4200/GS alternative space saver from a Mercedes SL R230

mjheathcote

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,038
safrane said:
I have been told it is very difficult to deflate the tyre to fit into the well again.
Click to expand...

That is my concern to check my tyre out.
However what is the point carrying a spare around that could have perished/doesn't hold pressure.
 
JonW

JonW

Member
Messages
3,262
safrane said:
I have been told it is very difficult to deflate the tyre to fit into the well again.
Click to expand...
mjheathcote said:
That is my concern to check my tyre out.
However what is the point carrying a spare around that could have perished/doesn't hold pressure.
Click to expand...

Yes - I’ve read this too. Will be good to hear from Tony how he found deflating his spare and how easy it was to get back to flat...
 
T

TimR

Member
Messages
2,731
I wonder if it could be vacuumed ( a pump in reverse essentially)
I should check mine at some point...
 
tonycharente

tonycharente

Member
Messages
182
JonW said:
I’m reading too - and am impressed by the dedication to detail.

I have just picked up a genuine Maserati spare wheel and humped floor cover, and am planning to inflate it next weekend to see if it holds pressure. How easy is it to get the tyre back down to flat after it’s been inflated?
Click to expand...

Sorry but I can't give you a proper reply as I chose to go with a narrower version (Mercedes SLK, tyre size 145/70-17) which although when inflated goes to the correct diameter may or may not be the same diameter as the OEM size when re-deflated. All that I can say is that with my SLK wheel the re-deflated diameter is barely bigger than when it was "a virgin", and that it drops into place dead easily.

It is my suggestion that it would be a good idea for everyone to inflate their SPACE MASTERS to check out the condition of the rubber (witness the photo of a Porsche one posted in an earlier post) as well as to check that it does indeed hold pressure. My Internet searches show that when new the rubber is dead soft, whilst mine (at "only" 10 years old) already has very firm rubber. I think that it is that factor which may have lead to my tyre breaking away from the bead when first blown up, as it initially blew up very lop-sidedly. How old is your tyre ???

Cheers
Tony
 
JonW

JonW

Member
Messages
3,262
tonycharente said:
Sorry but I can't give you a proper reply as I chose to go with a narrower version (Mercedes SLK, tyre size 145/70-17) which although when inflated goes to the correct diameter may or may not be the same diameter as the OEM size when re-deflated. All that I can say is that with my SLK wheel the re-deflated diameter is barely bigger than when it was "a virgin", and that it drops into place dead easily.

It is my suggestion that it would be a good idea for everyone to inflate their SPACE MASTERS to check out the condition of the rubber (witness the photo of a Porsche one posted in an earlier post) as well as to check that it does indeed hold pressure. My Internet searches show that when new the rubber is dead soft, whilst mine (at "only" 10 years old) already has very firm rubber. I think that it is that factor which may have lead to my tyre breaking away from the bead when first blown up, as it initially blew up very lop-sidedly. How old is your tyre ???

Cheers
Tony
Click to expand...

Thanks Tony - my tyre is stamped 1708, so similar kind of age. It looks brand new, clearly never been used, and maybe never inflated... think I will have to give it a go next weekend.
 
tonycharente

tonycharente

Member
Messages
182
Latest updates : More good news / bad news.

Good news : My boot floor project is now finished and (IMHO...) came out quite well. I think there is genuinely some space saved versus the OEM humped boot floor that would go with the OEM sized (wider) tyre - just how much it is hard to say without having the two versions side by side. Here are my photos of the finished article:-MASERATI Fond de coffre 8.jpgMASERATI Fond de coffre 9.jpgMASERATI Fond de coffre 10.jpgMASERATI Fond de coffre 11.jpg

Bad News: Having inflated it to 3.5 bar I had left the SPACE MASTER inflated for about 5 days and was delighted to find that it was still at 3.0 bar after that time. My joy was short lived however. Having deflated it in order to put it back in the boot to complete my boot floor, when I tried to inflate it "one more time" it would not inflate - the leaks between the tyre bead and the rim were worse than ever and even with an admittedly small mains powered compressor it would not seal.

I can only imagine that when assembled by Vredestein they must use some kind of glue between the tyre bead and the rim, and that mine has come unglued.

My next step will be to try a tyre depot to see whether they can do anything.

If that gets me nowhere I think I will try to buy a brand new wheel from Mercedes : my tyre is approaching 11 years old. Most others for sale on eBay are going to be of a similar age if not older. I do not want to go through this again.

The saga continues...
Tony
 
tonycharente

tonycharente

Member
Messages
182
Final (???) report...
The tyre depot said they were unable to do anything with this kind of tyre. So I then went to the local Mercedes dealership, where the service manager said they could do nothing with it either, so I ordered a new one. This arrived by the following morning. The rubber is both blacker and softer than on my approaching eleven year old one.

The spares guy had a problem identifying the wheel based on the part number stamped on it (1714000202) and asked for my chassis number. I explained why I didn't have one but said I could provide my SLK owning friend's one. Armed with that he found the wheel, which is identical to my useless one (including the reference 1714000202). However the part number on the invoice was A1714002200. Searches on this (with or without the leading A) lead to exactly the same wheel as 1714000202. I am thinking that perhaps 1714000202 is the part number of just the rim (which you can't buy on its own as you can do nothing with it) and that 1714002200 is the part number of the whole wheel (= rim plus tyre).

The cost was 316.73 Euros inc 20% VAT = around £273.

My new tyre was made in week 25 of 2018, so I'm hopefully now OK until 2028. Should "see me out" as they say... ...all I need now is a puncture on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere.

That's all folks!
Tony
 
claymore

claymore

New Member
Messages
16
Great info here, which has led me to go down the same route as Mike (see all the info in his first message of this post). I ordered the space saver used by the Mercedes SLR230, p/n A2304010602, plus the special hub adapter, again from TT Tools. The pair of adapters was still £156, but the wheel from a German breaker was about £290 (big increase from 2013. Wheel never been used). I inflated it to 3 bar and a week later it was still over 2.5 bar, so should still be serviceable. No problem in deflating it back to the shrunk size.

Here is a shot of the wheel installed at the rear, plus pictures of the hub adapter in place. It's very well engineered, a perfect fit.

55336


55337


55338


If anyone else intends to get hold of one of these spare wheels, I still have the second adapter set, so please PM me for details.

55335
 
midlifecrisis

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,227
Sorry to poop the party, but where would you stand on insurance with one fitted? A loss adjuster would easily bar any claim should a car be fitted with a nonstandard space saver wheel.

Just saying!
 
mjheathcote

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,038
midlifecrisis said:
Sorry to poop the party, but where would you stand on insurance with one fitted? A loss adjuster would easily bar any claim should a car be fitted with a nonstandard space saver wheel.

Just saying!
Click to expand...

As per my very first post 6 years ago, 'use at your own risk'
Personally, an acceptable risk, if you are stuck at the side of the road, tyre side wall split open, maybe in a foreign country, maybe no mobile phone signal, a ferry to catch (it has happened to me, not in the Maser) etc, the risk assessment ....maybe I will have an accident, maybe the loss adjuster will check the space saver is not genuine, maybe he will notice a hub adaptor, maybe he will check that the hub adaptor is not OEM by removing the other wheels to check (Porsche use hub adaptors from the factory). Conclusion ...**** it i'll take the risk!
 
midlifecrisis

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,227
mjheathcote said:
As per my very first post 6 years ago, 'use at your own risk'
Personally, an acceptable risk, if you are stuck at the side of the road, tyre side wall split open, maybe in a foreign country, maybe no mobile phone signal, a ferry to catch (it has happened to me, not in the Maser) etc, the risk assessment ....maybe I will have an accident, maybe the loss adjuster will check the space saver is not genuine, maybe he will notice a hub adaptor, maybe he will check that the hub adaptor is not OEM by removing the other wheels to check (Porsche use hub adaptors from the factory). Conclusion ...**** it i'll take the risk!
Click to expand...
Which is fair enough, as with everything. It's your choice, your risk.
 
tonycharente

tonycharente

Member
Messages
182
Last edited:
Boomerang_GT

Boomerang_GT

Member
Messages
203
A spare tire will do its job even in 30 years, if you don’t leave it laying around inflated with 4 bars for several years.
 
B

Black Mazerati

Junior Member
Messages
39
tonycharente said:
Each to his own...
...I thought rubber deteriorated year by year, under pressure or not.
Click to expand...

Newly registered Yank without an introduction!

This thread baited me into a question that's been burning in my head! I was lucky to get the OEM Spare Tire kit with my 2005 Coupe I purchased at the end of last year. The tire looks pristine(showroom new) and the rubber is very supple. I do have to wonder if I could trust it driving slow to get me where I'm going if needed. I don't even know if it will air up but feel it's probably a 1 shot deal if I do considering the age. Thoughts?

Pretty sure it has been asked, is an OEM replacement still available anywhere?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.