Flat tyre - No spare

subjecttocontract

Beware.......I have a Mecedes convertable. Got a puncture on the M1. Car comes with a Spacesaver spare. I changed the wheel on the hard shoulder and then found a problem. The road wheel does not fit in the boot space allocated for the spare wheel. Luckily I was on my own and able to empty boot contents (suitcase) onto passenger seat and put flat tyre into boot. Two up with a boot full of stuff would have been impossible.

We always buy a spare wheel and equipment for any car we have. My wife only does local trips so she leaves her spare wheel in the garage. If she got a flat she'd just call me and I can go change it for her.

chrisw

On-the-coast said:

It frustrates me too... I have an EV that has different diameter tyres front and back, so I'd have to take two (at least I'll make sure that the my replacement will have same on all four corners next time - I didn't even think to check. 

If you use a space saver tyre, the diameter is not so important. 

For instance, a 16 inch space saver can be used on a car with 18 inch alloys as long as you stick to 50mph and are aware of any potential handling issues.

Car_54

Northern_Wanderer said:

born_again said:

Other option is breakdown cover. So long as it has that option.

Not always, mine says I must have the goo or a spare. But if the goo won't work on your puncture (ie a rip) and you don't have a spare I'm not sure what the recovery will do....

I've been looking at cars and find it quite annoying that quite a few put the hybrid battery in the boot where the spare should go. I decided I won't be buying a hybrid as I would rather have the spare.

My Kia Sportage hybrid has room for a Space-saver.

35har1old

FlorayG said:

Just stupid making cars with no spare. I only every buy old cars anyway so it's not a problem I have but actually, what are people supposed to do?

So you are buying cars over 15 years old then?

35har1old

HumberFlyer said:

Buy a spare, put it in the boot. Bought my car 6 weeks ago... had one of those jel things you supposed to put in the tyre that seals a puncture.... dumped it and bought a spacesaver wheel /tyre  and a scissor jack  off ebay £70 .......Done.

Why did you need to buy a jack any car I bought still has a jack supplied 

kinger101

(a) carry a pump.  You'll be able to get home/to garage with slow puncture.
(B) Tyreweld can fix some things as a temporary measure.
(c) Breakdown cover.

(C) Is good even if you have a spare.  I've had major puncture and was not in a place where it would have been safe for me to repair 

Car_54

35har1old said:

HumberFlyer said:

Buy a spare, put it in the boot. Bought my car 6 weeks ago... had one of those jel things you supposed to put in the tyre that seals a puncture.... dumped it and bought a spacesaver wheel /tyre  and a scissor jack  off ebay £70 .......Done.

Why did you need to buy a jack any car I bought still has a jack supplied 

I've bought several cars with no spare wheel. None of them had a jack.

daveyjp

And if you do have a spare find out where the jack and wheelbrace are.  Most it will be in the boot,  but I've had vehicles where the jack is under the seat and another where it was stored in the rear wing which needed rear seat backs dropping and a panel removing to be accessed.

If an owner didn't know this they would never find it.

Mildly_Miffed

chrisw said:

On-the-coast said:

It frustrates me too... I have an EV that has different diameter tyres front and back, so I'd have to take two (at least I'll make sure that the my replacement will have same on all four corners next time - I didn't even think to check. 

If you use a space saver tyre, the diameter is not so important. 

For instance, a 16 inch space saver can be used on a car with 18 inch alloys as long as you stick to 50mph and are aware of any potential handling issues.

Don't confuse the rim diameter with the tyre's overall diameter.

16" or 18" refers to the diameter of the metal bit alone, whereas the important thing is the overall diameter of metal + rubber.

The one caveat is that the metal rim is big enough to fit over the brakes - which can be an issue on the front of some higher-performance cars.

wiggers

Mildly_Miffed said:

chrisw said:

On-the-coast said:

It frustrates me too... I have an EV that has different diameter tyres front and back, so I'd have to take two (at least I'll make sure that the my replacement will have same on all four corners next time - I didn't even think to check. 

If you use a space saver tyre, the diameter is not so important. 

For instance, a 16 inch space saver can be used on a car with 18 inch alloys as long as you stick to 50mph and are aware of any potential handling issues.

Don't confuse the rim diameter with the tyre's overall diameter.

16" or 18" refers to the diameter of the metal bit alone, whereas the important thing is the overall diameter of metal + rubber.

The one caveat is that the metal rim is big enough to fit over the brakes - which can be an issue on the front of some higher-performance cars.

So if I have R17 wheels at the moment do I get an R17 space saver? The full spec is 225/45/R17

https://www.thewheelshop.co.uk/vehicle-year-2004-present-day/?product_cat=skoda-octavia-1&filter_vehicle-year=2004-present-day