My 87 has 205R70 14" tires on alloy rims (std VW), and they fit in the
spare carrier just fine (only one at a time, however...)

Dave

 At 10:36 PM 4/1/97 -0600, Stephen Overmyer wrote:
>>Perry,
>>
>>The spare tire mount under the front of the vehicle will only comfortably
>>hold a standard VW rim with a 185 tyre.Any wider and you get the problem
>>that you described.
>>
>>Yes,VW did offer alloy rims as an option however they are only the same
>>width (5 1/2") as the steel rims.They just looked better than the 
>>standard steelies.Recommended tyre was still 185R x 14" so they still fit.
>>
>>My van has 15" alloys with 215 60's and I have no hope of fitting one of
>>those under the front.I have a 5th one which I take on long trips otherwise
>>I rely on the original spare with it's original 185R 70 14" which remains
>>under the front of the car as an emergency spare to limp to a service
>>station.My new wheels are virtually the same overall diameter as the
>>originals so whilst driving on a combination isn't particularly good for
>>handling,at least I can use it if needed without doing any damage.
>>
>>Steve O.
>>
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