Probably a stupid question but Im a complete Newby having just bought my 2015 T6. The wheel fitted to it are 17" with 235 65 R17 tyres but I've noticed the spare is a 215 65 R16. If I got a puncture would it be safe to drive with the smaller wheel or should I look for a replacement spare ? Also will these wheels mess my speedo up and if so faster or slower as dont want a speeding ticket .
Different spare wheel size.
- Thread starter Trig62
- Start date
Definitely wouldn’t want to drive with one wheel a different rolling circumference to the others particularly on the same axle. Other thing if you’re van is a t32 it may have the 340mm front discs and a 16” wheel won’t fit over the caliper although it may be the spare is the original wheel size on your van.
There's nothing inherently wrong with having a different sized spare if it has a rolling circumference very close to that of your road tyres, but yours isn't very close;
If I was in your situation I'd look out for a used 17" steel wheel with a tyre the same size as your others.
I had to drive my T5 with a standard 16" steely spare on, others were 235/55/19. Couldn't tell it was on the smaller wheel but didn't drive far.
Thanks everyone! I think I need to decide if I want to keep these wheels and tyres and get a bigger spare or change the 17" for standard and keep the spare. Might sound a weird decision but the van is pretty high on these wheels and difficult for me ( I'm a bit disabled with cancer in one of my legs) to get in and out of so something closer to the floor might be a better option. It's not a T32 so no problem there. Its also good to know on a short journey it shouldnt notice too much while I decide the way forward. Time to research some options.
As Ali states, OK physically on the rear unless its a 4motion. If you have a front puncture you'd have to play musical wheels, unless you were only going a few hundred yards.
However, the legality would be questionable at best, so try and avoid running anyone over with it on the van as that could open a can of worms.
I had a similar issue, so changed the tyre on the spare to one with a deeper profile to exactly match (to less than a mm) the rolling diameter of the 18s on the van. I can slap it on the front or rear without worrying, and won't end up sharing a bedroom with Big Bubba for having it on there.
However, the legality would be questionable at best, so try and avoid running anyone over with it on the van as that could open a can of worms.
I had a similar issue, so changed the tyre on the spare to one with a deeper profile to exactly match (to less than a mm) the rolling diameter of the 18s on the van. I can slap it on the front or rear without worrying, and won't end up sharing a bedroom with Big Bubba for having it on there.
I tried to match my spare tyre (235/60/17) with the rolling diameter of my 18s (235/55/18) but the mistake I seem to have made is fitting it to a 17x8J wheel, so it won't fit in the carrier. Think I need to swap the wheel for a 17x7J.
