Full size spare in 2009/2010s?

RalphVa

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2009
Location
Virginia
TDI
Jetta
I pulled the spare out of our 2010 Jetta today to check its pressure. It is larger than the typical donut spare like is in our Cabrio.

Wonder if it'll take a normal sized wheel and tire? The 17 inchers may be too wide.
 

MPBsr

Veteran Member
Joined
May 31, 2009
Location
NJ
TDI
2009 TDI....Traded in
I pulled the spare out of our 2010 Jetta today to check its pressure. It is larger than the typical donut spare like is in our Cabrio.

Wonder if it'll take a normal sized wheel and tire? The 17 inchers may be too wide.
The spare in my 09 is a smaller rim size and tire, but not a donut.
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
VW has been using full size spares for years. What year is the Cabby? Does it have a trunk large enough to accommodate a full size spare?

My '09 had a full size, 91H rated real tire for a spare. I got a flat in eastern Washington state and installed it. I figured I'd get it fixed the next day, but drove all the way back to Massachusetts on it without a problem.

My '10 also has a full size, I'm assuming it's a real tire.
 

dubStrom

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Location
Kansas City Missouri
TDI
2003 A4 Jetta (sold), 2010 JSW (sold), 2013 Passat 6MT traded for 2014 JSW with 6MT-TOTALED in November 2016, 2003 ALH 5MT conversion (sold), wheezing 2015 GSW/DSG and a new 2021 Tacoma Access Cab 4x4 p'up
JSW gets full size spare?

My 2010 JSW has the same full size model/brand of tire that is on the four wheels on the ground, but on a steel wheel instead. It was my assumption that this was the case for the 2010 Jetta as well. Wow. The JSW really has so many standard features. It is surprising.
 

El Dobro

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
NJ
TDI
2017 Bolt EV Premier, 2023 Bolt EUV Premier
The spare has a 15" rim, but the outer diameter of the tire is the same as the 16" rims on the car.
 

deezelpower

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2004
Location
Martha Lake, WA
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI, 2015 Audi Q7 TDI
My wife's 2010 has a 195/65-15 as spare. Still has the silly 45 MPH max sticker, even though the weight and speed ratings are OEM equivalent......

Since tire diameters of 15/16/17's of most jettas are the same and would fit in spare, I'm sure it was due to costs and weight savings.
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
My wife's 2010 has a 195/65-15 as spare. Still has the silly 45 MPH max sticker, even though the weight and speed ratings are OEM equivalent......

Since tire diameters of 15/16/17's of most jettas are the same and would fit in spare, I'm sure it was due to costs and weight savings.
It's probably a liability/legal requirement. I peeled it off when I installed the spare on my '09.
 

El Dobro

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
NJ
TDI
2017 Bolt EV Premier, 2023 Bolt EUV Premier
It was probably from workers that were told to put the sticker on all spares.
 

Fixmy59bug

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, NV
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE
All sedans with the base 16" alloys will (should) have a 15" steel wheel for the spare. The sedans have the 288mm brakes and can get away with a 15" spare.

All JSW's have the upgraded 312mm brakes that you would find on the 2.0T (gasser) and a 15" wheel will not fit. So Vw HAD to put in a 16" spare.

They are all full size, properly load and speed rated tire. But the bright yellow sticker is there to remind the owner that they are still on the spare and may not have a good 5th wheel should something happen.

I believe the '11 Jetta sedans may have gone back to a space saver spare as a measure of cost cutting.
 

RalphVa

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2009
Location
Virginia
TDI
Jetta
Wonder if there's a weight saving for buying a new alloy wheel to match the others on the car vs. the steel wheel spare. The wife scraped up the one alloy wheel in the back. Damaged the finish but didn't bend it. Could put it in as a spare. (Likely the jack wouldn't fit inside as nicely as it does on this factory spare rim.)

I remember once in the 240D's life that I bought another rim to put a snow tire onto. First bought a steel rim because of price difference. When I got it home and found the HUGE weight difference for the alloy ones vs. the steel one, I went back and traded it for an alloy rim. The 240D alloy rims looked EXACTLY like steel rims in those days. The spare rim was exactly the same alloy as the other 4.
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
Wonder if there's a weight saving for buying a new alloy wheel to match the others on the car vs. the steel wheel spare. The wife scraped up the one alloy wheel in the back. Damaged the finish but didn't bend it. Could put it in as a spare. (Likely the jack wouldn't fit inside as nicely as it does on this factory spare rim.)

I remember once in the 240D's life that I bought another rim to put a snow tire onto. First bought a steel rim because of price difference. When I got it home and found the HUGE weight difference for the alloy ones vs. the steel one, I went back and traded it for an alloy rim. The 240D alloy rims looked EXACTLY like steel rims in those days. The spare rim was exactly the same alloy as the other 4.
Since you have an '09, do you have Bioline wheels? They're pretty readily available. Shop around in the classifieds here, and the tires/wheels section on vwvortex. You should have no problem finding a single Bioline.
 

dubStrom

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Location
Kansas City Missouri
TDI
2003 A4 Jetta (sold), 2010 JSW (sold), 2013 Passat 6MT traded for 2014 JSW with 6MT-TOTALED in November 2016, 2003 ALH 5MT conversion (sold), wheezing 2015 GSW/DSG and a new 2021 Tacoma Access Cab 4x4 p'up
...

All JSW's have the upgraded 312mm brakes that you would find on the 2.0T (gasser) and a 15" wheel will not fit. So Vw HAD to put in a 16" spare.

...
Of course. I forgot about those brakes. No wonder I got a full size tire.
 
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