 tyres on Alloys, yours as a 2005 car may well have had Steel wheels as standard; so I'd suggest researching this a bit more before you leap to the conclusion of having been sold a 'pup' (which I'd be surprised about) by your dealer.

OK?

[abuelo]

Have now checked with the dealer that supplied the car: there is no record of anything other than standard 15in wheels being fitted

[abuelo]

Have now checked with Skoda UK who reckon that the 05 Ambiente was provided with a "get-you-home" undersized spare......... I don't think that this is true; can anyone confirm this please (I guess that the info will appear in a sales brochure for the model)

[abuelo]

Having had no response to my post of 20/08, I am posting again in the hope that someone will be able to let me know if the Octavia Ambiente has ever been supplied with a "spacesaver" spare wheel.