M6 Junction 18, Friday afternoon, X reg fiat Bravo 80-90mph down the outside lane with a space saver spare wheel on the rear off side wheel. Do you think he made it home?????
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Space Saver because there will be more space on the road when they scrape the driver's remains from the tarmac?
Good grief...
Surely there has to be a way to make these tyres so that they make an unearthly racket if driven over the design speed?
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If he was in the offside lane with a space saver wheel fitted to the offside wheel, how did you manage to spot it without following him at 80-90 mph?
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May be he was reversing...
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IMHO, space saver wheels should be illegal.
The vehicle would not pass an MOT with one fitted, therefore it should not be on the road with one on.
QED
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DO all wheels & tyres have to be the same size for the mot?
I'm not sure they do.
Certainly not front and back.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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IIRC it's not the size, it's the load/speed rating. Has to be adequate for the vehicle based on the rating used by the manufacturer for getting type approval.
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I think most car handbooks stipulate a max.speed of ~50 mph when the spacesaver is fitted. Clearly not a regulation, but perhaps it should be?
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Tyres have to be matching pairs across the axle for the MOT . One spacesaver fitted will result in a failure ,but a pair strangely , should not fail . The load/speed index is not a testable item on a class 4 (car) test , although it is on a class 7 (vans) . DeeJay .
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I personally like space-savers. I think the main problem is that many people don't realise they are only a temporary get-you-home.
My Fiesta almost has the reverse of a space-saver. It is the normal size, but steel instead of the light alloy. It seems pointless to waste fuel by carrying a big heavy wheel and tyre that I would only rarely have to use as a backup.
The one time I have ever had a sudden puncture, a space-saver would have done until I could get a new tyre.
Then again, I could possibly have saved the punctured tyre if I had noticed it earlier. The good suspension on a Citroen ZX meant the only odd thing I noticed was the back sliding out on roundabouts.
James
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For space saver read money saver. My Alfa has a space saver, under which is a large, round piece of foam it sits on, so not saving space at all! I presume this is so if you get a puncture with car fully loaded (5 people and bootful), there is somewhere to put the punctured wheel!
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I think that they are illegal! There has not yet been a test case in court to establish the facts, so far as I recall. It probably isn't chased up as it is wouldn't be much of a moneymaker!
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Manufactures only get away with this because people will buy cars fitted with space savers, i will never buy a car without a full spare matching wheel, but then i have on average three flats a year, and tow a caravan.
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Subaru used to sell Legacy and Outbacks in Oz with space saver spares....not any longer, public pressure make them stop. You really dont want a space saver type 300km from the nearest building!
Mind you the spare provided after this was always a steel wheel compared to the alloy road wheels.
Another point, alloy wheels are no lighter than steel and may even be heavier....this applies to standard road alloys not racing magnesium alloy wheels.
I prefer to have standard size spare wheels since if I do have a puncture I have the option of just buying one tyre and swapping
the spare out of the boot and gaining two fresh tyres with the semi worn one going back in the boot.
Ian L.
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Wifes Honda Jazz has one of those spacesavers and it a smaller diameter than the standard wheel.
If we travel a greater distance than that recommended for a spacesaver we make room for a full size spare I have available.
I Couldn't be bothered with the hassle of breaking or even having to delay a journey midway looking for somewhere to repair or replace the tyre.
I would imagine some of you have been inconvenienced greatly by the use of a spacesaver at some time.
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"I have on average three flats a year, "
Gosh, even Cherie Blair only admits to two flats. Maybe Bristol roads are better?
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Seem to remember reading someweher that insurance is invalidated by using such - how can this be if its standard equipment (if true)
CS
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doesn't invalidate it unless there's evidence that it was used outside the manufacturer's recommendations (which will be clearly stated in the manual and probably on the spacesaver itself)
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