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Death to the Spacesaver!

4K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  hotztuf 
#1 ·
I had a quote today from Waterloo Mazda and its;

$465 for an additional rim and they estimate $300 - $400 for the tyre at beaurepaires.

I got a little to clever the other day with a gutter and scraped/pitted my front left alloy for about 10 cm's around the rim :?

My only excuses are the gutter was unusually steep and I've become lazy due to the Xtrail (my other) having reasonable sidewalls.

This unfortunate brain explosion won't happen again so I intend getting rid of the space saver in the next month or so and the tray (no great loss) and putting the screwed up alloy into the boot.

Has anyonelse got rid of the space saver yet? If so what was the price?
 
#2 ·
I hate that thing, but im not prepared to part with cash to get rid of it... particularly since ive never had a flat in my life! :)

***runs to touch the nearest piece of wood***
 
#3 ·
I know when my mate was working for Bob Janes he told me they have a database with all the traded-in factory wheels. They sell these pre-loved wheels, tyre included, at a reasonable price. It might be worth calling through a BJs and asking or hold off until more become available.
 
#5 ·
All I can say is that $300-$400 is A LOT for a single tyre... you're talking good racing rubber there!

Since you're putting the scuffed wheel in the boot as emergency, why not get it fitted with a Sumitomo (or something sub $200 with good performance) and stick the old (factory original) tyre on the new rim.

That way you save a few hundred bucks and your four road tyres all have the same wear patterns and will be due for replacement at the same time and able to be rotated together at service intervals.

Fairy's muff? :)
 
#6 ·
Wow, Waterloo must be trying to rip everyone off fiordland!!

$300-400 for rubber?! What rubber was the quote on?

I got Eagle F1 GS-D3 215/45/17 rubber for $195...not discounted yet..depends how u haggle.
 
#8 ·
samps said:
All I can say is that $300-$400 is A LOT for a single tyre... you're talking good racing rubber there!

Since you're putting the scuffed wheel in the boot as emergency, why not get it fitted with a Sumitomo (or something sub $200 with good performance) and stick the old (factory original) tyre on the new rim.

That way you save a few hundred bucks and your four road tyres all have the same wear patterns and will be due for replacement at the same time and able to be rotated together at service intervals.

Fairy's muff? :)
I specifically tell them NOT to rotate tyres at all. It only makes them wear faster and for a period after rotation youll have uneven tread pressure on the road. Each wheel sits on the road at a different angle so by rotating them you change where the wear is already to another spot. IE Both front wheels sit slightly top in and the rears even more so, if you swap fronts or rears side to side the high part of wear is now on the low part of the other wheel, front to back is the same but not as bad, at least the side of wear is the same. Thats the only swap Ill ever make, is to put fronts to rear and new on front, but with front wheel drive they tend to wear faster anyway so. . . A good mechanic friend of mine explained it to me one day, he believes the tyre rotating idea was concieved by the tyre manufacturers, and they pay the car companies to put it in their manuals to sell more tyres.

Lancair
 
#9 ·
also if u have directional tyres, u can only shift from front <-> back anyway..

so i would only rotate them once the fronts wear out and then put both of em to the back.
 
#10 ·
My understanding is the Goodyear F1 is extremely capable like the standard fitment Bridgestone Potenza RE040's. Initially I thought Oz was going to get the Toyo brand fitted to the SP23 in the USA, conferred with dealer who confirmed the Potenza's so I'm very happy.

The Potenza's are a high performance tyre, perhaps exceeded by the Michelin Pilot series, not much else. Personally I'd stick to Michelin or Bridgestones as they're leading the way in F1 which inevitably has a positive trickle down effect on their consumer tyre range.

The Turanza tyre fitted to the Maxx sport is a different style, a better blend of touring comfort and performance than the Potenza's, probably better wear.

You can get the SP23 Potenza's in Oz, although they're not standard stock at Bearepaires, still waiting on the quote. Here is a summary off Bridgestone;

The Potenza RE040 is an Ultra High Performance Summer Original Equipment tire designed to complement the performance of sports coupes and sports cars including the Acura NSX, Audi TT, BMW 3-Series, Lexus SC430, Nissan 350Z and Toyota MR2. The Potenza RE040 was developed to provide good traction along with responsive and predictable dry and wet road handling. It is not intended to be driven in the snow. (Keep in mind if heading for Kosciousko).

On the outside, the Potenza RE040 features a high grip tread compound molded into a subtly directional tread design. A continuous center rib and large rectangular tread blocks provide responsive handling, high-speed stability and traction on dry roads, while circumferential and lateral tread grooves are aimed to pump water out from under the tire's footprint to minimize hydroplaning and aid wet traction. Internally, the Potenza RE040 features twin steel belts reinforced by spiral wrapped nylon to stabilize the tread area and enhance handling, high-speed capability and ride quality while minimizing weight. The fabric cord body and hard rubber sidewall filler helps blend uniform ride quality with steering response and lateral stability.end quote.
 
#11 ·
Umm..i hope u've watched F1....bridgestone only entered formula one in 1997...michelins returned to f1 in 2001 but they've been in f1 for ages longer than goodyear...and Goodyears left, thats all..

Goodyear have introduced their tyres and used in formula one since 1983-84..much longer than bridgstone have. I'd buy goodyear over bridgestone anyday.

Goodyear was also the first tyre supplier to supply the top racing classes: formula one, NASCAR cups and NHRA Drag and leading the way over other competitors..
 
#12 ·
every tyre company that makes a tyre also just make a tyre if you know what i mean... if you want good rubber dont be scared to part with sometimes a considerable amount more then just the standard gear.

sure the technology might be there in the f1 tyres, but do you seriously think it is the same compound rubber for your street driver? i would hope not... changing tyres every 2000k or there abouts other wise.
 
#13 ·
Yes, nevertheless F1 is an important testing ground as is the WRC which Michelin has unequalled strength in both. A Michelin shod team first won the F1 in 1979.

Bridgestone shod team won in 1998 in only their second year of F1, Bridgestone replaced Goodyear as the Ferrari tyre of choice which Schumacher currently still "wears".

No question Goodyear has an excellent race history, they are struggling a bit at F1 recently.

Personally I would have liked Michelin Pilot's but very happy with the grip of the Potenza's.
 
#14 ·
A scratched rim is gonna cost that much to replace?

i'd save up some dosh and just go and buy some 17"-18" aftermarket rims.
Noithing against the MZ3 rims, as far as stock rims go they look hot... But there are certainly better rims out there which would look better on a MZ3. For 400 a rim you have a lot of choice,
 
#15 ·
They're not that much to get repaired... I'm sure there are many scratch-and-dent places that'll fix scratches and scrapes. There are places that specialize in this kind of thing and I have seen websites devoted to DIY wheel repairs.

I guess if you're going to replace the spacesaver anyway then it's probably worth it, but I'd personally look to repair the original.
 
#17 ·
Normal sized wheels don't fit in the well. I've got a spare Mazda 6 16" alloy that I carry on trips out of the city, and it fits in the well but sits high - I lose about 10-15cm of boot space (from the bottom-up).
 
#18 ·
I don't mind the concept of a space saver I just wish it was rated to 100km/h (wouldn't want to travel back from the country on a highway at 80km/h... piss me and fellow drivers off majorly) and I wish it didn't make such a massive change to braking and steering (there was an RACV report getting really stuck into them not so long ago).
I'm all for them being a cheap steel wheel in a revolting yellow or any other rancid colour. Anything to encourage me to get the flat tyre repaired quick smart.

Could be worse I guess... "here's your puncture repair kit and bike pump"
 
#19 ·
thats what bmw gives to some newer models..tyre repair kit..no spare wheel.
 
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