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Spacesaver spare wheel

17K views 43 replies 19 participants last post by  Ostragobulus 
#1 ·
I've seen most of the posts re non-availabilty of a spacesaver spare wheel. But my Audi dealer hs given me a new 'explanation' for the problem. They claim that Audi need to reduce the weight of the car as much possible to keep the CO2 emissions low for road tax purposes. If thats true then I better go on a diet to lose my spare tyre let alone a spare wheel - I hope thay don't end up weighing people when they go for an MOT Anyway have just ordered a MY11 petrol quattro - this just creeps into the £250 road tax band - I don't think a few extra kilos would make much difference.

Does anyone know if you can buy a spacesaver wheel abroad?
 
#2 ·
Not sure if you can buy one abroad but I believe people have used one from a Golf before in the TT.

There are some threads somewhere on it.

Is £250 the standard bracket for the new petrol engine?
 
#6 ·
#7 ·
Excellent DIY project for the space saver wheel.
The car shown look like a Coupe. Has anyone done a Roadster
I have a TTS roadster with standard TTS wheels. Does anyone know if a wheel fits in the boot, without me having to jack it up and try it?
Without that, it's probably not worth me starting out as I wouldn't be able to take away the punctured wheel.

Another question. I bought my car second hand. In the boot there is a space in the polystyrene at the back (ie behind the seat) left. What is that for?

Thanks in anticipation.
 
#8 ·
Yes, great instructions for fitting a spacesaver.

I've got exactly the same question as AME - will the Roadster take a roadwheel - in my case they are 19" on a TTS but I suspect the answer will be the same as the rolling radius is unlikely to be different.

The TTS has larger brakes but has 18" wheels as standard.

Anyone tried the 18" Golf spacesaver idea on a Roadster and/or TTS?
 
#9 ·
Not just the extra weight of the 4WD gubbins but Quattro systems soak up extra engine power through transmission losses too (sending power to all four wheels vs just 2 wheels). The new much torquier and slightly more powerful 2.0TFSI might be a good match though.

I intend to put a spacesaver in my car too but I'm lazy - and inept at DIY. I wonder does anyone offer a ready-prepared kit? Could be a nice little earner for an enterprising DIYer.
 
#12 ·
Recently did this myself, using an 18" Golf space-saver, complete with tool holder centre thingy, obtained from ebay for under £60. Mine is a combination of both systems after I found that if you don't cut the right hand foam boot liner and just remove the left side, the wheel still fits and is now held level. It just needs securing with a £3.99 cam strap from B&Q. I managed to fit all the tools and gubbins, which I usually carry, around the wheel, which also supports and levels the floor. Job done, and I feel a lot happier having a spare as well as the gunge and pump excuse for a backup.
 
#13 ·
wja96 said:
TortToise said:
I wonder does anyone offer a ready-prepared kit? Could be a nice little earner for an enterprising DIYer.
I'm really surprised that OSIR or someone like that doesn't do a replacement carbon fibre or GRP dish that holds the tools and the tyre.
Wouldn't carbon fibre under the boot floor be just a little pointless and expensive. Though yes, it's a shame no-one does some kind of proper product.

I asked Audi what would be compatible with my car for just this purpose. They basically refused to provide any details uttering some rubbish about a spare wheel in the boot being a safety issue. The argument that it'd be under the floor, secure, and that even if it weren't it's no more of a risk than, say, luggage didn't sway them. So, according to Audi there are no compatible wheels that fit. ...which is obviously arse custard. :x
 
#14 ·
Here's mine:



It's really nothing of a job, done this way. Definitely function over form, but it's there for when I might need it, didn't cost much in money, time or effort and you can't see anything when the boot floors back in. Only down side is the loss of 20mm of boot depth. It's not a very deep boot to start with, but things I carry regularly still fit in.
 
#15 ·
Nobbad... :) So is that the Golf wheel option? And does the "tool foam" part fit all the TT tools that are in the boot?

My dealer was more helpful than Audi and had done something with a collapsing spare tyre, and a space saver wheel from an S5 (I have 19" wheels). What I don't know though is how good an option that would be and whether it lends itself to customising the boot such that it's still usable with the folding floor board afterwards. :?
 
#16 ·
All the "Audi" tools that were in the LHS fit into the "tool foam". The top up oil is relocated as you see, but my can of Halfords tyre foam fits. There are still unused slots, but I haven't bothered with them.

I have 19's also. The Golf space-saver is about 10mm less on diameter, but that shouldn't matter too much at space-saver 50mph.
 
#17 ·
Cheers for the info. I have quattro so if urban myths are to be believed I need to keep the rolling radius the same.

I think this is the sort of thing the dealer had in mind:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAND-NEW-2009-20 ... dZViewItem

The tyre size on that seems the same at any rate: T125/70R19. The wheel looks really chunky though... :?
 
#18 ·
Saw one like that before on ebay from an R32, although I think that was an 18. Looks very deep to me. It would certainly bugger up your boot. Note your point about Quatro and equal dias. but for a short distance at <50mph I can't see an issue. Diffs control much bigger differences in rotation through bends, under power. A space-saver wheel is a get you out of trouble compromise.

Also, if you check out the "How To" in the KB, there is another tyre section, which will fit onto the Golf 18" wheel, that gives a close rolling radius to standard TT.
 
#21 ·
talk-torque said:
Saw one like that before on ebay from an R32, although I think that was an 18. Looks very deep to me. It would certainly bugger up your boot.
Yeah that's that I wondered. If that's the same as the one from the S5 that the dealer was proposing (and I don't see why an S5 would be different to the A5 that wheel is for) I'm not sure it'd work out with the boot floor very well. I asked for dimensions but all they gave me was a string of letters and numbers that they couldn't translate and that I haven't found on net searches. :?

talk-torque said:
Note your point about Quatro and equal dias. but for a short distance at <50mph I can't see an issue. A space-saver wheel is a get you out of trouble compromise.
True enough, and I don't want to be stuck at the side of the road waiting for recovery if the tyre gunk doesn't work or if the damage is too great.

talk-torque said:
Also, if you check out the "How To" in the KB, there is another tyre section, which will fit onto the Golf 18" wheel, that gives a close rolling radius to standard TT.
The "T115/85R18 96 M Pirelli Spare Tyre £52.29" mentioned in the parts list at the top?

What's the construction of yours underneath? Does it follow the HOWTO? I don't have the tools to make the plywood piece so am trying to think of alternatives. I also don't have the tools to make the strapping loops. The wheel looks like it'd be rather snug without the straps. Are they really necessary?
 
#22 ·
ScoobyTT said:
The "T115/85R18 96 M Pirelli Spare Tyre £52.29" mentioned in the parts list at the top?
Yes, that's the one. It's narrower at 115 (v 125) and deeper at 85% (v 75%) than the Golf tyre. This gives it virtually the same rolling radius as the standard TT wheels and also means it should take up slightly less boot depth.

ScoobyTT said:
What's the construction of yours underneath? Does it follow the HOWTO? I don't have the tools to make the plywood piece so am trying to think of alternatives. I also don't have the tools to make the strapping loops. The wheel looks like it'd be rather snug without the straps. Are they really necessary?
TBH, I couldn't be bothered to make any of the bits in the HOW TO. All I did was:

1. Take out boot floor, take out LHS foam tray and transfer tools in LHS tray to wheel insert foam thingy.
2. Thread strap round 3 convenient brackets in boot, put wheel in boot, where it is a snug fit and kept level by the lip on the bottom of the RHS foam tray, put wheel insert foam tool thingy back into wheel, arrange and tighten strap across wheel.
3. Arrange my odds and sods in vacant spaces, put boot floor back. Job's a good un!

Bearing in mind the energy involved in a high speed accident, I think the last thing you'd want is a spare wheel flying around in the car. It is quite heavy. Unlikely that it would come free, but I'd definitely strap it, as I have also my tool roll.
 
#23 ·
Thanks!

talk-torque said:
Yes, that's the one. It's narrower at 115 (v 125) and deeper at 85% (v 75%) than the Golf tyre. This gives it virtually the same rolling radius as the standard TT wheels and also means it should take up slightly less boot depth.
Oh ok, so that would seem to be a better option than the 125 on a 19" wheel. Looking at the two wheels too, the Golf one looks like it's central portion is less bowl-like and squarer, perhaps giving more room for brake calipers.

Golf wheel:


A5 wheel:


Although my dealer had sold an S5 wheel to someone, I wonder if they or the owner had actually tried to see if it fits around the brakes :D

talk-torque said:
All I did was:
1. Take out boot floor, take out LHS foam tray and transfer tools in LHS tray to wheel insert foam thingy.
2. Thread strap round 3 convenient brackets in boot, put wheel in boot, where it is a snug fit and kept level by the lip on the bottom of the RHS foam tray, put wheel insert foam tool thingy back into wheel, arrange and tighten strap across wheel.
3. Arrange my odds and sods in vacant spaces, put boot floor back. Job's a good un!
Bearing in mind the energy involved in a high speed accident, I think the last thing you'd want is a spare wheel flying around in the car. It is quite heavy. Unlikely that it would come free, but I'd definitely strap it, as I have also my tool roll.
Excellent, so you got it all in without having to raise the floor level. :p Any trouble with the floor level? If so it'd be easy enough to chop up the old left hand foam insert to make the necessary supports.
 
#24 ·
"I asked Audi what would be compatible with my car for just this purpose. They basically refused to provide any details uttering some rubbish about a spare wheel in the boot being a safety issue." from page 1

Is it possible that putting a rigid object in the boot will alter how the car deforms in a rear impact and this could be more of an issue with the coupe with rear seats. Just a thought.

Anyone done the spaere wheel in a roadster yet?
 
#25 ·
Looking at those pictures, I wonder if the depth is not an optical illusion. I can't see why the off-set should be much different to the normal Golf space-saver. Would the dealer get one in so you could see it and try it for size?

TBH, I'd go for the easy, cheap option and find a Golf 18" on ebay. It's been fitted over TTS brakes (viewtopic.php?f=19&t=157843) and it would get you home.

No troubles with the floor level. As I said, the lip on the RHS foam tray supports the wheel on that side and keeps it level.
 
#26 ·
AME said:
"I asked Audi what would be compatible with my car for just this purpose. They basically refused to provide any details uttering some rubbish about a spare wheel in the boot being a safety issue." from page 1

Is it possible that putting a rigid object in the boot will alter how the car deforms in a rear impact and this could be more of an issue with the coupe with rear seats. Just a thought.

Anyone done the spaere wheel in a roadster yet?
I think the problem here is Health & Safety legislation and our litigiuos society. Audi and their dealers will not give out any sort of "unofficial" information of this sort, as doing so could result in them being sued for damages etc. All that has been done on here is that people have looked at what is provided on other car models as original equipment and replicated that, as closely as possible.

Anything placed in the luggage space of the boot would be much more likely to cause harm to a rear seat passenger. The space-saver is positioned almost completely below seat level.
 
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