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Questions about new C4 spare wheel purchase.

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DeuxChevaux   
Wed Feb 09 2022, 03:25pm
Member No: #16472
Joined: Nov 21 2010
Location: North Norfolk UK
Space savers are simply a way to keep the car moving. They are not a replacement for the normal tyres. They are almost always a different size to the normal ones fitted to the car. My DS4 has 18" wheels but has a Citroen space saver which is 16". Useless on the front axle which is driving the car with so much difference in diameter. So for a front puncture you will have to put the space saver on the rear and use the removed wheel on the front axle.The car will give all sorts of warning lights as a result as well! (TPMS and others)
DS4 and C4 are both built on the same platform so should both be the same in most respects (apart from the useless electronic massage seats maybe )
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 Fejinwales (09 Feb 2022 : 15:31)
Fejinwales   
Wed Feb 09 2022, 03:50pm
Member No: #58844
Joined: Sep 24 2021
Location: South Wales
So what I read about always having the spacesaver on the rear was right, I'm glad you cleared that up for me.

As for the warnings, I can imagine the lights, the dash will look like a Christmas tree I expect. Not too long ago one of my ABS sensors got dirty on the front, car went into limp mode, electronic handbrake would not work, would let me go no higher than 2nd gear in any drive mode be it manual, or auto. I had the brake warning lights, ABS lights, and others on, warnings coming up on the screen telling me gearbox failure, handbrake failure - it was crazy.

As for the tyre, I worked out that the total height of the one I quoted would be 23" whereas the 'proper' wheel and tyre is almost exactly 20.5" - that is a massive difference. Ideally I would like to get a tyre on the space saver that matches the factory wheel.

I was wondering if you'd have a look at this for me and tell me what you make of it. The writing on the tyre is odd, but it is a Continental Tyre and never used. Size is 135/90 R16, so far I can understand that, then there's 102M Tubeless CST 17...

and his description states something about it being bought for his C4 with 17" wheels. Ebay has my car details and says that this will fit my 2013...

- Click Here -
routemaster1   
Wed Feb 09 2022, 04:07pm
Member No: #574
Joined: Jul 08 2007
Location: Dorset
There should be no need for a spacesaver to cause the system to light up. You should just need to set the system to reinitiallise. I've never had to do this myself as, fortunately, I've never had to fit one. I beleive that there is no actual requirement to fit the spacesaver to the rear; I suppose it depends on the situation where you have to change the wheel, where you need to drive, and how long the spare needs to be in use.
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 Fejinwales (10 Feb 2022 : 02:29)
MikeRotherham   
Thu Feb 10 2022, 01:52am
Member No: #395
Joined: Jun 12 2007
Location: Rotherham
Hi Fejinwales, if you pm your address I'll post the towing eye to you. It's not massively big or heavy so I'll pay the postage.
With regard to using the spacesaver. I used mine front and back without problem. The tyre pressure warning will illuminate because the system detects an anomaly. If you reset it it just comes back on so I ignored it until I put the repaired tyre back on. The car does handle differently with the space saver fitted you just need to take a bit of extra care. The tyre pressure is a lot higher than the usual tyre but it's printed on the sidewall.

Regards
Mike
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 Fejinwales (10 Feb 2022 : 02:29)
Fejinwales   
Thu Feb 10 2022, 02:35am
Member No: #58844
Joined: Sep 24 2021
Location: South Wales
Thanks very much Mike. I will do that soon.

I've bought a wheel and tyre (continental 125/90 R16), the diameter of the whole thing is 62cm, the same as the diameter on my factory fitted wheels and tyres. Unfortunately it is red as someone bought the black one he was selling which was almost new a minute before I tried. I will have to spray it I think to make it look nice but he only wanted £55 for it.

My C4 does not have tyre pressure lights, at least I don't think it does but then again I never knew it had heated mirrors until a few weeks ago when I turned the rear screen heater on. I check my pressures regularly so if it is there it would never have the need to illuminate.
vexorg   
Thu Feb 10 2022, 03:09am
Member No: #48843
Joined: Jul 06 2017
Location: Scotland
All that matters is the rolling radius is very close to the original. You want the wheel turning at the same speed as the rest.

Tyres are odd, the total height or circumference is a calculation from all three sizes on a tyre, you have the width in mm (205 part), the profile height as a percentage of width (55 part), then metal wheel diameter in inches (R16 part).

You can do it in your head, but many now just search type comparison sites to do the work, loads on google.

The only thing to be wary of is making sure youre new wheel (metal part) fits over the brakes. I've got the mega brake size on mine so would need a bigger space saver if doing that.
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 Fejinwales (10 Feb 2022 : 03:43)
Fejinwales   
Thu Feb 10 2022, 03:59am
Member No: #58844
Joined: Sep 24 2021
Location: South Wales
Well it seems I was never meant to get this sorted on ebay. the idiotic 'my garage' algorithm that they use is so inconsistent that it borders on useless.

Here's the story....
There was a guy selling a wheel/tyre which ebay's algorithm stated would fit my car (as did the sellers description). I contacted him and asked him to kindly measure the diameter of the whole thing and he got back stating it was 62cm, exactly the same as my alloys/tyres, this conversation was going on at 1 in the morning. On getting this measurement I immediately went to buy it and someone had bought it two minutes earlier! I was [%*^#@!] off tbh .

He got back to me this morning with another wheel/tyre, same exact fitment and tyre but it was a red one, and just like the one I had missed, it was from a Citroen C4. Yet ebay's algorithm stated that this one will not fit my car.

As a test I found another red one with the same wheel/tyre Continental 125/85 R16 that a breaker had taken off the exact same car, model, age HP - the only differences being it was a manual whilst mine is an auto (or semi auto) - the algorithm said it would not fit my car. So I simply gave up as I could obviously not trust this. the only reason I think this may be so is that maybe manual cars don't have that idiotic handbrake mechanism where the spare wheel should be.

In any event, should this be the case it is not safe to buy one of these online without it specifically saying it is for an automatic. So I have contacted Citroen to price one up, including the tool kit - batter safe than sorry I suppose. But I had the insert for £25 from ebay so that is good.

One way or another then, although it will cost me, I will finally get a spare wheel....and it will be the right one.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice, again. I will post a picture when I am triumphant.
vexorg   
Thu Feb 10 2022, 05:15am
Member No: #48843
Joined: Jul 06 2017
Location: Scotland
Check for yourself here: - Click Here -

205/55/E16 is about the same as 135/85/R16.

The other two key factors are the hole PCD and bore sizes.
For citroens around this age, should be 4x108mm PCD, and bore 65.1mm
Fejinwales   
Wed Feb 16 2022, 10:12am
Member No: #58844
Joined: Sep 24 2021
Location: South Wales
Update it's a good one too. It turns out the guy in the Citroen dealership was right and should not have been ignored (time for some humble pie).I found out just in time so cancelled the purchase of the insert. I found out that he was right when I went to my friend at Rhondda Tyres and we looked in the boot. The insert would have fitted perfectly but the top would have been flush with the boot floor. It did have inserts for jack, towing eye and the battery operated tyre inflator etc, but although there was a ring to support a wheel it would have meant having to leave out the carpet and having the wheel, even a space saver, protruding up well above the floor level.

So I'm going to do what David did and showed in an earlier reply. New tyres will be due in about a month and we are going to try to see the fitment in that space. If all goes well then I'll be on the lookout for a steel wheel that will fit my car.
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