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Spare Wheel?

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NewbieT

Active Member
Aug 16, 2019
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North West
I’ve been looking for a full size M3 spare wheel to keep in my garage (direct replacement) so that if I get a flat I could driving as normal. There obviously haven’t been many M3s scrapped in the UK and USA shipping is going to be ££s for a spare wheel. The exact spec seems a little hard to find something aftermarket at the right price for a spare.

Wheel spec is here (to save you popping outside): The Tesla Model 3 Wheel and Tire Guide

Thinking slightly smaller + bigger profile tyres. A cheap steel with the same offset and stud a pattern: Alcar 9317 Black 7.0x16 5x114.3 ET40 67.1 steel rim

How that compares size wise: https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.p...ct2=65&wheel_size=16&wheel_width=7&offset2=40

The weight of car means I would get the right tyre rating and obviously drive a little more conservative than normal but at least I would be mobile for the few days its takes to get a new tyre.

Any objections or good reasons not to?
 
Thanks for your thoughts.

Road Hero’s a nice idea but more than I’d like to pay for what is a spare saver.

Any old wheel about sums it up- only the Tesla spec isn’t that common. I’m probably just going to go for closest fit.
 
My current car, a Mercedes SL also has no spare wheel and no room for one either, i just carry a pocket tyre plugger kit but in 2 years i've not used it and breakdown cover is only a call away, i can't see it taking days to get a M3 size tyre
 
A 200mm wide tyre on a 16” rim. Will it even clear the brakes? Do they even make a 200mm tyre? 195 or 205, yes, but I’ve never seen a 200mm.

I’ve been looking at the spare wheel issue myself, and have been looking at Maserati wheels, esp. the 2013 on Ghibli. Same PCD, very nearly the same offsets in most cases, and some very Tesla-esque designs. You should however get yourself a hub centring ring as the Maserati centre bore is 3mm larger at 67.1mm. There may also be a need for different bolts, I don’t know what fixing styles either Tesla or Maserati is using.

Be careful when buying as Maserati fitted a huge variety of wheel sizes and offsets to the Ghibli, and in many cases the rear wheels are an inch wider than the fronts with 10mm less offset. This only takes the wheel out to approximately the same offset as the 20” performance model 3 wheels so they should fit, but it might not do your handling any favours to adopt Maserati’s staggered rim sizes on a Tesla, or even worse put a front and rear on the same axle. Get the right wheel though and should make a perfectly acceptable spare.

Some Maserati Ghibli’s also came with an 18”space saver wheel complete with folding tyre. The folding tyre only assumes it’s full size once you put air in it. Until then its folded up against the rim, saving you a lot of space,

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A Road Hero kit seems more practical to me, can be taken on longer journeys as it does not occupy a lot of space and is much cheaper. But you have to limit the speed of the journey
About Road Hero
Be careful if you're thinking of taking a Road Hero on a journey. I bought a Road Hero and the scissor jack had a weird top; it needed removing before it would safely go under a Tesla jack pad. And it only just fitted under the car with tyres inflated; with a flat I would not have been able to get it and the pad under the car. I got a refund for the jack.
 
Do you have any images of the scissor jack - in particularly the saddle/bit where it contacts pucks/car ? I got an emergency scissor jack, but saddle is not flat, so not an easy/safe attachment to the puck.

Correct, it would need some adaptation to be safe. I have a low trolley jack so haven't got around to adapting the scissor jack ... which I may never use anyway. However, I think it would be easy to modify if you needed to. (It's designed for the kind of seam/slot jack points that many cars have rather than a flat surface.) It does go low enough but of course if you have a flat tyre the car goes even lower so not tried it ... and this is with an SR+ not the lower Performance model so no guarantees.
 
Correct, it would need some adaptation to be safe. I have a low trolley jack so haven't got around to adapting the scissor jack ... which I may never use anyway. However, I think it would be easy to modify if you needed to. (It's designed for the kind of seam/slot jack points that many cars have rather than a flat surface.) It does go low enough but of course if you have a flat tyre the car goes even lower so not tried it ... and this is with an SR+ not the lower Performance model so no guarantees.
Does the space saver fit in the bottom compartment in the boot (under the flap)?

Might buy one of these space savers if you say they are good. Nothing worse than being stranded with a flat.
 
Does the space saver fit in the bottom compartment in the boot (under the flap)?

Might buy one of these space savers if you say they are good. Nothing worse than being stranded with a flat.

No where near!! You forget how enormous a modern car tyre/wheel combination really is ... even a reduced size "space saver" ... it's only when you have to handle them you realise. Manufacturers aren't just saving money by not giving you a spare ... there's just no room for them. You can have it in the boot but it will take up a lot of room so I would only carry it in very special circumstances. Most punctures I've had in recent years have been close to home ... so I could get the spare brought out ... or a slow puncture that can be changed at home.
 
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