To me, a spare is intended to get me to the shop so I can have the flat tire repaired or replaced. I don't see that it has to match the existing tires. Heck, look at the skinny spares that come on modern cars now. Do any of the manufacturers include a full size spare anymore? Does anybody remember rotating the spare onto the road as part of your tire rotation routine? 

The only reason I can think that you would need a matching spare would be when you find yourself away from civilization and need everything to match so you can continue your journey and stop when it's convenient (bearing in mind that you no longer have any kind of spare and should get it fixed at your earliest convenience). 

Mark K
1986 GL/2WD/4SPD
1990 Carat/2WD/Auto

On Aug 10, 2011, at 3:35 PM, Oxroad wrote:

> As a spinoff on the discussion of alloy wheels today: What is the list
> wisdom on this configuration:
> 
> Upgraded to 15" South African VW alloy wheels and tires BUT still a 14"
> steel wheel with 185 R 14 in the spare tire holder.
> 
> Say you're running the the Michelin Agilis 15"  205/65/15 on the alloys
> On the spare steel wheel you have the Michelin Agilis 185 R14
> Apparently they have the same rolling radius. The 205 is obviously wider
> than the 185
> 
> Andrew makes a good point on the previous thread that the lugs will be
> different for the alloys as opposed to the steel so you'll have to
> accommodate that.
> 
> The 205s won't fit in the 1983 spare tire tray which on the earlier busses
> is set up to accept the 185 tire and not much more.
> 
> To upgrade the spare tire tray I believe you'd have to change the coolant
> hoses that pass by and
> then install a later model tray. That's a PIA.
> 
> So how safe/ unsafe would it be to roll on a 3 of the 15" tires and one of
> the 14" in a situation where you had to mount the spare?
> 
> Best,
> Jeff
> 83.5 Westy
> LA,CA