New tyres?

Johnmcl7

I will admit I'd never seen this until I had a puncture (which is when I took that picture), I was initially furious as when I'd bought the car I'd ensured it had a full size spare as a spacesaver was standard on that model. I checked with the person who changed the tyre and they said the tyre would be fine for normal speed as it's a full sized spare - I assume the OP's case is similar and the police based their advice on looking at the wheels.

I believe the warning is normal for full sized spares (increasingly rare on cars these days), I've seen some claims it's due to EU legislation but not any references to the exact legislation. There's a few different thoughts as to why there is the restriction but the most common is that because the spare wheel and the fitted wheel are a slightly different size/weight it creates a slight imbalance. The obvious counterpoint is that if a space saver wheel can be rated for 50mph, a full size spare must still be much safer even at speeds slightly above that.

John

AliceBanned

Sorry, I didn't get the measurements, and the spare has been fixed back under the boot.

I didn't notice any difference in handling. It does seem to be an anomaly and very confusing - there shouldn't be any caveat with using these types of spares or sticker on them if they are safe at higher speeds. I felt in a lot more danger driving slowly on the M25, so much so that I kept putting my hazards on, which is what alerted the police (as well as my slightly erratic changes in speed), as this is illegal. I didn't know that it was illegal to put hazards on on the motorway but I thought it was better than being rear-ended). It is annoying when people drive too slowly though.

The tyre place told me that it was the narrower tyres, rather than smaller diameter ones, which cannot be driven at 70mph.

If the small size spares really are a slight risk then surely they shouldn't be sold with cars at all, as when people break down it is clearly going to be anywhere, not always ten miles from their destination or nearest Kwikfit.

AliceBanned

Iceweasel wrote: »

That's what I thought you would tell us.


That is what I would expect and I still don't understand why any police officer would tell anyone to ignore a speed restriction on a wheel.

Police officers are not usually tyre experts so I for one would be very wary of following their advice.

The traffic police on the M25 or anywhere else should be expert on vehicles and the law. I'd be extremely surprised if they gave out the wrong advice! I trusted their opinion - after all, they were the ones paying attention to what was happening in the first place. They wouldn't advise a motorist to do anything that would put them and others in danger.

colino

I must confess I expected the restricted speed spare to be a skinny spacesaver and it did open up an interesting debate here. Short answer is we haven't came up with a definitive answer, but the best guess was that it is for cars with directional tyres and this spare is restricted because it can be fitted anywhere. However if the car got through Construction and Use Regs. with the warning on the spare, that's all legally you'll be able to do.
Might be worth a google later on.

andydiysaver

AliceBanned wrote: »

Mine isn't a slow puncture though. It is flat, and when i tried to pump it up on the day I needed to go on holiday, it wouldn't, which is why my friend put the spare on.

just this Thursday gone an old bloke saw me in the carpark where I pump my tyre up every week and said he had that issue until he got some foam - so apparently there's an in one fix, which I've yet to look into but intend to as long as the price is less than that of a new tyre - I guess what has been holding me back is you get a new tyre you go for two really to get the suspension right and I'm loathe to chuck a perfectly good tyre, esp as annoyingly the tread on both is ace, which is what the MOT guys want.