Death to the Spacesaver!

[fiordland]

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?

[jeffyg]

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***

[Sonic]

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.

[Spook]

On the same topic, I wonder how much it is to fix/replace if you have a flat on the space saver? Maybe better off replacing with a full size spare?

[samps]

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?

[hotztuf]

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.

[kwongoz]

fiordland, i got a flat the other day for my maxx sport ....was discussing in the sydney forum

http://www.sydneymazdaclub.com/forum...read.php?t=406

- u can get a price quote, but can you get the tyre? - it appears they're not in the country yet - maybe in a few weeks.

would love to hear what your findings are...

[Lancair]

Originally Posted by "samps"

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

[hotztuf]

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.

[fiordland]

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.