Awesome! And looks absolutely silly mounted - but I'd rather look silly than look bored on the side of the road!
Spare Tire for GLA45…Project Completed!
It all started back in April when it was confirmed that the US spec GLA45 came with NON run flat summer performance tires. An air pump and sealant was included with the car, but of course that is fine for a puncture such as a nail and will do nothing if it is a catastrophic failure such as a side wall tear.
In April, I procured via Ebay a used [never used] GLK jack and accessories which work perfectly with the GLA>>
That turned out to be the easy part… finding a space saver (aka 'donut') spare tire was more problematic short of going the route of buying thru a MB dealer at a cost of $850+ (does not include the jack etc.)
My search again ended on Ebay in early December when there was a listing for a used [not used] ML63 AMG spare (donut) wheel/tire. The bolt pattern (5 112), wheel diameter (19") and offset (45-48 mm) were a match for the 19" AMG wheel that is standard on the GLA45. This is an alloy wheel set up as opposed to a steel wheel>>>
Did a pre-fit (just set the wheel on the hub) and clearance for the larger front brakes was the same as the wheel clearance for the wheels that came with the car
BUT (always a but) the lug bolts that fit the AMG wheel that came with the car were too short for the AMG alloy of the spare wheel (the center area of the spare is thicker). The search for the extended lug bolt was tedious… first MB uses measurements for the lug bolts that are based on the overall length of the entire bolt whereas most listings use the length of the bolt shaft.
So, the OEM bolt is a 14 x 1.5 x 49mm (shaft length is 27mm) with a ball style seat (NOT conical). The lug bolt I finally found that works is 14 x 1.5 x 64mm (40mm shaft)>>>
After wrestling with removing/installing the wheels several times, it quickly became apparent the the OEM AMG wheel/tire weighing in at 52.3 lbs and I were not getting along. Since MB uses wheel BOLTS and not wheel NUTS there are not lugs/studs in the hub to 'hang' the tire on while trying to get the bolts in to hold the tire in place. Solution… a Wheel Stud Pilot>>>
Which you screw into the hub>>>
Then allows you to hang the wheel on the hub while you install the lug bolts and once 4 have been installed remove the stud pilot and install the final lug bolt>>
So to the finish…the donut style space saver spare tire installed (not inflated… can inflate using the air pump that came with the car) and once spare is used can be deflated back to the smaller size as seen (deflated diameter is 24" and inflated is ~27.5")>>
For transporting and dressing up a bit (instead of the tire alone) and if need to change out a flat the 'old tire' can go into it too, I already had 4 Tire Rack Tire Totes and it works perfectly including having a handle
Total cost (AMG space saver tire/lug bolts/jack & accessories/stud pilot): $578
I posted this in the General Discussion area since I can see no reason that a GLA250 could not use the same set up… run flat tires are great for small punctures, but will fall victim to catastrophic failure for things like a side wall tear.
In April, I procured via Ebay a used [never used] GLK jack and accessories which work perfectly with the GLA>>
That turned out to be the easy part… finding a space saver (aka 'donut') spare tire was more problematic short of going the route of buying thru a MB dealer at a cost of $850+ (does not include the jack etc.)
My search again ended on Ebay in early December when there was a listing for a used [not used] ML63 AMG spare (donut) wheel/tire. The bolt pattern (5 112), wheel diameter (19") and offset (45-48 mm) were a match for the 19" AMG wheel that is standard on the GLA45. This is an alloy wheel set up as opposed to a steel wheel>>>
Did a pre-fit (just set the wheel on the hub) and clearance for the larger front brakes was the same as the wheel clearance for the wheels that came with the car
BUT (always a but) the lug bolts that fit the AMG wheel that came with the car were too short for the AMG alloy of the spare wheel (the center area of the spare is thicker). The search for the extended lug bolt was tedious… first MB uses measurements for the lug bolts that are based on the overall length of the entire bolt whereas most listings use the length of the bolt shaft.
So, the OEM bolt is a 14 x 1.5 x 49mm (shaft length is 27mm) with a ball style seat (NOT conical). The lug bolt I finally found that works is 14 x 1.5 x 64mm (40mm shaft)>>>
After wrestling with removing/installing the wheels several times, it quickly became apparent the the OEM AMG wheel/tire weighing in at 52.3 lbs and I were not getting along. Since MB uses wheel BOLTS and not wheel NUTS there are not lugs/studs in the hub to 'hang' the tire on while trying to get the bolts in to hold the tire in place. Solution… a Wheel Stud Pilot>>>
Which you screw into the hub>>>
Then allows you to hang the wheel on the hub while you install the lug bolts and once 4 have been installed remove the stud pilot and install the final lug bolt>>
So to the finish…the donut style space saver spare tire installed (not inflated… can inflate using the air pump that came with the car) and once spare is used can be deflated back to the smaller size as seen (deflated diameter is 24" and inflated is ~27.5")>>
For transporting and dressing up a bit (instead of the tire alone) and if need to change out a flat the 'old tire' can go into it too, I already had 4 Tire Rack Tire Totes and it works perfectly including having a handle
Total cost (AMG space saver tire/lug bolts/jack & accessories/stud pilot): $578
I posted this in the General Discussion area since I can see no reason that a GLA250 could not use the same set up… run flat tires are great for small punctures, but will fall victim to catastrophic failure for things like a side wall tear.
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First, part number… I got the MB compact on Ebay and as such no part number, but on the back of the alloy might be a part number (lower number)
Same with the lug bolts… Ebay and are not OEM bolts.
This video shows how the compact spare works… the tire in the video is the same (Vredestein) as I got just the wheels are different>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRiRldQQzLY
Same with the lug bolts… Ebay and are not OEM bolts.
This video shows how the compact spare works… the tire in the video is the same (Vredestein) as I got just the wheels are different>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRiRldQQzLY
Final installment… just how does the space saver tire work? You go from a compact spare tire-inflate-after use deflate. So in the glory of pictures>>
Inflating and notice the side wall starting to bulge>>
Inflated and on the ground>>
After use remove the air stem valve and deflate
Inflating and notice the side wall starting to bulge>>
Inflated and on the ground>>
After use remove the air stem valve and deflate
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IF you have the Harman Kardon Logic 7 stereo (in pic the amp and sub woofer are at bottom) and/or non run flat tires such as found on the GLA45 (the air inflator with sealant is at the top), then 'no' there is no room under the cargo area>>
If you have an empty storage space then 'YES' the space saver tire will fit (tire in its deflated condition is 23.5" dia and ~6" high and the space is 24+" wide and 7" deep); since you will need an air inflator, it would fit nicely inside the alloy cavity.
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