SEAT LEON Mk3 ST FR FULL SIZE SPARE WHEEL

[Yes-itsme]

I spent a long time looking online before buying and choosing a full size spare wheel for my Seat Leon mk3 ST FR. I found some quite useful information but also misleading information. I therefore thought that I would share my experiences for others considering this option.

When I bought my new Leon in November, I paid for the 18" space saver spare wheel and sub-woofer option. The sub-woofer is designed to fit inside the space saver spare wheel. I was dismayed to find how narrow the space saver spare wheel was. It was much slimmer than the one on my last car (a Skoda Octavia VRS), which was not that much slimmer than the standard wheels. The Leon space saver wheel would certainly make a big difference to the handling of the car if fitted in place of one of the normal front wheels and I certainly would not consider driving back from Eastern France using it, like I had to with the one on my previous car (as I did not speak French or have internet access and was unable to locate the correct replacement tyre). I therefore decided to replace it with a full size spare wheel.

My understanding is that the Leon mk3 and mk2 wheels share the same PCD & bolt pattern (112mm x 5) and centre bore but not the same offset. My Leon ST FR has 17" 7.5J main wheels with 225 wide tyres and the wheels have an offset of ET51. The offset may be different for other sizes of wheels fitted to the Leon mk3 but you can check what offset they have because it will be marked on the back of the wheels. As I have the sub-woofer, which will only fit into an 18" wheel, the spare wheel had to be 18". I found one on eBay for £90 inc. delivery, which was in very good condition. It was from a 2008 mk2 Leon and is an 18" 7.5J 5 spoke alloy wheel. I have fitted it with a 18" 225mm 40 ratio tyre. As the tyre has the same width and approximately the same outer circumference as those on the main wheels and the offset (and therefore the alignment) is the same, it should drive just the same as the 17" standard wheels and not be limited to low speed driving. It fits onto the hub with no problems (and does not foul anything as the wheel with tyre is effectively the same overall size as the normal wheels).

However, although it will fit into the spare wheel well/bay, it is a very tight fit. Because of the width of the wheel and tyre, it will not slide into the part of the bay which is recessed inside the bumper and therefore the hole in the centre of the wheel does not align with the position of the plastic wheel retaining mount bolt/screw (which is easily removeable) and the wheel cannot be secured inside the bay. I have not yet checked but it may fit a bit better if the tyre is deflated (I carry an electric pump). The boot floor is dual height. In the lower position, the floor will not go down fully as it rests on the wheel and is a few mm higher than it should be (I have not measured it but maybe 1/4"). As the foam insert into the bay, which holds the jack and tools for changing the wheels, is designed to fit under the space saver spare wheel, it has to be dispensed with. There is just enough room inside the full size spare wheel to put the jack and tools (which I have wrapped in bubble wrap), even with the sub-woofer in place. The sub woofer fits inside the full size wheel and works fine although how well it fits may differ with other designs of 18" wheels (and with the type I have the top of the sub-woofer is sightly higher than ideal). As my car is the ST (estate) model, I do not know what issues there would be with the hatchback models.

 

[chrisRibiza]

Full size wheel would not fit in the hatchback model. The space saver just about fits into the boot with the carpet lying flat ontop. I would rather have a full size wheel but there was just no way it would fit.

 

[Branta]

If a full size wheel won't fit in the hatchback boot, then what do you do with the wheel with a puncture ? Did SEAT (and other car manufacturers) think through this space-saver idea properly ? I suppose it still beats the aerosol lunacy.

 

[Yes-itsme]

If a full size wheel won't fit in the hatchback boot, then what do you do with the wheel with a puncture ? Did SEAT (and other car manufacturers) think through this space-saver idea properly ? I suppose it still beats the aerosol lunacy.

Yes, I had wondered what you would do in that situation but if you don't have space to put the standard wheel in the boot then you probably won't have a spare wheel at all and have to rely on the puncture repair kit but they cannot repair all punctures (e.g. not large punctures or side wall punctures). Those were the sensible days when full size spare wheels and space to store them came as standard (not all that long ago). Some cars, such as many BMWs, have different size wheels and tyres on the front to the rear, so that if you had a spare wheel it could not be the same width as both the normal front and back wheels.

As a follow on point (PS) to my original point, if you have the Leon ST (estate) and want a spare wheel which will fit fairly easily into the well of the boot and is as close as possible in size to the original, I would think that a 17" 7J width wheel with a 205/50/17 tyre would fit (although I have not tried it). However, if you have the Seat sub-woofer (as I do), that would not be any good as they will only fit into an 18" rim.

 

[Branta]

I can't remember the last puncture I had through the tread of the tyre. Admittedly my memory is not what it was but I can remember two trashed sidewall incidents, one in the dark on the rough track leading to the Llanberis mountain rescue post, the other when forced off the road by a truck on a narrow lane where the raised road surface was breaking up at the edges.

So I'm not likely to be impressed by the puncture repair kit idea. Also, much as I like Conti tyres, I think they wasted their time in developing their new self-sealing tyre.

I am about to place an order for a Leon ST (SE). Indeed the order would already be placed if the dealer had got back to me (perhaps he was offended by my offer !). Up to now I had specified the 17" wheels.

Another dealer had assured me that a standard wheel WILL fit where the spare goes, but from your helpful post I'm thinking that if this is true at all, it's only true for the standard 16" SE wheel (that has a 205 wide tyre as opposed to the 225 on the 17"). The way you tell it the narrower tyre seems like it could be enough to make the difference.

I'll check this out further before ordering. The 16" "Design" wheels look good to me, but I had fallen in love with the stunning 17" 20-spoke (30/3) wheels.

 

[Branta]

O.k., I visited the dealer this morning and got my order for a Leon ST (SE) placed.

I took with me my trusty (well just rusty, actually) measuring calipers and measured the width of the standard SE tyres (205/55 R16), noting that the widest point is about 2" in from the tread.

Now I swung the calipers through to an "inside" measurement, setting the same value, and probed the space where the spare wheel disappears into the bumper area. It's going to fit, no problem.

Nevertheless I still couldn't resist ordering the gorgeous 17" 20 spoke wheels. With a tyre 20mm wider (225/45 R17) it's clear these are NOT going to fit without a struggle (just as the OP reported). However the obstruction is mostly due to a hanging-down plastic flange whose purpose isn't yet clear to me. Maybe a quick bit of work with a Dremel or hacksaw could remove enough of the offending flange to get the wider wheel to fit ? I need more time with it than was available in the showroom to work out the implications of that !

To be fair to SEAT, a punctured 225/45 R17 tyre would probably fit just fine, so there is a place to stow it when the space-saver goes on.

Whilst I was waiting for the numbers for my purchase to be crunched I peeked in the boot of a hatchback Leon, and I can see the well for the spare is a far shallower thing. I also looked in an Ibiza boot and saw a full-size spare wheel (but a consequently much smaller boot, of course).

It occurs to me that we are not offered a full-sized spare wheel option on the Leon ST simply because it keeps the brochure choices simpler - all Leons get a space-saver (if any spare at all). I suspect one would be legal (I mean without the 50 mph restriction) with a 16" full size steel spare, but sadly SEAT don't offer that option on the ST - even though there is space for it. Probably another case where the extra weight would mean taking it back to do the emissions and fuel consumption tests all over again.

 

[kazand]

I can't remember the last puncture I had through the tread of the tyre. Admittedly my memory is not what it was but I can remember two trashed sidewall incidents, one in the dark on the rough track leading to the Llanberis mountain rescue post, the other when forced off the road by a truck on a narrow lane where the raised road surface was breaking up at the edges.

So I'm not likely to be impressed by the puncture repair kit idea. Also, much as I like Conti tyres, I think they wasted their time in developing their new self-sealing tyre.

I am about to place an order for a Leon ST (SE). Indeed the order would already be placed if the dealer had got back to me (perhaps he was offended by my offer !). Up to now I had specified the 17" wheels.

Another dealer had assured me that a standard wheel WILL fit where the spare goes, but from your helpful post I'm thinking that if this is true at all, it's only true for the standard 16" SE wheel (that has a 205 wide tyre as opposed to the 225 on the 17"). The way you tell it the narrower tyre seems like it could be enough to make the difference.

I'll check this out further before ordering. The 16" "Design" wheels look good to me, but I had fallen in love with the stunning 17" 20-spoke (30/3) wheels.

I'm with you on the spare issue. We ordered a space saver spare for the Cupra ( I told GF you HAD to have the media system with it ) last two punctures ? Sidewalls....
Current Passat company ride has a full sized spare, I do 50k a year and don't fancy being stuck up a Scottish/Welsh/wherever hillside at midnight with no phone reception and a can of foam.......

 

[andrewpain]

can't remember the last time I had a full-size spare in a car. Even my E-Class had spacesaver.
The ST has the same floor cutout as the 3 and 5 doors, but the spare is essential for the seat sound subwoofer.
How many times are you going to actually FIT a spare?
Once a year? And how long will you be driving on it?
Not worth the hassle of buying and storing a full-size wheel, surely....

 

[DEAN0]

can't remember the last time I had a full-size spare in a car. Even my E-Class had spacesaver.
The ST has the same floor cutout as the 3 and 5 doors, but the spare is essential for the seat sound subwoofer.
How many times are you going to actually FIT a spare?
Once a year? And how long will you be driving on it?
Not worth the hassle of buying and storing a full-size wheel, surely....

And more to the point - if the space saver only just fits - where are you going to put the wheel you have just removed from the car ?

 

[chrisRibiza]

It'll have to go in the boot and the floor will sit raised. No other option unless your putting it in the back seat......

 

[kazand]

And more to the point - if the space saver only just fits - where are you going to put the wheel you have just removed from the car ?

I couldn't give a where it goes as long as I'm mobile, space saver or (preferably) full size spare for me every time.

 

[Branta]

.... And how long will you be driving on it? ....

In my experience I usually end up driving on the spare for a lot longer than I expected ! Here's a fictional (but typical) scenario :

As I already explained, I've found sidewall damage to be disappointingly common, and in that situation a new tyre is needed. The local dealer only has a cheap Korean tyre which I am reluctant to mix with my nice Contis. Sod's law says I will be on a touring vacation when this happens to me, so no chance of ordering the tyre I want, because I'll have moved on by the time it arrives. So the entire vacation is completed at below 50 m.p.h. (including the traditional "dash for the ferry" ) whilst I continue to visit tyre dealers in the faint hope of finding a tyre that matches the other three.

On the other side of the coin, having now priced-up an alloy spare to match the four wheels on the car, I realise it will be far cheaper to accept the naff Korean tyre in such a situation, and just throw it away when I find a tyre that matches the other three. In fact my local tyre shop does a trade in "part-worn" tyres, so I wouldn't even have to feel bad about the waste of throwing it away.

I specified the space-saver. I probably never will buy a full-size alloy spare, even if it fits in the ST.

 

[Branta]

It fits !

Last Wednesday I picked up my new Leon ST. So in between the showers today I was fitting mudflaps. In the case of the rear mudflaps the wheel has to come off, so I tried it in the boot. And it fits ! This isn't the "standard" 16" wheel which I already worked out would fit, it's the 17" with 225/45 R17 tyre.

I'll admit it's tight ("fits where it touches"), but no need to deflate the tyre. And the boot floor can be in the lower position. Having previously checked out a used ST in the showroom, I'm thinking that a small redesign of the boot floor supports has removed some of the plastic that obstructed the wheel where it tries to creep into the rear bumper space. The only remaining problem (apart from the price of a further alloy wheel, which I'll now try to discover) is that the foam tray for the tools won't fit (was underneath the Mickey Mouse spare).

I think I wrote before that I'd be happy with the space-saver, but having seen it I'm shocked. Apart from the very narrow section it's way smaller in rolling diameter than a regular wheel. Not sure I'd even want to do 50 mph on it !

 

[Smudgers]

I work as a roadside patrol and obviously attended quite a few punctures. There's not many wheels that fit in the space provided for the space saver wheel. Most we just put in loose, lay the carpet on top and luggage back in. There's nothing better than a customer who tells you they paid the £100 upgrade for a spare wheel rather than the repair kit. You save that £100 after the first puncture as not only do you have to replace the costly manufacturers gunk, the tyre is also u/s and requires replacing even if the punture is in a repairable section of tread. In my opinion it should be an MOT failure for not having a spare wheel.

 

[DEAN0]

You save that £100 after the first puncture as not only do you have to replace the costly manufacturers gunk, the tyre is also u/s and requires replacing even if the punture is in a repairable section of tread. In my opinion it should be an MOT failure for not having a spare wheel.

Completely agree.

This current crap about removing vital safety equipment just to improve the declared fuel economy has now gone beyond a joke.
The declared figures are pretty impossible to achieve anyhow so the inclusion of a spare wheel wouldn't make a scrap of difference.

 

[Branta]

I now have a full size (matching alloy) spare wheel in my ST (SE)

Here's the full story, in case it helps anyone else to get to my happy situation.

1. I took off a rear wheel and discovered it fitted in the well in the boot. Even room behind it (within the bumper space) for the piece of 19mm MDF I carry (in case I need to use the jack on soft ground).
2. I read the information cast into the wheel, and on the factory sticker inside the wheel, looking for a part number. The most likely numbers were "5F0 601 025 H" (wheel) and "W05F0601025H 8Z8" (sticker).
3. I googled the common part of those numbers (5F0601025H) to prove I had a valid part number.
4. I got a quote for a wheel from a VAG dealer. £420 (no tyre of course).
5. I emailed a dismantler in the Netherlands (who had come up in my Google results as having three wheels from a wrecked Leon). He quoted me €100 (€80 + carriage to UK). That's £76.22 after my bank added a charge for the transfer (breaker does not accept credit cards).
6. I waited two days for the bank transfer to clear, plus a further 11 days for the wheel to be delivered. It was even cleaner than the photo on the breaker's website had led me to believe.
7. I took it to a wheel restorer in a nearby village. Before he would discuss the wheel he clamped it to his machine and spun it up to check it was not buckled. Having determined I had a round wheel we talked about its condition. He said he could retouch the marks for £50, but added that if it was his he wouldn't bother (I guess he gets to work on wheels that are badly messed-up !). I took his advice, after all it looked no worse than the four wheels on my new car will probably look in a couple of years. He refused any payment for checking the wheel was true.
8. I took the wheel to my local tyre shop who quoted me £90 for a Pirelli just like the four on the car. It arrived and was fitted the next day.
9. There was no way to modify the foam toolkit tray (that used to sit flat under the space-saver) to fit within the centre of the full-sized wheel, so I ordered a few cotton canvas drawstring bags from an ebay seller. So now my tools sit in cotton bags within the wheel. Five bags, because generally I bagged each item separately, for minimum rattle. The scissor jack that SEAT supplied with my car is of a full diamond pattern, and had been stored fully flattened in the foam tray. But in the wheel it is a tight fit across the diameter when fully flat, and the plastic spare wheel retaining screw stops it from fitting straight across the wheel. But I only have to tighten it a little into a diamond shape and it fits a treat, with the plastic screw hooked through the middle of the diamond. Apart from the SEAT tools I have also got a tow-rope, jump leads and an electric pump stored in the centre of my spare wheel. The floor can still fit in the lower position - or else the rear shelf can be stored under the floor in the usual way.

So I am a very happy camper. If you too have a Leon ST with the 20-spoke (10 "Y" spoke) 17" wheels, then the dismantler still has a couple left ! See this link.