No Spare Wheel

[thelewisgang]

I have a 2009 Smart For Two car but they weren't manufactured with a spare tyre. I need to get breakdown cover but the companies I have contacted won't sign me up unless I have a tyre repair kit in the car. I know I can buy a can of the gunk that's put into the tyre but have no idea if one type is better than another. Has anyone had experience of this product? Thanks

[furrypusscat]

For guidance:
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/08/how-far-can-you-drive-on-a-spare-tire.html

[bhg481]

Interesting article from furrypussycat.

Most of these spare tires have a limited top speed of 55 mph. You can expect to get about 50 miles on a spare tire like this, and some are rated up to 70 miles

All the ones I have seen have had a speed limit of 50mph. I have only used mine twice, once in France where the nearest garage to where I was staying was 40 miles away and I had to make 2 trips to it (it took them 2 days to get one for me), so that was 120 miles and the tyre still looks like new.

The article clearly refers to somewhere where they have "tires", not "tyres" (probably USA), so different rules may apply.

[sapelesam]

My wife got a new car last year. We optioned a full size spare, it didn't arrive with the car. It arrived a month later. During that time my wife hit some debris on the M6 and wrecked the tyre. The breakdown company couldn't find a replacement tyre in the NW of England. She was recovered to our home,missed an important meeting. It took five days to get the tyre replaced.

[Old_Geezer]

Blow the mpg from the weight of a single tyre. Sunday night, 130 miles to go to get back for work next morning. No one could reasonably go around looking for a late night tyre replacement in that situation. In so many areas society seems content to go backwards, especially if it suits the commercial companies, even if it causes the citizen problems.

[Old_Geezer]

Anyway, it's not been replaced. No indication that it was supposed to be slung after first use. Another thing against it then.

[Bazile]

Well there must be an awful lot of cars out there on the roads , with space saver tyres in the boot ; which have covered a lot more than 50 miles .

So should drivers be replacing the tyres on these space savers ?

[mikey4444]

My Nephew, who has worked for the local Ford Dealer, since he was 16, and is now a middle manager, reckons that these daft new pump kits have been a major earner for garages like his, as almost all the tyres that are brought in for repair can't be...repaired that is.

As well as that, he is of the opinion that space-saver tyres are perfectly OK for the purpose for which they were designed....in other words, to be used at slower speeds than you would normally drive, and in order to get you to a place where you can get the tyre repaired.

His garage, as well as every other garage in the business have also benefited from the revenue earned by having to go to the mobile assistance of people who can't use the pump kits, or for damage to tyres for which the kits are not suitable, like tyre wall damage.

He also says that the principle reason that kits are used is that they considerably cheaper than providing new cars with proper spare wheels. When a company like Ford are manufacturing millions of new cars each year, the modest savings per car soon mount up.

[mikey4444]

Bazile....I may be wrong on this, but while the law doesn't say that you have to carry a spare wheel, if you do it must be legal in every way. As long as the space saver tyres are used for a few miles, and then put back in the boot, then they should last for a long while.

My space saver is now 5 years old and I check the pressure as often as I check the cars tyres.

[bhg481]

I find it very difficult to believe that a manufacturer like Volvo, which sells on safety, would supply space-savers if they were not safe to use.

[mikey4444]

BHG...I can't either...space savers are perfectly OK to use.

If a space saver wasn't safe, then every car company would be accused of selling something that wasn't safe.

[Bazile]

So , i've got the wrong end of the stick .

I thought people were saying that after using a space saver tyre for 50 miles ( or more ) - you should replace the space saver tyre

[bhg481]

Bazile - that's what the link furrypussycat supplied implied.

[furrypusscat]

Maybe the link I supplied may not be the best worded. There are a lot of sites that cover this subject. The way I understand it is that the 50 miles suggested is to get you to the nearest garage on your journey. The wheel should be able to be used as often as required as long as the tread is legal depth etc.
It does not mean that you can only drive 50 miles then the tyre is scrapped. We have just purchased one for our newly acquired Discovery Sport at a cost of £180 which obviously comes with tyre.

[mikey4444]

Furry...I am not sure how much that Disco was, but I bet it wasn't cheap !

Don't you think its disgraceful, that after buying the car, you should then have to spend another £180 ?

[furrypusscat]

Definitely mikey. It comes with the gunk hence bought space saver. We traded in a Freelander, for that we purchased a full size wheel, 19", I think but Discovery is 20" so won't fit. So now we have a brand new wheel and tyre that has never been on the road but at least the garage haven't got it.

[douglas9401]

The space saver tyre has, when new, less than half the tread depth of a normal tyre.
If it's used and the remaining tread is above the legal minimum (1.6mm across 75% of the tyre) then it's perfectly fine to use it again.

[mikey4444]

Furry...if you put that wheel on ebay, I am sure someone will snap it up. Or maybe try the Freelander Owners Club

( if there is such a thing !)

[furrypusscat]

Yes thanks mikey, we only got the vehicle on Monday so still sorting all other stuff out first but I would imagine we won't have a problem selling it.