[MikeVW]

I have my Flik Wasps on order . Thank you to my wife for talking me into them.

My dumb question is, do I need the spare tire to be 18" also instead of the standard 15"? I'm thinking no since a lot of companies use the space saver spares.

TIA

 

[Gurft]

As long as the OUTSIDE diameter of the wheels are the same you should be fine. If you didn't order anything strange tire size wise, then you shoul dbe fine. The only reason you would need to replace your spare would be if you installed a brake kit of some type and needed the larger wheel for clearance.

A8 Brakes require a 16" wheel, I believe porsche brakes require 17"+

 

[MikeVW]

Thanx for the response Gurft. I had thought about the brake upgrade but then I wouldn't be able to use my stock alloys in the winter.

 

[quality_sound]

Also, if there is a difference then make sure you put the spare on the rear not on the front. That will save your differential.


Paul :thumbup:

 

[MikeVW]

My 18s go on today. The guy at the local garage also stated that if use the spare 15, put it on the rear. Otherwise you can ruin your transmission due to the differential. So, if I have to, in an emergency put the spare on the front, how long and at what speed would be advised driving on the spare?

Thanx

 

[ny1911]

If it's a 4mo, you can have a problem.

 

[MikeVW]

Is that true for a FWD also?

 

[Jesstzn]

Mike if the wheel / tire combo was sized properly the aspect ratio used on the 18s should give you the same overall OD as the 15s .. if thats the case there isn't a problem. If it wasn't and you have a flat on the front it means putting the spare onthe rear first then the 18 from the rear on the front..

No biggie .. think about it ,, if you have had good tires on your car for the last 5 years .. how many flats have you had? Not many if any.

 

[ny1911]

No. The front differential on the FWD will tolerate slightly different wheel sizes (it just thins you're going around a corner). With the torsen, the extra rotration of a wheel causes the torsen diff to lock up. It shouldn't be a problem, but it's not desireable. I had a tire dealer install 1 wrong tire on my 95 quattro...it was noisier, but no actual problems surfaced in the 20 or so miles that it saw.

Is that true for a FWD also?

 

[MDG]

I kept my original 15" spare with my 17"s, but as Jesstzn suggests, its never been out of the trunk. The rolling diameter is the same, so I don't expect any issues if I need to use it in an emergency.

 

[MikeVW]

Thank you all for the responses. I feel a bit better now. I'm thinking I may still buy an extra spare. This could come in handy in cast one of them got curbed.