No Spare Tyre

[Maydup]

I've changed my car and now have one that offers no spare tyre; just a bottle of stuff to squirt in the valve if I need it.

I know this is quite common now but having hit a random object on a motorway recently (in my old car) which resulted in a serious puncture, I was really glad of a space-saving spare wheel.

I might buy one for peace of mind or am I just being old fashioned? What do others think about this trend away from spare wheels.

[Bazile]

Aren't all cars nowadays only have the space for a space saver

So what's the point in insisting on a normal size wheel ?

[Old_Geezer]

I would not buy a car with those Noddy kits. I was very annoyed when I discovered my last car only had an inferior wheel instead of a proper spare. By all means buy and carry a proper spare if you have space for it, which you may not have anyway.

[Old_Geezer]

The point clearly is to get back to normal at the scene of the issue, not have to drive hundreds of miles at some ludicrously slow pace on a motorway to get where you're going. Manufacturers of cars with rubbish spares need shooting. Yet another example of the public being fobbed off with garbage if the seller/provider can get away with it.

[Maydup]

Sadly we’re beyond putting our foot down I think and have to accept that at best we get a space saver and at worse we get a can of squirty cream.

I’m really struggling though to know what to buy. Having driven 200 miles on a space saver and hoping the need is minimal, I’ll be happy to have one again.

But even if I put car make and model inti web search I still have to decide between 16, 17, 18 inch wheel. Not sure.

Where would you go to ask a human and get one in person?

[barry1010]

Phone a dealership that sells your car, they should be able to advise what to buy

[douglas9401]

Have a stroll out to the car and have a look at the sizes on the side of a tyre, Maydup, then you'll know for sure.

[DanFlo]

My last car had run flat tyres, expensive but worth it.

[bhg481]

A space-saver wheel might not be the same diameter as the normal wheels. This is because the tyre has a different profile ie, is narrower but taller than the others, so ends up with the same overall diameter even though the metal centre is different. My Volvo comes with 3 wheel options, 16, 17 and 18 inch but all use the same 17 inch space-saver.

[Maydup]

//My Volvo comes with 3 wheel options, 16, 17 and 18 inch but all use the same 17 inch space-saver.//

That's the very bit I don't undestand!

[barry1010]

Maydup, just phone the main dealer for advice

[Hopkirk]

I always swore I wouldn't have car without a spare.

However I had no choice. That's where some of the batteries go in an electric car.

I dread getting a puncture.

[bhg481]

The profile of a tyre is the ratio between the width and height. The 3 wheel sizes have different profile tyres which results in the overall diameter of the wheel being the same. The space-saver spare has a tyre with a profile that gives it the same overall diameter as the three full-size tyres.

[Maydup]

^^^^ Thanks that makes sense.

I‘ll ring the main dealer as a last resort Barry but I won’t enjoy the sales patter!

[barry1010]

You shouldn’t get any sales patter, it’s a straightforward question. ‘What size space saver wheel do I need to buy for my car?’

[bhg481]

maydup - if you have a manual for the car it will probably give details of wheel and tyre sizes, including a space-saver. If you haven't a manual you might well be able to download one from the manufacturer's web page, as I did.

[bhg481]

Incidentally, if you're going to buy a spare from a third party you need to know:
1) how many holes for wheel bolts, usually 4 or 5.
2) the Pitch Circle Diameter, pcd, of the holes for bolts. That's how far from the centre of the wheel the holes are. There is no guarantee that the pcd is the same for two makes of car that have the same size wheels.
3) the diameter of the spare.
4) the width of the spare, usually a number like 5J.

[barry1010]

Put your reg in here https://www.kwik-fit.com/tyres/road-hero-spare-wheels?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnNacBhDvARIsABnDa6_iS6rb-rGiwEgu0tyahaOLj0TwVFrRHdfmauR9Q-hQQX0ld-XQ-IYaApCBEALw_wcB

[Maydup]

Now you’re talking Barry!

It give them the exact info so as I can now buy online.

RH174 Road Hero 17" 135/80/17

[barry1010]

Hurrah!

[Paul22118]

Changed car, no spare. Took car to large local scrapyard, showed the guy my car and what wheels it had. He disappeared and ten minutes later sold me the correct wheel with very decent tyre for fifteen quid. Sorted.