De-spare-rate

I would much appreciate your comment on a very odd discovery when I checked on the spare wheel of a recently purchased 6-year-old second-hand Honda Jazz car by my 84-year-old neighbour. This spare wheel appears to originate from a totally different car because of its design and size; it was some 8cm smaller in diameter and its tyre some 7cm narrower. My neighbour questioned this oddity with the staff of the Honda garage where he purchased the car. He was assured that this spare was perfectly alright for an emergency, and legal and he was also told that new cars nowadays do not require a spare wheel any longer.

Asked on 30 May 2009 by

Answered by Honest John

Yes, this is what is called a “space saver emergency wheel” (not a “spare wheel”). The limitations of its use should be stickered to it. Cornering and braking (especially in the wet) will be compromised by the fitting of this wheel, so it is for emergency use only. Legal alternatives include foam aerosols to bulk out a punctured tyre (but can ruin the tyre carcass) and ‘runflat tyres’ with strengthened sidewalls and shoulders that can be used at restricted distances and speeds while containing little or no air.

Tags: space saver wheels and tyres owning

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