Full-sized spare in Golf mark VI

[darkfriend]

I agree Wai- on most occasions a space-saver spare will be just fine for what it is used for. I have the situation where I am going to be working for a 4 month stint in Kalgoorlie from October (adout 650km east of Perth) and would need to drive back and forth every second weekend. Hence I was uncomfortable with just the space-save on long trips in the desert!

Also wouldn't want to be limited to 80km/h for such a long trip!

[ian]

Thanks Peedman. I have seen another version of this where someone had glued strips of foam down around the spare wheel to raise the height- saves on foam (it is pretty expensive for what it is) but doesn't provide as much support and can't easily be removed. If I ever decide the buy the GTI that I would like I can just swap it all over.... (I hope)

I did exactly the same with my Gt golf but with a 17'' Denver wheel 225/45 ,and one cant tell its even there .

[wai]

I agree Wai- on most occasions a space-saver spare will be just fine for what it is used for. I have the situation where I am going to be working for a 4 month stint in Kalgoorlie from October (adout 650km east of Perth) and would need to drive back and forth every second weekend. Hence I was uncomfortable with just the space-save on long trips in the desert!

Also wouldn't want to be limited to 80km/h for such a long trip!

Exactly. There are reasons why you would want one, however when you don't really need one, why carry around all that extra weight.

My brother removed his roof bars (they were supposedly aerodynamic ones) because it gave him an extra few fractions of a litre per 100 km, yet he had lugged around a full sized spare wheel for years without ever having had to use it.

There are valid reasons why you might need one, however in those instances, by all means carry one. It is a wonder that some enterprising company has not offered to "buy back" full sized spare wheels (in some cases a full sized alloy one) and replace them with a spacesaver one that would carried in the same place. You can be looking at 10-15 kg or more in weight saving and that would translate into fuel saving.

[Transporter]

I put full size spare in our Golf5 as well, it is 15". I bought a full set for that reason, going 1/2 with someone who also wanted the spare in his Golf6 90TSI. So we have 2 extra spare if someone needs, can pick up from me for $150 each. They're almost new Hankook tyres on the steel rims.

[Dave198]

Transporter, have you still got one of those wheels?
I live in Broken Hill and there is a long way between towns out here.
I have been told that the space saver tyre doesn't go too many k's, but I am not sure.
But 80kph for a couple of hundred K's doesn't put much of a smile on my face.
Dave

[sbowden]

Great thread.

And glad to read Ian had fitted a 17" wheel into that wheel well. (my 118TSI has the sports pack)

I'm about to be driving 220+klm per day and would like the peace of mind of a full size spare. My understanding is the space saver is good for 80klm/hour max speed and 80kilometres distance?

sometimes you can't get to a tyre repairer the same day you get the flat...or get the repair done while you wait. So the full size makes sense for my circumstances.

Recently my wife shredded one of her XR5 tyres on the M1, south of Brisbane...put the space saver on and limped the rest of the way to Brisbane for a busy day's work. But because it was 220k home, had to buy a new tyre. Had no time to shop around, and was charged absolute top dollar for the tyre and labour (like +$150 over what we paid when we put the full set on). That extra money would have paid for a lot of litres of fuel if she'd been carrying the full size spare.

any way, thanks for the creative way to solve my problem and still retain my cozy boot-space.

[Mountainman]

Exactly. There are reasons why you would want one, however when you don't really need one, why carry around all that extra weight.

My brother removed his roof bars (they were supposedly aerodynamic ones) because it gave him an extra few fractions of a litre per 100 km, yet he had lugged around a full sized spare wheel for years without ever having had to use it.

You can be looking at 10-15 kg or more in weight saving and that would translate into fuel saving.

The spacesaver in my mk7 weighs 14kg and the 205/55 16 tyre and Toronto ally combination from the mk7 Golf Comfortline weighs 18.5kg new and 18.2kg with 32,000km wear on the tyre. So 4.5kg max is not much of a weight saving and I guess there is a good reason it is called a spacesaver and not a weightsaver.

[brad]

I don't think the 16" rim would fit over the brakes

Sorry for the thread necro. Just happened to be looking & noticed this.

16" rim & 312mm GTI barkes go together just fine. There's about 10-15mm clearance. Possibly you could even fit 15" depending on the rim

Look like this: