Hubcap Fitting Instructions!

[Boomlander]

Of course one thing that I forgot was that with a 155/80/14 tyre fitted to the spare wheel it won't fit in the boot compartment so I will be getting a 135/80/14 fitted to the fifth rim and Ebaying the spare 155 that was on it previously.
Dohhhh!!

[mike.perry]

My 155/80/14 spare wheels fit on top of the 6.5 gall. tank on both my Traveller and Series MM. Are you sure that the boot floor is not bent down?

[Boomlander]

The boot appears to be fine with no apparent damage but the spare will definately not slide into its usual slot with the wider tyre on it. [frame][/frame]

[Dean]

My hubcaps are tight.... our road is on a slight incline and on removal I had to chase the hubcap down the road, it made a fairly loud wow wow wow type noise as it rolled down.

[Boomlander]

Excellent! That's exactly the sort of thing my car does to me, I swear it's got an evil sense of humour!

[MarkyB]

The boot appears to be fine with no apparent damage but the spare will definately not slide into its usual slot with the wider tyre on it

I don't understand why this is accompanied by a picture of a spare that seems to fit OK but I'd get a torch and look at whatever screws have been used to hold the floor down, if they are too long that might be the problem.

[Boomlander]

The picture shows the original spare with 5.20/14 Cross Ply tyre fitted and as you can see it fits snugly into the wheel compartment whereas the new 4 1/2J rim fitted with 155/80/14 radial does not.

[MarkyB]

As Mike Perrys 155/80/14 fits OK my advice stands, work out what it's catching up on.

[Boomlander]

As Mike Perrys 155/80/14 fits OK my advice stands, work out what it's catching up on.

Tyre is actually catching on the boot lock lower bracket but once manoeuvered past that it still does not fit between the boot floor and the shelf support structure. It looks like I will have to fit the narrower tyre after all.

[IaininTenbury]

It may be the wider rim thats letting the sidewall be wider. A standard rim with 155 on just fits, though its a pain on my car with the towball to negotiate as you fit it in.

[Boomlander]

It's a pain alright,
I think the easiest solution is to fit the spare rim with the narrow 135 tyre, after all it will only be used in emergencies if ever,
and it will save a lot of struggling and bleeding knuckles trying to get the wider one in and out as it is clearly too big for the gap. The original crossply 5.20/14 just slid in with a few mm clearance.

[IaininTenbury]

Or a standard rim with the 155. Saves buying another tyre...

[Boomlander]

Or a standard rim with the 155. Saves buying another tyre...

Trouble is I bought a set of five brand new rims from ESM and sold the old skinny ones, At least the spare tyre is not new so I won't lose out replacing it with a narrow one.
PS managed to break the weld on the boot shelf support strut trying to get the damn wheel in - another job on the list!

[Dean]

I have an idea, a "Baldrick" kind of idea.

Why not, let the tyre down, this will make it small enough to push it in underneath.
Fit a tow bar.
Buy a trailer.
Buy a compressor.
Buy an extension cable.
Buy tyre pumpy up adaptor for compressor.
Buy a three pin socket from screwfix (plastic backing plate maybe necessary for safety).
Put compressor, extension cable, socket and pumpy up adaptor into trailer.
Hook trailer onto towbar.
Go for drive.


If tyre goes flat, grab extension cable plug walk away and unreel extension cable it's full amount, place the other extension cable end by the wheel that needs replacing. Walk back to trailor and take spare wheel out of boot and fit to car (using the jack you remembered to put in). Take compressor out of trailor and fit tyre pumpy up end to valve. Finally plug compressor into extension cable, then grab the socket from trailer, walk to the plug of the extension cable and plug it into the socket. Walk back to the compressor, switch it on... and hey presto.. pump your tyre up!

[Boomlander]

There you go!
I knew that there would be someone who would come up with a sensible solution!
Currently scouring Ebay for suitable trailer and air compressor.
Sorted!

[Rasputin]

How are the Nangkang tyres ? I presume you have the car running now?

[mike.perry]

I think that a 135 tyre on a 4 1/2 in rim is going to be rather narrow. Can you still get 135/14 tyres? You are better off with a 155 on a standard rim which is what I have as a spare on my Traveller, and there is room for a set of gaskets stored on top.

[Boomlander]

How are the Nangkang tyres ? I presume you have the car running now?

They hold the road just fine! Thanks

[Boomlander]

I think that a 135 tyre on a 4 1/2 in rim is going to be rather narrow. Can you still get 135/14 tyres? You are better off with a 155 on a standard rim which is what I have as a spare on my Traveller, and there is room for a set of gaskets stored on top.

I managed to get a Pirelli 135/80/14 emergency tyre which will serve fine as a spare and I will be able to keep the brand new ESM rim as it would be a shame to split up the set of five

[mike.perry]

The rolling radius of the spare will be different from the standard tyre.