Holden rethinks its space-saver spare wheel option for Commodore sedan and wagon

[Reaper]

I've always managed to get the dealers to throw them in as part of the deal but anyways....

Reaper

Holden rethinks its space-saver spare wheel option for Commodore sedan and wagon

GM HOLDEN will replace the space-saver spare wheel that currently comes as standard in entry-level Commodore sedans and Sportwagons with two no-cost spare-tyre options from March 2009 production.

Previously a $350 option, a full-size steel spare wheel will be a no-cost option for VE sedan and wagon buyers, with a full-size alloy spare wheel available to Sportwagon Calais V-Series and SS-V Series purchasers.

In a new arrangement Holden says offers Commodore customers greater choice, Holden will also offer the new no-cost option of a lightweight Tyre Inflator Kit “for customers whose priority is fuel efficiency and/or where the prospect of changing a flat tyre is daunting”.

Holden Commodore - Commodore gets new spare options - News

[Zuicider]

they are always easy to pick near new for 100 bucks anyway . but like as it says a max of 80km/hr on it is that only the tire rating? i have a yellow vs senator mag and a vy clubsport one

[danja]

$350 for a spare STEEL rim?!! What a rip! Last one I got from Bob Jane looked brand new (must've been from someone who bought a car, then put rims on pretty much straight away) and had about 90% tread on it (RE92) and cost $30. Didn't even bother to try and haggle it down at that price.

[Mick1988]

$350 for a spare STEEL rim?!! What a rip! Last one I got from Bob Jane looked brand new (must've been from someone who bought a car, then put rims on pretty much straight away) and had about 90% tread on it (RE92) and cost $30. Didn't even bother to try and haggle it down at that price.

Haggle it down any lower and they'd be paying you to wheel it out the door!

But a full size spare should be a standard thing. Space saver spares are crap.

[Surfwagon]

For around town the vt-vy space saver is perfect for my VS wagon as it gives me a perfect flat floor and I'd change it as soon as I got home.
When I travel I throw in a VT senator spare (Maloo 17x7 alloy with 215/50x17 tyre) which lifts the lid about 40mm above the floor height.
I can't use a stock steelie as I need a 17" wheel to fit over my brakes.
If I put my 18x8.5 in the spare wheel well the hold down bolt doesn't even go close to reaching the thread and the lid sits about 100mm off the floor, so there is no way I could run a full size spare.
So space savers do have a place.
My 2c worth.

[vy_storm]

Reading between the lines its another cost cutting exercise, remove 1 part from the line up and replace with something already produced and supplied to existing models. It's a no brainer on GMH's part really.

[PaulSV6]

$350 for a full sized spare, wat a joke

My old man, is in the process of getting a 09 VE SV6 sportswagon. When he saw the cost of the full size spare, he couldnt stop laughing.

[greenfoam]

If anyone wants to see a pair of VE space savers speed tested to 200+km/h

YouTube - Greg's VQ burnout #2, 19-7-08, Southcoast Raceway, Burnout Masters

[Surfwagon]

If they can take that abuse for that long before disintergrating then they should be ok on the road, at least to get you home.
Although some people think they are a normal tyre and drive on them for weeks.

[Troy711]

If they can take that abuse for that long before disintergrating then they should be ok on the road, at least to get you home.
Although some people think they are a normal tyre and drive on them for weeks.

Longer... I used to see a WRX around Canberra and he had a space saver spare on it for atleast 4 months.

[immortality]

saw a vid on you tube once of some idiot driving down the califorian highway with 4 space savers on the car. dude was moving too, racing somebody i think

[VN_Luke]

space savers make for excellent front-runners! (the rim, not the tyre)

[davey g-force]

I was told by the dealer when purchasing my car (so it's probably bullsh!t) that the VE space saver is a safety feature to do with the rear crumple zones.

Apparantley, if your car gets hit from behind really hard, the steel wheel can buckle, allowing the car's crumple zones to do their thing, whereas an alloy wheel will not.

I wonder if this latest decision from Holden means their cars won't be as safe in a rear-end collision? Like I said, this came from a salesman, so I took it with a grain of salt...

[Reaper]

I was told by the dealer when purchasing my car (so it's probably bullsh!t) that the VE space saver is a safety feature to do with the rear crumple zones.

Apparantley, if your car gets hit from behind really hard, the steel wheel can buckle, allowing the car's crumple zones to do their thing, whereas an alloy wheel will not.

I wonder if this latest decision from Holden means their cars won't be as safe in a rear-end collision? Like I said, this came from a salesman, so I took it with a grain of salt...

Yeah - it's bullshit. The tub at the back where the spare sits is plastic and in an accident it will break away and the spare will probably end up tangled around the diff.

Reaper

[ashbox]

my space saver is a full size steel rim for a exec, even has the factory tyre that the exec's use, its even speed rated to 80kmh.

[VE_SV6ER]

Question. If the car (VE SV6) left the factory with a space saver in the boot will a full size spare fit in the wheel well correctly? I remember reading somewhere that the wheel well is a different size for each (that's why it's a factory option). A full size will still fit in but not properly apparently.

Anyone know for sure?

[davey g-force]

Question. If the car (VE SV6) left the factory with a space saver in the boot will a full size spare fit in the wheel well correctly? I remember reading somewhere that the wheel well is a different size for each (that's why it's a factory option). A full size will still fit in but not properly apparently.

Anyone know for sure?

Yes, a full size rim will still fit. They are all the same wheel well.

My space saver sits well below the boot floor so there is just wasted empty space between the space saver and the underside of the floor. Another reason why the whole space saver idea in VE's is ridiculous IMO. It doesn't actually save any space!

[Astranomical]

I once heard that the reason for space saver wheels is for women, elderly people, and others who have trouble getting a full sized wheel out of the wheel well, and because they're cheaper to make, rather than simply to save space, despite the name.

VE_SV6ER, yeah, our VZ had that sticker on its spare as well...I think its because you're running a different size rim, and therefore different tyre on the same axle.

[disorganise]

When I bought mine, the dealer suggested the 'space saver' was really a weight saver for added fuel economy, especially since the wheel well cover is fixed to make a flat boot space so you don't actually get any more space (unless you store stuff in the spare wheel well I guess). cost me $250 for the full size back then - kinda wish I'd gotten 4 given the price of replacement tyres!

[Phreddy]

VE_SV6ER, yeah, our VZ had that sticker on its spare as well...I think its because you're running a different size rim, and therefore different tyre on the same axle.

Exactly. Nailed it!

[Reaper]

I once heard that the reason for space saver wheels is for women, elderly people, and others who have trouble getting a full sized wheel out of the wheel well, and because they're cheaper to make, rather than simply to save space, despite the name.

VE_SV6ER, yeah, our VZ had that sticker on its spare as well...I think its because you're running a different size rim, and therefore different tyre on the same axle.

Sticker is there for exactly that reason. Don't be under any illusion though - ss spare is there for no other reason than saving money.

Reaper