Hi everyone,
I just bought a 1996 850 sportwagon and in just a few days it will become home to my family (2 kids, 2 cats, dog, bemused spouse) for 3 weeks as we move cross-country. The dealer I bought it from talked me into going back to the 17" rim size with low-profile tires (the 16s on it during test drive were bent). I'm a bit skeptical about the low-profiles, so any suggestions are welcome. Anyhow, I noticed that the temporary spare looks tiny next to the 17s and so I brought it to a local tire dealer, with hopes of jumping up to a full size spare. The car has the optional 3rd seat, which has the seat belt fastener connecting to a sort of hat-channel in the spare wheel well. Convinced that the spare would fit if only I bashed off the little bracket welded to the channel I did so, and lo and behold the full size spare doesn't fit in the well. Maybe it would if the channel for the 3rd seat weren't there. The tire dealer couldn't do any better than the tiny temporary, and suggested that should I get a flat up front, I switch a rear for front and put the temporary on the back. My confusion/question is basically this: does anyone have a solution for a spare closer to the 'original' tire size? Did a better-sized spare fit until the 3rd seat entered the picture?
Question 2: I'm also looking for shop recommendations in Philadelphia.
Thanks, DR