Tyres and spare tyre well

[KenMavor]

Good morning all.

Have a couple of questions.

I have a 2007 IS250 auto with the dreaded space save tyre as a spare.

I have 205/55 R16s on the car.  Will a full size spare fit in the tyre well under the boot floor or will it protrude?

Also the two rear tyres need replacing....they are 205/55/R16 with a V (149mph) rating whilst most tyre sites recommend a W (168mph) rating.  suspect the previous owner

just put on the current tyres.

Anyone any idea where I can find what the actual Lexus recommended rating is and is there really any difference between V and W ratings?

 

Thanks

[normski2]

In all honesty the only way you will know for sure is to jack up your car, take a wheel off and try it.

It may just fit as its a 16" wheel, but I don't know for sure.

[johnatg]

I think you will find it will protrude - space savers are fitted for a reason......

Your car has Type A wheels/tyres - Lexus recommended tyre size is 205/55R16 89W (see the handbook)

There may be insurance issues with using V rated tyres. You could check with your insurance company - some don't mind you fitting lower speed rated tyres, others do. I once asked both my insurance company (I forget which) and the police and neither minded that I planned to fit H rather than recommended V rated tyres (I think it was on a Mazda 626, but it was a long time ago).

If you drive in Europe I think you must have correct speed rated tyres (ie W)

[C Andrew Green]

@KenMavor I had occasion to remove the rear wheels (to replace rear pads and a caliper) and was surprised just how heavy a wheel and tyre is (I must be getting old and weak!) So I can see why manufacturers fit much lighter spacesavers.

In 200 odd thousand miles in my old Mazda 626 I could count the number of punctures on one hand so it does seem logical not to lug around several Kgs of full sized spare wheel to the general detriment of fuel economy.

According to the handbook and the tyre data plate on the drivers side 'B' pillar for 16" & 17" it states W and for 18" it's Y.

 

Andrew

[KenMavor]

@Andrew.......agreed re size and weight of a spare tyre.

Just checked the drivers door panel as well...will go for the W rated tyre as per Lexus recommednation.

Thanks all

[geoffish]

Hi Ken :

I've got winter tyres+ wheels hence have a set of 4 tyres/wheels hanging around and managed to fit an original wheel + 205/55 16 tyre in place of the spacesaver tyre.  The foam block holding wheel nut spanner etc and plastic tray made up the remaining space so need to be ditched.   Bit funny really - call it a spacesaver tyre then fill in the resulting gap with a bulky bit of foam !

 Drawback was the removable boot floor was now no longer big enough to fill the hole.  I made a larger replacement using black felt stapled to a thin bit of plywood cut to the required contur using a jigsaw cutter.  Works well.  This was an 08 reg IS250.

Geoff

[Surebet]

Hi Ken

 

I always carry a full size wheel as a spare( 245/45/17), removed plastic shelf with recessed compartments that intrude into the spare wheel bay and just use the felt hinged top . Then I have a boot liner which cover the whole boot. The boot is completely flat. The idea of a space-saver has never really appealed to me and ok I've lost some minor space with the recessed compartments, however I feel it is a worthwhile trade off.   

Alan