space-saver spare wheel (mini fitting)

what brakes does the kit car have? If you've got drums on the back, or

7.5" or smaller disks, you could use a 10" wheel to save a little bit of weight (and wheel width). Then, even if you couldn't fit that on the front of the car, if you had a front-wheel puncture you could fit the 10" on the back, and move the good rear wheel to the front. I'm not aware though that anyone does a narrower tyre than 145-10, or 145/70-12, currently, so you won't save any width doing that.

To answer your question - I've certainly never heard of a mini or derivative with a space-saver spare. Something tells me too that other cars that used a 4x4" hub (Imps, Spridgets, don't know what else) pre- dated the fashion for space-saver spares. Having said that, googling tells me that early Imps had 3.5x12" wheels (as far as I know, all 12" mini steel wheels are 4.5" wide), so maybe one of those, with a suitable tyre, would be suitable?

Or you may have to get one made.

Buy a space saver tyre and rim from a wrecker then have a new centre placed in it. Get something with the rolling circumference the same. Mini's had 13" wheels as well. Even morris Minor rims??

Guys who have the same Mini based kitcar as me are also running Volvo & Vauxhall wheels, so maybe there's a source there. The new Bini's wheels will also fit, do they have a spacesaver?

Alan...

alt.autos.mini, alt.autos.new-mini, uk.rec.cars.kit-car and uk.rec.cars.modifications

Don't think this will be helpful. All knowledge re: classic Mini has already been given here, and beyond that you'll be left to the mercy of the pervs and spammers that frequent the group; you need a strong set of idiot-filters to survive there!

Welcome to try!

Indespension trailer hubs usually accept Mini wheels, so it could be worth checking what trailer wheels and tyres are available.

Pointless, trailer wheels are not constructed to with-stand the forces that can be applied to vehicle road wheels (due to a combination of road and suspension settings), especially at the front / steering hubs.

Good point, that's certainly something that would need checking. But I'd be surprised if they were less suitable for use as space saver wheel than some of the combinations you see. Some relatives had a puncture recently on a hired Chrysler Voyager which came with a space saver wheel and tyre so narrow that I'd never have used it on a trailer carrying more than 300kg, but it was deemed suitable for fitting to a tank of a vehicle with up to 7 people on board, albeit at a maximum of 30mph for 30 miles.

Incidentally, it took the combined expertise of all the passengers and 3 nearby farmers to figure out how to lower the spare wheel carrier. Later, reversing the procedure tested the patience of a tyre fitter almost to breaking point!

Yep was about to say that - not much force at 30mph or it my even be lower than that on some cars - 40Kph.

Certainly not something you would want to drive on over a distance.

Thanks for all the replies - very helpful.

I hadn't considered that all 10" wheels may not fit due to the disks, or considered the possibility of making up a "composite" space-saver wheel. Since there is no proper space saver available, I am looking at trailer wheels (to be used with great caution and only in the event my aerosol fails). I could always put the wheel to the back of my car where the weight is negligible. The thinner 8" & 10"wheels seem to come with 400 (4"?) wide crossply tyres, whereas the smallest radial seems to be 145, a fair bit fatter than the rims themselves.

I hope that your personal wealth is such that you can either settle any third party claim personally or don't have a home (and contents) to sell because no insurance company is going to entertain a claim involving the use of an 'unsuitable' road wheel, they will pay out to the third party but them take you to court for recovery of their loses...

You might be better off just buying a good roadside recovery package!

It is a long time since I had a car with crossplys, but I think the 400 (which is 4 inches) is across the bead of the uninflated tyre. The sidewalls and tread might be a bit wider than that, though admittedly not as much as a 145 radial.

But beware of using a crossply. Whilst there might be concerns about the wisdom of using space saver tyres, they are not illegal if fitted with a compatible tyre. But the law is clear that thou shalt not put a radial and a crossply on the same axle. If a sharp eyed copper spots you using a space saving crossply in place of a radial, you run the risk of some points on your licence - even if the car is only parked.

Jim