Safe Speed Forums

Ever so slightlyoff topic (but still about spare wheels)....

I have actually got TWO spares. One in the car, one in the garage - they are a matched pair in themselves.

If I have a puncture, I will replace the wheel at the roadside with the spare. On getting home, I will then get the spare from the garage and change the other wheel on that axle so that the 4 running road wheels match.

This is not so much to do with the pattern of the tread, it's to do with wear on the tyres themselves. 50, 100 or 200 miles running on one without the other is negligeable... but when a pair have done, say eg. 12,500 miles, changing one tyre for the spare (which is new) leaves me needing a calculator to check when they're due for renewal, etc.

This way, I get maximum life out of effectively 3 matched pairs of tyres without all the poncing around.

I bought the second spare for a fiver from the breakers yard and would seriously recommend this to all other "standard tyred" car users.

I too have an extra spare in the shed. My "spare" resembles a dinghy trailer wheel! a 2cv tyre would be posh

my car allways runs on top brand tyres but my spare is a budget brand. slightly smaller so the boot floor almost fits. THE trouble is that I could be prosicuted if I fitted it... should I paint it yellow and black?!

I don't mind having a space saver, if it were a real tyre rated up to 70mph and unlimited milage. I don't mind reduced width and even diamiter it is this 50mph and 50 miles that scares me.

How many miles did the previous owner drive on it?

If you want a real steel wheel, ask your car dealer to supply one with the car. or go to a good scrap yard (check the tyre walls thouroughly though)

Ri..ight! (4 Yorkshiremen mode ..."on")!

My XJ Jaguar has a space saver, that works out ....fine....for me, because!
Towing a caravan as I do. I can put the caravan spare wheel on top of the car spare and still have a boot!

Now come on Gents, anyone who puts on a space saver and continues to drive at the rate as before is the idiot! For me......if I'm towing it may be the difference between being stuck on the motorway or being able to drive to a safer place before calling the RAC or making my way to a garage.............and that's it! Anything else, (certainly at speed) is just silly.

A Jaguar alloy and large tyre is an expensive "extra" to have in the boot which I will never use. In my last .........5 cars, I have NEVER had a punture and expensive wheels have been transported for nothing!

I would rather take the responsibility of a 30 mph restriction / 40yrs driving to carry a "light" spare. (Yorkshiremen mode "OFF")

Thankfully, my 200SX has a spare 195/60/15 and the rolling radius is stupidly close to the rest of the tyres which have 205/55/15s on, if the worst happened, all I'd have to worry about is that one tyre is a different make/compound and the tread pattern isn't directional, so no hard cornering until I sort it.

The other half's MX5 has a space saver, but in that case its essential, have you seen the boot on those things????? I would rather it on the front than the back too to save the limited slip diff and drive at a safe speed. (ie not at 107mph)

I think the safest way to continue along the motorway in a situation like that is to drive on the inside lane of a motorway at about 40/50mph with the hazzard lights flashing, that way, you have the hard shoulder in case of real emergency and the hazzards advise everyone that you're not being a tosser. Thats what I did when a fuse went pop so my instrument display and rear lights went at night on a motorway until I could get to a garage (one junction) to change the fuse in good lighting conditions in a safe place to stop.

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www.clubrwd.com - For all things rear wheel drive

Joining in the discussion late, but just wanted to add my two pence!

These things worry me greatly. Thankfully all our vehicles of proper spare wheels- although in my car, the wheels are so skinny that it probably wouldn't be possible to find a thinner one to put in the boot! But dad's car (which I have driven before now) has a full sized spare, and that thing has massive wheels.

Was driving home one day and saw a car in front behaving extremely erratically. Then noticed that there was a huge disparity between the size of his two rear tyres. He was all over the place, struggling to stay on the right side of the road. I don't know how much of this was down to his having a smaller wheel on - it was also a very windy day - but it certainly made me think that it's a very silly idea to not have a proper spare. It's certainly something I'd look for when buying a car (if I ever get round to doing that again!..)

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-mike[F]
Caught in the rush of the crowd, lost in a wall of sound..

Seen Draco's post,,, "Scot mode on (= very tight yorky)" -- yes might save you £5" "Scot mode off, (now = generous yorky

I'm likewise - no punctures for years, BUT, i cycle tyres ( no, daft yorky , i don't put them on bike) , i move spare out BEFORE it rots/gets cracked.
It means that at any one time i have 5 tyres on my car that will be legal forat least 5000 miles.Costs a little bit extra, involves a bit of tyre fitter involvement ( and they love it) -just ask them to help and they do -

Get down to a DECENT tyre company , as i do , get your hands dirty helping and you'l find that the fitter respects you and will help to save you money - might cost a little more at the fitter- at the puncture - (peeeimg down --you might like it),and on the motorway BIB will help or get your helpers out and standbye till they get their- (unless you're unlucky enough to get Highways Agency)( never trust a man in a two tone jacket)

To be fair, I never thought much about space savers till I started to drive long distances to work. Maybe I am unlucky but I have had two tyre failures requiring use of the spare. One was a puncture and in the other case my tyre had lost a huge chunk of tread.

No problem in daytime (tyre services open) but at night, over 100 miles from home, what happens? In my case I had to drive 20 motorway miles on the spare to meet a mobile tyre fitter. Very bad experience.

I am getting a full size spare from my friendly garage

Malcolm

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Malcolm Cooper

Ok, I'll up the ante on this sort of subject.

My car has no spare - only an electric tyre pump and a can of tyre sealant "foam". I don't like this but given some of the views about space savers do people think this is better or worse?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

This won't do if the puncture/split occurs on the side wall - it just won't seal. Also if the tyre has gone down completely and the rim seal broken, it won't work either.

If it does work, I'd argue it is less bad than a space saver wheel. The problem will come when you get to a tyre dealer. They will have a real sticky problem to deal with.

Is there a definitive answer as to whether they can or can't repair them? I've heard they can, but some say they can't, or at the very least will charge extra for it.

Strange , all these modern ideas - for years we had the old fashioned spare wheel - why re invent the wheel ( or spare)

It could be useful to come up with a list of vehicles that still have full-size spare wheels.

I see, for a start, that the new Renault Clio, just introduced in the UK, does...

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

My mates Z8 has run-flat tyres the pressure of which are constantly monitored & the driver alerted to any problem.

only problem is once it's been run flat it's time for a new tyre



Tried phoning round the breakers yards? they usually have a few odd alloys lying around that are one or two short of a set that could do the job

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

Citroen have 'proper' spare wheels - one of the reasons I picked them and Skoda also have proper spares, though it's a steel wheel even on the top models - There's a thought, if Skoda can do it AND sell the cars as cheaply as they do AND make a profit what the hell are the other motor companies up too ?????

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

Time has marched on since the last post in this thread! ^

I had exactly the same thought as Malcolm, above. Last month I took my car down to Austria. From Calais, it's just under 600 miles to the town of Bregenz, western Austria. I saw a car being driven with a space saver and imagined the scenario if that was me. No way would I have been able to complete that journey on a space saver. I'd be in the unthinkable situation of calling for assistance, in a foreign language. Imagine the grief you could go through, trying to direct a tyre fitter to where you were to have the tyre replaced. Imagine that it was a Sunday and the tyre places were closed and you couldn't pop back the next day because you planned to be 600 miles away by then. Imagine being in the situation where you had to pay whatever they were asking.

My current car's an Audi A3 and has a space saver. I've never had to use it. TG. But when I replace this car later this year with an Audi A4, my worries will be behind me. Because although there was a time when the space saver tyre was perceived as a plus point, Audi now proudly proclaim that every A4 is supplied with a full size spare wheel/tyre.

Another update, my new company car a Skoda Octavia actually has an alloy spare wheel !!

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

Funny enough, I had a TVR for a while and the ONLY way it was even REMOTELY driveable in snow was with 4 space-savers on!

The minimum tread depth is to try and make them a bit safer - they have a much rounder profile (like a bike tyre) and with full tread depth, the tread block distortion would be huge and contribute to really vague handling. Also, the manufacturers see no point as they aren't supposed to do any significant mileage.

As an aside, the manufacturers DO have to carry out braking stability tests with space savers fitted as part of the type approval process. Clearly they only have to meet very minimal criteria and I'm in NO WAY suggesting that they are "safe" because I don't think they are, to be honest, but there is a legal limit to how "dangerous" they are allowed to be!

FInally, at least one manufacturer is getting all smart-arsed now and has the ABS computer programmed to recognise that if one wheel is turning consistently a bit faster than the other three, then EITHER, the car has a puncture OR the space saver is fitted. Either way, it tells the engine management computer to limit the speed to whatever the manufacturer recommends for space-saver use! No more 107MPH Puntos then!

Never used ( or wish to ) a space saver.

My first car in snow did crazy things. Put it down to my right foot , till my cousin mentioned that one wheel seemed to be throwing out more snow than other. Inspection revealed that rear tyres although same diameter, were different sizes - spare slapped on to match and soon car was transformed.

Moral - odd tyre sizes and handling DO NOT MIX.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

There is a preventative system used on some performance cars which may be of interest to the OP - http://www.ukultraseal.com/

I'm always sceptical about such products. I'd be happier with an endorsement on that website from a tyre manufacturer or even a few car manufacturers. Part of the problem is that when punctured, not only does the air come out of a normal tyre but the water gets in. After a while, the steel reinforcements (if it's that kind of tyre) start to rust and then the tread delaminates off the reinforceing layer - which can be nasty. Obviously it won't help against a bottle cut to the sidewall either.