Daimler DB18 DHC 1950

We have just found a couple of problems with the Spare Tyre / Boot Lid

1- We cannot open the Boot Lid very far before it hits the tyre - probably halfway

2- The Spare Wheel will not come out through the lower lid space.

I just wonder what others have done when they found this problem, or is my spare tyre (which is the same as the other 4 tyres on the car) too big? See photo

I have been trying to read what make of tyre you have but unfortunately haven't managed to. If the problem is exclusively tyre related (and I'm assuming it is) it is a fairly common issue for various cars. Within the one tyre size, there are considerable differences among makers in each of diameter, tread width and section width.

The ideal tyre to have on the four wheels can turn out, today, to be a bit of a bother for the spare wheel compartment due to it being too big a diameter or too wide in the section for the width of the aperture it has to go through. One solution is to travel with the spare flat if that makes it small enough. Another is to buy a 'small' spare tyre, one of nominally the right size but at the other end of the dimensional range.
You will see statements such as 'I have the right tyres because I bought the original make' but the tyres made today by some firms are not the same pattern as was on the go when the cars were new. Avon Tourists are probably a good example as they tend to be at the higher end of diameters which may be too large for a spare wheel carrier. An Avon Duotread would have been a contemporary fitment but they are long extinct.

Most of the tyre companies list the dimensions of each tyre and with a bit of research the different possibilities become apparent.

Hi Simon,
The Tyres are Avon Tourist 600 x 16, might this be the problem?

Can you recommend a smaller solution?

I did think they looked like Avon Tourists but wasn't 100% sure. They're the largest 6.00 x 16 crossply made at present. 728mm diameter. I'm at work at present but will check through the possibilities later. The Excelsior 600x16 is about 711mm and the Wayfarer from VTS is 709mm. NorthHants Tyres are going to be selling a budget new tyre from December -TT classics or similar name. Their 600x16 will be £65 + VAT but I don't know its dimensions yet.
It's probably an idea to see if you can have a reasonable estimate of how much space you have to play with. By the way, Avon also do a 6 ply crossply which is smaller in diameter but slightly wider in the cross section.
Will write more lucidly later, just on a cheap phone at present !

Hi Simon,
I checked with the supplier, Longstone Tyres, and found that I had fitted:-
Avon Tourist 600 x 16 Diameter: 719mm Width: 165mm

and that the following alternatives were available:-
Excelsior 600 x 16 Diameter: 711mm Width: 172mm
Waymaster 600 x 16 Diameter: 709mm Width: 175mm

Avon Tourist 550 x 16 Diameter: 691mm Width: 150mm
Excelsior 550 x 16 Diameter: 679mm Width: 114mm
Waymaster 550 x 16 Diameter: 695mm Width: 155mm

Avon Tourist 525 x 16 Diameter: 678mm Width: 144mm
Dunlop C18 525 x 16 Diameter: 678mm Width: 144mm
T/T Classic Roadmaster 525 x 16 Diameter: 678mm Width: 144mm
Waymaster 525 x 16 Diameter: 685mm Width: 146mm

I'll have to measure up the boot and decide what to do.

Many thanks for your help.

Best wishes, Tony

Hi Tony

I too have had the same problem but found if I get down on my hands and knees and shove the tyre right back and to one side, the boot lid will just clear it.
Have a go and experiment a bit as it’s not easy to find the right spot but it will go.

Graham

the car I am restoring has a clamp which holds the tyre down and away from the fuel pipe/lines it also has a curved recess where the floor raises above the back axle to accommodate the tyre further in the bay to solve the boot opening issue.