There are three solutions to the question of spare wheels available these days.
Below is a brief general description of the alternatives. We strongly recommend you read the relevant section of your vehicle owners manual for specific instructions on the fitting and use of spare wheels.
It is best to do this before you need to change your wheel in the dark, by the side of a busy road, on a rainy December night when you're already late.
- Full Size Spare. This is the traditional idea of a spare wheel. The vehicle manufacturer will design a storage space, often in or under the boot space, to accommodate an extra wheel. This is still the most common solution. With or near the wheel you should also find the jack and toolkit for fitting the wheel.
- Temporary Space Saver or Mini-spare. This is an ultra thin wheel unlike the other wheels on the vehicle. Again a space will be provided to store the wheel, jack and tool kit. One advantage of the space saver is that it requires less storage space than a full size wheel. The disadvantage is that it is not designed to perform to the same standard as your other tyres. These space savers should only be used to drive SLOWLY to safety where your damaged tyre should then be attended to before you use the vehicle further.
- Run-Flat Fitment With No Spare . Many manufacturers now design their vehicles with run-flat tyres and do not provide a spare wheel. The run-flat tyre is designed with a tyre wall strong enough to support the weight of the vehicle even when the tyre pressure is down to zero. In this state the tyre will offer safe handling for the driver in some cases up to 80 km/hr for a limited distance (See your tyre manufacturers technical information for accurate data on your specific tyres). However it would be prudent not to drive under these conditions up to the limit of the tyre manufacturers stated performance.
Tyre Information Disclaimer
