Spare wheel advice

[SuperV8]

The tyres come off for repair so you can see any damage and then decide if a permanent repair is viable. Then it could be considered a permanent repair.
Until then it will be temporary regardless of the method.
Gluing rubber plugs in the tyre is pretty much the only way tyres get repaired, but it requires some level of skill, unlike squirting a gel in the valve and rotating it. That's why those kits are in cars instead of rubber plugs.
H & S concerns are very real changing a tyre and whilst back in the day that was how we did it, it's safer for everyone to just get recovery or squirt a fluid in the tyre and then get it replaced or repaired.

Had my first (in 20 years) tyre issue a couple years ago, on a dual carriage way doing 'around' 70, at the last second I saw something glinting in the road and then heard a bit of a pop and then squiggly handling, luckily there was a layby 200m so pulled in - and yes my rear tyre was flat as a pancake, got my goo/kit out the boot - but thought i'd check the back of the tyre first as the front looked fine - and when feeling round the back my finger found a finger sized hole! no goo or puncture repair kit would fix that! Since then I have carried a spare!

 

[andylong]

The 'comfort' pressure is what used to be the 'normal' pressure! before they brought in the 'eco' very high pressure to try to eek out less CO2 on the emissions test!

I don't think this the case. Comfort pressures exist on other vehicle brands.
I think it's rather to offset the harsh ride that customers don't like with very low profile tyres and the necessary wider profile. In essence to stop people complaining.
If a tyre pressure is right it's right at particular loads. Less sidewall requires stiffer sidewalls and/or higher pressures.
It's all about loading and how that loading varies with driving.
Loading is enormous hitting a step in the road for example, high under braking.
But if Seat says it's ok, who am I to argue eh?

 

[cupra14]

I've had more than one puncture (not all on the Cupra) where only a spare tyre was required i.e. foam would have been useless.

For some of them a DIY repair kit would perhaps have worked but for others, no.

On my list for buying any car is a proper spare even if a space saver.

Just work on the basis that car makers & government are in some ways pretty useless as regards reality.

 

[cupra14]

I'm using my old Audi winter tyre/alloy for my spare - same size as the Leon - 225 45 17.

I'm wondering if you've checked it does fit? Just wondering, not saying it does or doesn't

 

[SuperV8]

I'm wondering if you've checked it does fit? Just wondering, not saying it does or doesn't

Yes, ET, PCD, centre dia all exactly the same. I use them on my Leon last winter.

 

[Mr Pig]

The 'comfort' pressure is what used to be the 'normal' pressure! before they brought in the 'eco' very high pressure to try to eek out less CO2 on the emissions test!

Interesting. Makes sense.

 

[Mr Pig]

225 45 17. Fits fine with the ST boot floor in the upper position but in the lower position the floor very slightly rocks

It's the same with the 18'' alloy but it's not an issue. You wouldn't notice it unless you were looking.

 

[SuperV8]

I don't think this the case. Comfort pressures exist on other vehicle brands.
I think it's rather to offset the harsh ride that customers don't like with very low profile tyres and the necessary wider profile. In essence to stop people complaining.
If a tyre pressure is right it's right at particular loads. Less sidewall requires stiffer sidewalls and/or higher pressures.
It's all about loading and how that loading varies with driving.
Loading is enormous hitting a step in the road for example, high under braking.
But if Seat says it's ok, who am I to argue eh?

We discuss it here:

Tyre Pressure Confusion

Hi all Hoping for some advice. I have 2017 Leon FR Mk3 with 225/45/17 tyres but the pressure settings seem contradictory. Sticker on car shows anywhere from 36 to 41 for fronts with light load although not clear what the thermometer is trying to show against the lower pressure. Most of the...

www.seatcupra.net

The Leon is a light car - no way it needs high 30s PSI pressure.

My older label has normal - and laden pressures.
Newer labels include a third pressure with I or Comfort - which was the old normal!

 

[SRGTD]

The 'comfort' pressure is what used to be the 'normal' pressure! before they brought in the 'eco' very high pressure to try to eek out less CO2 on the emissions test!

I don't think this the case. Comfort pressures exist on other vehicle brands.
I think it's rather to offset the harsh ride that customers don't like with very low profile tyres and the necessary wider profile. In essence to stop people complaining.
If a tyre pressure is right it's right at particular loads. Less sidewall requires stiffer sidewalls and/or higher pressures.
It's all about loading and how that loading varies with driving.
Loading is enormous hitting a step in the road for example, high under braking.
But if Seat says it's ok, who am I to argue eh?

Interestingly, VW don’t have a comfort tyre pressure setting for all wheel / tyre size permutations. I seem to vaguely remember it might be non-performance models do have a comfort setting whereas performance models don’t; maybe Seat and Cupra are the same?

My last VW - a 2016 previous generation Polo GTI - had 7J x 17” alloys and 215/40 R17 tyres and that didn’t have a set of comfort tyre pressures - photo of tyre pressure sticker below;

Here‘s the tyre pressure sticker on my current car (2020 Polo GTI+ with 7.5J x 18” alloys and 215/40 R18 tyres) - no comfort setting. VW’s recommended pressures with up to two occupants + luggage in the car is 41psi front and 38psi rear. For a fully laden car (my car’s rarely, if ever, fully laden), the recommended tyre pressures are 44psi front and 46psi rear! .

 

[andylong]

It's a strange thing, tyre wear and temps are what I've used in the past.
What you carry is a preload, what you do in the car adds dynamic load. Perhaps cars are getting heavier then

 

[martin j.]

Buy a repair kit. I did to my mk3 Cupra R. I also bought a oem jack, never used, on a scrap yard.
Then it is possible to remove the wheel and repair the puncture. Since I have the 4 pot bremo calipers/370mm brake discs it is not possible to use space save spare wheel in front.

On my Honda the space saver does not fit over the front discs, so in the event of a front wheel puncture, fit a rear wheel to front and space saver on rear, simples.
When working in a parts dept I discovered foam kits have a use by date, nice wee replacement earner, bet you don’t know anyone - or only a few- who have replaced the foam kit due to this.
All the salesmen where I worked sent new car customers to me at time of sale, I could supply a spare wheel kit cheaper than adding it in as a factory fit, sold loads, full size and space saver.

 

[cupra14]

I think unmentioned so far (& especially aimed at car owners such as new drivers): before you have a puncture check you can undo the wheel bolts, as they are often too tight (due to corrosion or "mechanics" using air guns)! Do it in daylight & dry weather. Then re-torque to the correct value.

It's worth having both a torque wrench & a telescopic wrench in the car, too (do I mention hi-vis jacket & breakdown warning triangle?).

 

[Mr Pig]

I think unmentioned so far (& especially aimed at car owners such as new drivers): before you have a puncture check you can undo the wheel bolts, as they are often too tight (due to corrosion or "mechanics" using air guns)! Do it in daylight & dry weather. Then re-torque to the correct value.

It's worth having both a torque wrench & a telescopic wrench in the car, too (do I mention hi-vis jacket & breakdown warning triangle?).

This is an excellent point. I've known people who could not get their wheels off because the idiot at Thick-Fit had cranked the bolts too hard. You should always undo the bolts and re-torque them when you get home. If they are torqued properly the standard car tyre lever will be fine.

Years ago I got new tyres on my wife's car and was standing watching as Johnnie No-Stars was about to use the air gun to tighten the bolts. I asked him to use a torque wrench and he said "It's alright mate I do it this way all the time". I said 'ok' and while he was tightening the bolts I went into the boot and got the car tyre lever. Once he'd tightened the bolts I handed him the lever and said 'Ok, now undo them with this'. He couldn't do it. I said "If you can't undo those bolts in a garage what chance does my wife have in the dark and rain at the side of the road? Use the f****** torque wrench'.

A subsequent time, in the same garage, the guy did indeed use a torque wrench unprompted. Progress I thought. Then I watched as the wrench clicked and he just kept on pushing as hard as he could!

This is what you're up against. I wouldn't trust these guys to put a nut in a monkeys mouth. Buy a torque wrench and use it. I don't think you need to carry it with you though. Tightening the wheel nuts with the car lever will be fine until you get home.

 

[RUM4MO]

I don't go as far as taking a torque wrench with me, unless I'm driving to and then driving around at the other end of the country, but I've made sure a telescopic wrench, with a quality hex socket is in all the other family cars, and my original breaker bar with a quality hex socket and maybe an extremely short 1/2" sqr drv extension, is in my car - along with a couple of HiVis jackets. All our cars either came with warning triangles or I've bought the correct type to fit into where they get stored in other markets. I've always considered the cheap double ended sockets that come with telescopic wrench to be not too good at staying on the bolt heads - when you are in a hurry. Toolstation sell or used to sell what is/was referred to as being Facom hex sockets, so that was where I bought enough to cover all our close family cars.

Edit:- one other very useful bit that I've added to all our close family cars, where it was not included in the tool kit was, a plastic threaded dowel or "wheel alignment tool" - having one of them makes changing wheels at lot easier than struggling without one.

There is a VW Group for that item and there is usually some being sold on ebay, if not any Audi parts department will order one in for you, and they are not very expensive. p/n 893 012 223

 

[RUM4MO]

@Mr Pig , on the subject of garages and tyre places using air guns and then a torque wrench, I've always wondered if the air gun was set to a low but safe limit to cover all makes and models of cars that they work on - or if it whacks the bolts/nuts up to say 120NM and then the application of a torque wrench afterwards is just a "thing we do for some reason" without really ever getting the torque wrench calibration checked of the set torque adjusted to the correct setting for each model/make of car.

For, maybe overkill, but I take wheels to get tyres already off the car, okay not everyone can do that, but that is my way round the wheel bolt tightening issue whenever it is possible, the bonus in doing that is that the underside of our cars never ends up getting damaged by incorrect placement of the trolley jack - which might get used if the ramps are all in use.

 

[Mr Pig]

..on the subject of garages and tyre places using air guns and then a torque wrench, I've always wondered if the air gun was set to a low but safe limit to cover all makes and models of cars that they work on..

I don't think it matters what they are supposed to be set to. The wombles using them will just crank them to max anyway. Like the guy who used the torque wrench on my car, incorrectly. I very much doubt that's how he was shown to use it.

We often get new tyres fitted when the wheels are off the car too. We use winter tyres so I try to hold out until the wheels are off before buying new summer tyres. If they're jacking my car I watch them and insist they jack it in the right place. I've had to stop them a few times. One time the guy was quite adamant it would be ok and I had to insist. I've seen cars damaged by jacking in the wrong place.

 

[cupra14]

maybe overkill, but I take wheels to get tyres already off the car

LOL - I thought I might be the only one doing that!!

 

[martin j.]

One of my tasks was ensuring the compressor receiver was drained down, I also ensured that the compressor was set to 65psi max, but every tech had a torque wrench at his ramp that was checked regularly, as was his tyre pressure gauge/inflator, maybe having an ex army guy as service manager kept the workshop running sweet.
Zip the nuts up with the gun, air or battery, finish with the wrench, and then it was double checked by another tech, who counter signed the job sheet, no hiding place.

 

[RUM4MO]

Yes, it can been surprising just how much water is gathered when compressing ambient air, even when using a small battery compressor, I always remember to open the drain in the receiver of my air compressor, that will save a bit of corroding going on, well hopefully.

 

[andylong]

Yes, it can been surprising just how much water is gathered when compressing ambient air, even when using a small battery compressor, I always remember to open the drain in the receiver of my air compressor, that will save a bit of corroding going on, well hopefully.

Quite, at 20C and 50% relative humidity there's about 9ml per metre cubed of air.