Spare wheel fitment in boot

[kyle92]

Evening Chaps,

I am looking to finally get myself a spare wheel as it has been a long time coming.

I am looking at the standard wheel I have...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233987744572

Or the 'space saver' or what just looks to be a standard steel rim as it is full size...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203491186757

Would I be right in saying that both of these wheels will fit in my wheel well with the tool kit/jack etc as well?

Cheers,
Kyle

[RUM4MO]

Which model/engine of Polo do you have, also what is the size of the wheels currently on your car.

Sorting this out so that you can fit a spare if or when you need to is being smart, the steel spare, it might get called a space saver for some models of Polo that have bigger wheels but it might just be a full sized steel spare for your car if the size is what is on your car.

There are a few ways to look at what to do if you are replacing a pack of goo and a compressor with a proper spare wheel.

Options being:- 1) buy a "same sized" steel spare wheel and fit a basic tyre on it, 2) buy a "same sized" steel wheel with a new same as what you have on the car tyre, 3) buy exactly the same size and model of alloy wheel fitted with the same tyre as is on the car - and maybe more.

If opting for option "1" you will be able to keep mobile, but want to change back to the original wheel and tyre as soon as possible. Option "2" lets you move the tyre around to another wheel eventually if you write off a tyre. Option "3" lets you move wheels arounds to suit the wear etc.

The tools insert that you get if from a same model Polo and some other VW Group cars, will be okay for that car.

[iichel]

The wheel you show as a space saver is in fact the full-sized spare wheel.
The space saver is a narrow, 18-inch one.

The 15 inch should be perfectly fine for your 1.2 TDI Bluemotion.

[Dishwasher]

I struggled to fit a 15" with a 185/60 tyre into my spare wheel well, are the wheel wells different across different models?

I have a base spec Polo S, so my car came with 14" Steelies. I've since upgraded to 15" alloys, and when I had a flat tyre I couldn't get the alloy to fit in the spare wheel well.

I'd be tempted to go for the spacesaver, personally.

[RUM4MO]

I would think that all models that have the battery under the bonnet will have the same size of spare wheel well.

My wife's 2015 6C 1.2TSI 110PS came with 16" alloys, but only has a 15" spare wheel, which is fitted with a 185/60 X 15 tyre, that car needs a 15" spare wheel as it has the 288mm front discs, lesser powered Polos that have 256mm front discs will get supplied with a 14" spare wheel - but the outside diameter will be the same as the 185/60 X 15.

[iichel]

The 'low power' 1.2 TDI, 75hp 1.6 TDI and 1.2 MPI engines also get the 15 inch spare wheel over here.
The spare wheel well is the same in all Polos, also with the battery in the boot. The 312mm front disc braked cars (GTI after 2012, WRC) get the 18 inch spare, that is a space-saver, and also have the battery in the boot. The 15 inch spare doesn't fit, neither on the brake disc or above the battery.

[RUM4MO]

@iichel, I'd think that beyond physical requirements, ie front disc size, the supplied steel spare in the UK market could well be as small as is needed, ie 15" for engines over 100PS and 14" for engines below 100PS. That was a guess as my older daughter's late 2009 1.4 84PS Ibiza came with 17" alloys and a 14" steel spare wheel.

It would be a very strange situation where a car was marketed with 14" wheels alloys or steels and had a 15" steel spare wheel - of course maybe I'm out of touch and 1.2 MPI cars in UK no longer were fitted with 14" during the production run of 6R Polos.

[kyle92]

My apologies for the belated reply folks, I was running out of time as I had a large trip coming up in my polo and I wanted a spare tyre.

I opted to buy the space saver steel wheel, which as I mentioned, was definitely a full size rim and tyre and not a narrow space saver, despite this it actually fits in my boot nicely including the tool kit, although the tie down nut now seems to be short, nom matter which way I spin the wheel?

I will alter this at work to suit as it's just a longer bolt required, unless there is something I am missing?

On that note, I am missing my towing eyes and tow cap removal tool, quite random and annoying so if anybody has spare, give me a shout, or if anybody can give me some basic sizes of the towing eyes I can fabricate my own at work.

[RUM4MO]

Good, as regards the steel spare wheel and tool kit, the spare wheel is meant to be placed into the spare wheel well upside down is this the way you have placed the spare into the wheel well? I'll have a look at my wife's wheel+kit hold down plastic nut thing and see if it has a VW Group part number on it.

The towing eye - you do realise that it has a coarse left hand thread, so maybe not quite as easy to fabricate, so better getting one from a scrappy. If buying online, be aware that VW Group had a recall on these in maybe the 2017>2018 model year production build, so I'd expect lots of defective re-called ones will have ended up there on sale, I don't know how you could avoid that as they must have been quite nasty for VW Group to formally re-call them - ie all affected cars, in UK at least, were recalled for the formal removal and supply and fitting of a correct quality towing eye it seems.

To open the hatch for the towing eye, I thought that they all had a slightly hidden slot for a screwdriver, but you make it sound like they have a small hole for a hook to get put into, if that is the case, then "VW P/N 6X0 012 243" is the steel tool for doing that and removing wheel bolt covers that have a hole in the centre - or do you mean something else?

[RUM4MO]

Tow Hitch Front:- 6K0 803 615C

Bolt for Spare Wheel mounting (shorten if necessary) 6Q0 803 899A

Both items listed for a 2011/12 Polo.