Spare Tire kit

[Buellwinkle]

I'm slowing building my spare tire kit. I ordered a new tire and alloy wheel (steelies were actually more expensive) from TireRack.com, about $200 mounted/balanced/shipped. I got a jack from a VW Passat at a salvage yard, fits and works perfectly. Ordered a bag for it from the Bag Lady (http://www.njbaglady.com/Products/spare.html) and now I'm on the hunt for a lug wrench that I like. Depending on which one I like, I may have to get new lug bolts with the traditional 17mm heads so you can use a standard lug wrench or get one where I can use a 15mm socket. The spare tire kit when done will fit nicely in the area between the seat and engine.

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[Mike T.]

A very good plan.

I have a 3.5 inch wide front steelie for my older Type 450 smart, with a Continental emergency spare in 115/70-15. It doesn't set the ESP off but it would not work in a 451, because I don't think the pressure sensor would fit the 450 wheel. Also the offset is wrong for the Type 451, and I don't think the 451 has a rim - steel or otherwise - as narrow as 3.5 inches. The front wheels on the CDN Type 450s were 4 inches wide (mine are 5, 6.5 rear, but that's another story).

This wheel and tire - similar to the optional spare tire they sold in Europe back in 1999-2002 - fit perfectly behind my fully rearward driver's seat.

On one of our trips to the USA in smarts, a friend who was driving with us in his had a sidewall cut in his tire and the tire goo wouldn't keep more than 14 PSI in the tire, so he limped it back across the border (we were only 50 miles from Canada). I bought my new wheel and spare from a friend in Germany a month later, as we do drive to Seattle in this car a fair bit. It was cheap to send by surface mail, believe it or not!

I ought to get a Bag Lady thing done up too, and I should get a smaller jack as well. My wheel wrench (Craftsman with breaker bar) fits in my driver's seat drawer.

[Buellwinkle]

Picked up a Mr. Lugnut wrench at Walmart for $10. it about a foot long and expands to 21" and has a 1/2" end that I put a 15mm socket on. The front wheel on a 451 is 4.5" wide but still fits in the area behind the drivers seat.

[wblynch]

Nice setup. I particularly like that jack!!

[Buellwinkle]

The jack makes the car. All I need now is a pretty bag to carry it around in.

[Buellwinkle]

Here's the completed spare tire kit I put together for the Smart Car. I'm ready for anything now, woohoo -



Fits behind drivers seat without a problem -

[Mike T.]

How long after ordering did it take for the Bag Lady cover to arrive?

[Buellwinkle]

Originally Posted by Mike T.

How long after ordering did it take for the Bag Lady cover to arrive?

Ordered August 16th, arrived today so just shy of a month. I didn't want to put the tire inside the car without the bag and have the smell of rubber. If you want to time things better than I did, order the bag first because the tire/wheel from Tirerack comes in a few days.

Also, the bag is black, it just came out a funny color with the camera flash. I wanted it to disappear into the back and not stand out. It has a side benefit that your stuff does not roll into the hole behind the drivers seat. My wife's purse would always end up there and then it was a pain to get out.

[Saprissa]

that looks awesome Buell !
with the arm rest and now the spare tire kit... your smart just got smarter !!

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

[Mike T.]

Thanks Buellwinkle, but I already have a spare tire in a classy green garbage bag, and have done since early 2006.

I will however be getting a VW Passat (what model year??) jack like you have, which is half the size of the monster I've had in my trunk for two+ years.

I ordered my Bag Lady cover about 10 days ago. Looking forward to receiving it!

How come yours says "Area 451" on it? Isn't that the cruise control company's name? It didn't sound as though you were willing to pay 500 clams for that system.

[Buellwinkle]

Didn't know about the cruise control company until a month after I ordered my personalized plates that read AREA 451 and web domain, area-451.com but I haven't put anything in there, just a copy of my kid's website as a place holder.

I used a jack out of Passat that looked like an early 2000's model but Audi and MB make the same jack. It's just that it's about $60 from the dealer and you can do better used, especially because the jack is rarely used in a car anyway, this one had no signs of ever being used like scratches at the bottom. Here's one on ebay, $25 shipped -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Audi-...mZ110289048426

[Mike T.]

Thanks for the tip, I will see if he'll mail to Canada. I want to get the jack inside the tire bag, as you have done.

[Mike T.]

Today I got a similar jack from a 2007 VW Rabbit here on Vancouver Island for $25, cheaper than the eBay one would have been, and it is powdercoated black to match the tridion

Thanks for the tip! I tied it to the inside of the rim with foam blocks on either end to prevent it from rattling. Now all I need is the Bag Lady sack.

For a lug wrench, a couple of years ago I got a Craftsman 15 mm deep socket and a breaker bar that fits inside the 450's underseat drawer. Although it is small, I tested it and it is possible to undo and re-do the wheel nuts to the correct torque, using my foot (verified with a torque wrench).

[cablvr]

Just bought a jack on eBay like the one above for $21 including shipping. Putting a similar kit together as I do not want to have AAA or a roving tire change service tell me they will not use the factory repair kit.