Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

Hi, I'm a new member, just joined, had my crossfire SRT6 about 2 months . I did my research for a spare tire for the crossfire, and I found one that fits all crossfires perfectly. It's a donut. It comes off an '04 SLK 500 Mercedes. The size of the donut tire is 155/70/17-inch. I have put it on the front and back of the crossfire - works perfectly. And it fits perfectly in the back luggage area where a tire is supposed to fit. It is the perfect height to work on both the front and back. You can call me the "Flat Tire God."

Cheers,
Jim. :D

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

Why couldn't Chrysler think of that.

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

Flat Tire God, welcome and thanks.

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

good find jim.

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

cause they would be called idiots for putting a donut in the back but not making sure that the flat tire can fit in the trunk...

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

btw Jim, good find ... i looked at SLK spares in the past ... the rear wheel/tire fits in the passenger seat so if you are alone it turns out ok...

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

Jim Trim, glad to see that somebody has finally done it, but several forum members have been suggesting the use of slk spares for some time now. Do a search. I hope you never need to use it.

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

My wife has software driven sewing machine and I am thinking of asking her to make a cover that will fit over the 18 & 19 inch wheels. That way if we need to put the flat tire in the passenger seat it will not muck up the interior. :D

Scott
SRT6
1974 Mercedes 450SL

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

For those of you not so talented with a sewing machine, a garbage bag may work, and if it's too small, I'm sure you an get a plastic bag from a tire repair store, or a leaf bag should work too.

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

Great idea! But, does anyone know where I can find one of these?

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

Good one, Jim. Welcome to the forum. :)

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

I'm very interested, but how does it fit in the trunk? Is there room under the trunk floorboard? I haven't tried removing the styrofoam panels under the trunk floorboard. Or do you place it in the trunk above the floorboard and just live with less cargo space? If so, how do you prevent the donut from banging around back there??

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

It fits perfectly in the trunk above the floorboard. There is an indentation that it sits down inside of, snug, and doesn't move around. Yes, you will have to live with less cargo space.
I'm going to have a cover made for mine. One thing I forgot to mention is that you need five two-inch long wheel bolts to work with the spare because the stock ones are too long. You can get them at your local tire/rim shop. It's really nice to finally have spare, and everybody talks about what are you going to do with tire you take off when you get the flat, but that will sit back in there too (in the indentation in the cargo space).

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

Can you post pics? Where did you buy the donut?

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

When doing a web search, half of the Mercedes parts sites don't even show an '04 SLK 500 model. Does that mean that they don't carry the parts or the model designation is incorrect?

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

There is no 2004 SLK 500. They have a S500 and a SLK230. I called a Mercedes dealership and they don't stock the spare wheels... I'd have to order it, and pay for it sight unseen. I'm not quite willing to do that just yet.

DOES ANYONE HAVE RELIABLE INFORMATION?? A photo would be GREAT.

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

I saw a spare advertise by a German parts supplier in the Potomac, Maryland area. They had a spare that has been mentioned in this thread, so I called and the seller refused to supply the diameter of the inflated spare, since this is a space saver tire. One thing must be taken into consideration before it is used to replace a flat in the rear of our Crossfires. The circumference of the spare MUST equal the diameter of the 19 inch rear tires. If this does not match, and it varies in size, it WILL damage the differential. It is not critical when it is used on the front end of the car. So my suggestion is to measure the circumference of the spare and the standard 10" rear tire on your Crossfire, just my 2 cents...

DT Menace

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

FYI, Potomac German Auto is actually located in Frederick, Maryland. Trust me, there are no auto parts stores in Potomac, Maryland.

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

I spoke to a representative of tirerack.com and he explained to me that the reason our xfire's don't come with a spare is because the rear tires are larger than the front ones. Our stability control measures each wheel's RPM and would go haywire if we used the wrong size wheel for the front or rear. Therefore, there's no one size that can ever be used as a spare for all four wheels.

Re: Donut Spare for Crossfire
 

Thanks for making the call; we finally have an answer. In the back of my mind, I had a feeling that the computer monitoring the wheels would go nuts if a spare of a different size was put on. Trying to get a spare is something I'm crossing off my "to do" list.