[Magical]

Hi All,

i have had one or two sarcastic remarks, from people that obviously know everything. But unfortunately i don't.

So a quick question, i have just bought a Suzuki Vitara from a main dealer, and there is a puncture repair kit in the boot but no Jack, is this normal or should it come with a Jack. Also people are saying put a space saver in there. But there seems enough room for a normal spare wouldn't this be much better.
Thanks Mick

 

[aussie11]

Not a stupid question, as with all things if you don't know just ask, I had the same questions when I bought my Vitara last year.

You don't get a jack if you have the repair kit, I bought a matching alloy with a nearly new Michelin tyre from a breakers yard online with jack and wheel brace for £110 delivered next day.

It fits in the boot OK but the boot floor has to go on the top level which wasn't a problem for me I prefer a level floor and I don't carry much in the boot anyway.
You just need a bolt to fix it securely to the fitting already in the base of the boot well, I think it was an M8 bolt and a nut to lock it off.

I used a bit of foam under the wheel and placed it face down so only needed a short bolt to fix it.
This is where I got mine from they have a Ebay site which is where I bought mine, It is worth a haggle mine started at £140 without the jack.
Five Star Auto Salvage - Used Car Parts & Scrap Car Collection

 

[Hullu]

Hi guys,
I have just bought a Vitara from a main dealer too and have exactly the same conundrum. No jack, just the repair kit.
I'd be very reluctant to wreck a valve and expensive Continental tyre using that latex stuff so was just thinking whether to get the space saver or trawl the breakers yards for a full size. I tend to be on the Autobahn overnight sometimes so a full size is appealing.
many thanks for the info.

 

[aussie11]

A couple of years ago I blew a tyre on the M1 at 70mph by the time I got across 3 lanes and on to the hard shoulder the tyre was shredded so a repair kit would have been useless, fortunately that car had a spare wheel, otherwise I could have waiting hours for help.

The other thought was if I get a matching spare it can stay on indefinitely until I get the dead tyre repaired/replaced with no speed/distance restrictions, no brainer really.

 

[fordem]

My question, and I apologize in advance, but it's not meant to be sarcastic, is - why didn't you ask this question at the main dealership? Where's the spare, what will it cost to equip it with a spare, jack, etc. Second question, same apology, is - have you read the owner's manual - I seem to recall one of you saying something about it being huge, the owner's manual is there for a reason.

Back to your question - depending on the market the Vitara is being built for, Suzuki equips it with a spare tire or a "repair kit", mine came with a repair kit, jack and the necessary lug wrench, but no spare, and it's not that the spare was missing, the space that the spare would have been in was occupied by a large styrofoam insert with cut outs for the jack, the tire tools, the inflator and the repair liquid, making it very clear that the missing spare had not been purloined or forgotten.

The reason why I mention the owner's manual is that the instructions on the use of the inflator etc. are in there, again making it clear that is what Suzuki intends you to use in the event of a flat tire.

 

[BarnsleyRob]

GENUINE SUZUKI SPARE WHEEL KIT VITARA & S-CROSS

www.suzuki-shop.co.uk

Here you go. Now you know everything.

 

[2013GV]

Or, run slime in the tyres and don't worry about punctures. And its water based so the tyre can be repaired if necessary

If you have room, full sized spare and decent jack, don't forget the appropriate wheel brace to remove the nuts too.

Only time I find I've had a puncture is if I actually see the goo when checking tyre pressures

Sealant for Tubeless Tires – Slime Products

Prevent and repair flat tires for two years with Slime's tire sealant for all non-highway vehicles. Install in any of your tubeless non-highway vehicles, including ATVs/UTVs, golf carts, riding lawn mowers, small trailers, tractors, scooters and much more. Even stops slow leaks!

slime.com

 

[Magical]

Not a stupid question, as with all things if you don't know just ask, I had the same questions when I bought my Vitara last year.

You don't get a jack if you have the repair kit, I bought a matching alloy with a nearly new Michelin tyre from a breakers yard online with jack and wheel brace for £110 delivered next day.

It fits in the boot OK but the boot floor has to go on the top level which wasn't a problem for me I prefer a level floor and I don't carry much in the boot anyway.
You just need a bolt to fix it securely to the fitting already in the base of the boot well, I think it was an M8 bolt and a nut to lock it off.

I used a bit of foam under the wheel and placed it face down so only needed a short bolt to fix it.
This is where I got mine from they have a Ebay site which is where I bought mine, It is worth a haggle mine started at £140 without the jack.
Five Star Auto Salvage - Used Car Parts & Scrap Car Collection

Hi Thanks for reply and information great. Mick

 

[Magical]

Or, run slime in the tyres and don't worry about punctures. And its water based so the tyre can be repaired if necessary

If you have room, full sized spare and decent jack, don't forget the appropriate wheel brace to remove the nuts too.

Only time I find I've had a puncture is if I actually see the goo when checking tyre pressures

Sealant for Tubeless Tires – Slime Products

Prevent and repair flat tires for two years with Slime's tire sealant for all non-highway vehicles. Install in any of your tubeless non-highway vehicles, including ATVs/UTVs, golf carts, riding lawn mowers, small trailers, tractors, scooters and much more. Even stops slow leaks!

slime.com

Hi Thanks great reply. Mick

 

[MikeJT]

Or, run slime in the tyres and don't worry about punctures. And its water based so the tyre can be repaired if necessary

I note that in the link you supplied there it specifically says "for all non-highway vehicles" which, by implication, means unsuitable for road use.

 

[2013GV]

I note that in the link you supplied there it specifically says "for all non-highway vehicles" which, by implication, means unsuitable for road use.

I've run this for years in motorcycle and car tyres with no issues. I suspect its due to the litigation based US system where they state off road use to avoid people suing them, like the person who sued because they put the cruise control on in their rv, went and made a coffee and it crashed.
The slime emergency tyre sealant is the same stuff, but in a different size package so you can't overdose a car tyre.

I just linked the main page, but there's a lot of products available.

 

[aquanaut20]

I tried it on a wheel barrow, failed miserably..

All my vehicles are bead balanced (tires), so it no good there either.

 

[Magical]

I tried it on a wheel barrow, failed miserably..

All my vehicles are bead balanced (tires), so it no good there either.

Hi All think im going down the spare tyre route anyway when can afford one. Thanks Mick

 

[fordem]

Hi All think im going down the spare tyre route anyway when can afford one. Thanks Mick

Wheels from a third gen (2005~2015) Grand Vitara, or a Rav 4 will fit, you'll need to pay attention to the tire size as Suzuki supplies different sizes based on the market the vehicle is buying supplied to.
My third gen was supplied with four 17" alloy rims for the road wheels and a 16" steel rim for the spare, my fourth gen was supplied with four 17" alloy rims, and I'm using a 16" steel rim from a Rav4 for the spare.

If your Vitara is AWD/4WD, it's a good idea to use a full size spare, and if you don't use the same size rim as the road wheels, adjust the tire size to get the rolling diameter of spare as closely as possible. Also make sure you have the jack, lug wrench, etc..

 

[jc40]

My car has 215 60 16 full size and the spacesaver is 135 90 16.

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

 

[BarnsleyRob]

Most full size tyres are directional nowadays so how do you get over that if you have a flat on the wrong side ?

 

[fordem]

Most full size tyres are directional nowadays so how do you get over that if you have a flat on the wrong side ?

Maybe that holds true in your neck of the woods, but where I am, I have no difficulty finding "non-directional" tires - it may also be a characteristic of the type of tread pattern you're looking for, directional tread patterns are more likely to be found on high performance street tires, which is something I have little need for, all terrain tread patterns is where my interest lies, and the challenge I've faced is getting a decent all terrain pattern, in the size I'm looking for.

 

[aussie11]

Just dont buy directional tyres, no advantage to most drivers and only a very slight advantage for boy racers or emergency services that travel at high speed in the rain.
To be honest I rarely need to buy tyres before I change cars these days, gone from 50,000 to about 2000 a year but would never even consider driving without a spare wheel.
As I said in previous post if the tyre is damaged then the gunk is useless and I don't want to be sitting waiting for help for hours.
Many cars now don't have a space for a spare wheel of any sort, so when I look for my next car that will be my first question.

 

[BarnsleyRob]

The Continentals mine was delivered with from new are definitely directional so that maybe specific to the UK market. They also seem to be wearing well and have around 6mm left after 13k miles so probably no need to change they tyres under my ownership unless the man maths dictates cross climate. So that really only leaves the option of a non-directional space saver. I agree that a repair kit is basically useless especially as my last puncture was caused by a steel bolt !

 

[aussie11]

How strange mine are original continentals and aren't directional.