Spare Wheel Cover Size?

[ianlinux]

Okay, wife got caught out the other day with a puncture which meant an AA lift back because they won't use the gunk repair.

I have a spare with original alloy (£70 off ebay) which I intend to keep in the car so if this happens again, my wife can simply call the AA and swap it over (which they'll do).

However, rubber stinks, is often dirty and marks light interior finishes, so I'd like to buy a vinyl cover which I can zip over the wheel for interior stowage. Even better if it had a way to strap the thing in so it doesn't become a missile.

Any ideas on size?

Thanks in advance

[ianlinux]

Bought one of these in the end: "Spare Wheel Tyre Cover"

Once received, I'll let you know how it fits for my R15s

I did consider "Puncture Safe" and similar products but, according to the AA guy, the depth the nail went in in our example (and it was a long screw) would have been ineffective and would scupper any chance of a repair with the puncture material lining in place. So I thought about repair and spare stowage as my considered alternative.

Repair cost me £15 and came with "warranty"

[johnan]

I bought some black vinyl leathercloth and sewed up a cover from that for my spare wheel, but the end cost wouldn't be that much cheaper than the cover you have found.

Well investigated!

John

[ianlinux]

Thanks John. I did think about making one, but I've got so much else to do, whilst my sewing skills are pretty dire, that buying one is the only real option.

I'll put a review up ASAP

[Guest]

These look good enough to store my tyres in when not on the car. As I now have winter tyres fitted, the summer tyres would be in there, far better than bin bags and easier to get hold of to rotate them. Excellent find Ian.

[Soeley]

I was going to suggest these, then saw your second post and you are now sorted. But for Bob, have you seen these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Tyre-Wheel-Carry-Bags-Set-4-Richbrook-Bag-Covers-Race-Winter-Wheels-Storage-/181224106096

I tend getting soem for mt Summer/Winter wheels.

[ianlinux]

I was going to suggest these, then saw your second post and you are now sorted. But for Bob, have you seen these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Tyre-Wheel-Carry-Bags-Set-4-Richbrook-Bag-Covers-Race-Winter-Wheels-Storage-/181224106096

I tend getting soem for mt Summer/Winter wheels.

Yes these look good for garage/shed/outdoor storage, whereas the one I've just purchased might be better for indoor and interior car storage (rubber pong avoidance). I'll let you know how it seals the smell and dirt in. Hopefully will receive by end of the week.

I know the spares I've got I currently keep indoors and the room stinks from the rubber if you're not used to it.

[johnan]

Thats another advantage of having winter wheels, you always have one of the "not in use set" to carry as a spare!

John

[Guest]

I was going to suggest these, then saw your second post and you are now sorted. But for Bob, have you seen these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Tyre-Wheel-Carry-Bags-Set-4-Richbrook-Bag-Covers-Race-Winter-Wheels-Storage-/181224106096

I tend getting soem for mt Summer/Winter wheels.

Yeah, thanks for that, they look good. I have noticed however that they have wheels in the tyres, mine are just the tyres so there would be a big hole in the middle for all the creepy crawling miscreants to set up their web condo's in. Shame as they are a lot cheaper than the others. As John says above, having the summer tyres left on a set of wheels provides a spare, and vice versa for when the summer tyres are on. It's all down to affordability. If I could afford another set of wheels...

[ianlinux]

When I first looked these things up I kept searching for "wheel covers" which I thought was logical, but only found what I wanted when I searched "Tyre covers". I suspect the correct term would have been "Wheel Assembly Covers" or "Wheel with Tyre Covers".

"Wheel covers" mostly came up with wheel trims.

[ianlinux]

Okay, so received today (ordered Sunday evening, came Tuesday morning), and here's my review:

Material & Quality

The material is "600/300 nylon", the sort of stuff they make holdalls out of. The piping is red vinyl in my case and not the yellow in the photograph offered by the vendor. The stitching around the zip is black (not colour co-ordinated as in the eBay image). Overall the quality is what one would expect for the money I suppose. Perhaps the nylon could be a little thicker, but the stitching and zip hardware both seem durable, along with the carrying handle which has been fixed adequately for the intended weight - although I wouldn't rely on it for any more than loading and unloading. I don't anticipate moving wheels in and out that often, so don't envisage any stitching, zip and/or any other failures to occur, but of course, only time will tell.

Fit

At first, I thought the size I ordered was incorrect (R15 for a 175/65R15 84S), as I couldn't get the zip to close around the wheel assembly, but after re-opening the zip all the way and centralising the wheel a bit better, I was able to close up to a nice snug fit although in the end, it wasn't too snug which is probably a good thing. Having done it a few times, there's a knack. The zip itself isn't fixed centrally to the circumference as the left photo suggests, but offset as the right photo suggests, so it's best to leave the wheel on the floor, unzip the cover all the way and wrap the deepest flap of the cover around the wheel, and then turn both over to finish off. Voila! Easily zipped.

Extras

Well you don't get much else really. The cover has a carry handle stitched to the circumference, a vent strip (black not colour co-ordinated in my case) and a couple of velcro strips on the deeper section's underside which I presume is for fixing to a solid surface where corresponding velcro is attached. However, I intend to strap the assembly to one of the rear lashing points.

Edit

Just a point of note; The nylon material picks up any dust off a solid floor, so it might be a good idea to lay some ancillary material between the two when zipping up. There are also no washing instructions that I could find in case over time you did want to freshen the cover up, but I have put rucksacks of similar material on a cool wash before now which has always turned out successfully.

Edit2

The covered wheel has been sitting in the iQ a couple of days now, and despite the vent strip, there's no discernible rubber smell emanating from the covered wheel - that's good IMO.

I'll add some pictures later