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Wagon spare tire solutions?

4K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  vagondr 
#1 ·
I'm going to be doing a lot of travelling in remote areas and I'm looking for a way to carry a spare. I haven't had a flat in decades but i have seen too many of my MINI Cooper friends stranded for days and paying ridiculous amount of money to have a wheel and/or tire expedited.

Does anyone know if a front tire without wheel fits in the tire well? Ideally it would fit around the subwoofer if I removed the slime compressor. Or I could remove the sub when travelling. Any help would be appreciated. And if it works I could use a used front tire!
 
#11 ·
Auto part Engine Gas


As elphil posted, the subwoofer and Eurotek's spare fit in the spare wheel well. I also placed the tools in the subcompartment above the spare wheel well and I secured them using the velcro straps next to the floor hinge.

I test fitted the spare wheel to car using the supplied tools and emergency car jack. As you would expect, the scissors jack is a pain to use because the V's side skirts block the normal jacking site and the V doesn't have much ground clearance. I think it helps to place a hockey puck between the jack and underbody to get more clearance so I carry a puck in my Vagon too.
 
#12 ·
I remembered this thread from the spring. At the time, I had no idea that I'd be buying a V wagon.

Now that I have, this was mod #1 done to my new wagon, completed today. I kept the Eurotek spare kit from my V sedan. I just wanted to add a few pointers for Vagoneers who will be using the kit.

1. The foam insert fits, but then takes up so much vertical space that one cannot place the spare tire and the subwoofer back without keeping the spare wheel well cover off. This is why the poster above fixed the tools to the load space as described above. I chose a slightly different approach.

2. I placed a piece of very thin piece packing foam, similar to that used in packing a wheel, on the floor of the wheel well. This is necessary because as demonstrated in the picture in post 9 above, I had to place the face of the wheel down in order to accomodate the subwoofer.

3. You have to remove the spacer from the spare wheel. This is also demonstrated, but not explained above. If you keep the spacer on, you won't be able to close off the spare tire well. I just threw the spacer in the side cargo net so that it's not rattling around in the back, loose.

4. It is really cool that the scissor jack fits behind the spare tire well in a space that must be in the rear bumper. The space is nicely fitted so the jack doesn't make noise. There's even a tiny pin at the end of teh space that limits movment of the jack forward and the spare tire backward. Cool detail that only an automotive engineer would have thought of.

I am now ready for tire-killing Cleveland roads....not to mention that since now both my summer and winter sets are satin graphite, the spare wheel now matches at least in color.

....now to tackle that pesky and tricky (more tricky than in my 09 V sedan) Invisicord install so I can hardwire my Valentine One....
 
#13 ·
The Eurotek spare I received was an 18" donut temporary spare and I don't believe it was milled to fit. Rather the spacer provided clearance by only about a cm., which brings up an issue or two. Has anyone actually used the kit on the front and did the wheel rub the caliper in practice? To torque the spacer on the rear I can set the e-brake but in front do you fix the rotor by wedging a screwdriver between a rotor fin and the caliper or is there another way? I believe I can fit the slot on the jack onto the crimp weld at the torsion box but I could be mistaken so I'll carry a hockey puck to be safe. If I ever have a flat I may call for service but, by providing the spare, I can at least avoid a tow, which otherwise would be required. Anything not to inject some nasty corrosive goop and have to find someone willing to clean up the mess. I do carry plugs, a soapy spray and the compressor for small punctures.
 
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