Proper Size of Spare Tire to Fit on Mount

[rjmarco]

I just bought a 1965 230 SL.  I took it to the local MBZ dealer for a safety check and asked that they place the spare tire on the vertical mounting post.  The tire size is a 185 R14C.  The MBZ technician said that the tire was too big to allow setting it on the mount.  Anyone have the same experience?

Regards,

Rich

[zoegrlh]

What is you spare wheel size.  Should be stamped on wheel.  Is wheel steel or alloy?  Could be the wheel has a deeper dish (wider) then originial wheels for this car.
Bob

[rjmarco]

I had my car back at the MBZ dealership.  An experienced tech was able to get my spare mounted on the post.  Happy ending.  Thanks for the help. 

[Flyair]

I had the same issue when I bought my car and was very disappointed that the spare wheel could not fit. I thought that the mount was too large and badly placed…. Moreover, I couldn't fit the 7l canister, which was another frustration, then…. one day I asked MB technician what was wrong about that wheel…. He just returned it up side down and …. miracle:it fits! obviously the canister fits nicely too. That vintage German engineering is incredible, I must say 

[Raymond]

I put a 185/65 R14 tire in as a spare.  It weighs almost 4 lbs less than the 205/70s on the ground and was cheap.  (It's only a spare, I'm not terribly concerned about performance)  It takes up a bit less room as well, allowing me to stash the car cover between it and the bulkhead.  Because the diameter is smaller, I'll only put it on the front unless the drive is less than 10 miles to a repair station.  But in the mean time, I'm saving weght, space, and money.

[Flyair]

205/70 does not seem like an original size. This is also confirmed in Technical Manual. I use 185 on steel rims while I have 205/70 on Bunt alloy rims, which I only use occasionally.

[Raymond]

205/70 is decidedly not an original size but is almost exactly the same diameter as the original and puts a 20 mm wider patch of rubber on the road at each corner with a slightly stiffer sidewall.  The result is better braking and cornering. (Assuming the comparison is to tires of the same manufacturer and model.)  The beefier size also looks to me like it's a better proportion for the car.  It's a personal choice and I'm not entering a Concours, I'm entering traffic where sometimes panic stopping 8 inches shorter might mean thousands of dollars of difference. 

[hauser]

I have a 195/75/14 for my spare which measures 25.5" in diameter.  I recently made the switch to a 15" wheel and hubcap with 205/65/15 tires which have the same 25.5" diameter.  Works for me. 

[Alan Smithee]

I have a 195/75/14 for my spare...

Does the spare tire cover fit over a 195 75/14?

[DaveB]

Yes, fits well.

[Alan Smithee]

Thanks, Dave!

[KevinC]

195/75R14's here too. All around including spare.

From the Technical Manual...

"195/70R14 tires became popular as 185R14 tires became hard to get. These tires give a speedo reading error of 3.5% while the 195/75 error is just 0.5%. 205/70 gives 1.4% error"

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/WheelsTires/TireSize