31
votes
Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
Yes, but personally, I wouldn't risk it.
The only time I've ever needed my spare was [cue spooky music] on a dark, stormy night, on a two lane highway through a dense forest. I was doing ~50 mph when ...
- 6,037
21
votes
Accepted
Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
Do you carry a toolset, lights, spare belts and hoses, and OBD-II decoder and electrical patch cables? If not, then you're not taking on much more risk by leaving the spare at home, provided
you ...
- 326
12
votes
Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
No, they're not. My first flat ever shredded the tire before I could bring the vehicle to a stop. Those things could save you hundreds of dollars but leave you stranded where there is no help when you ...
- 221
9
votes
Trailer spare tire mount: U-bolt threads too long for lug wrench
Cutting them down to size is about your only option, unless you want to carry a separate combination wrench (spanner). If you want to cut the threads cleanly, don't use a bolt cutter. The way to go is ...
- 153k
6
votes
Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
A lot of this really depends on your driving habits, location, coverage, and how much you care about being inconvenienced.
In your particular circumstances, as I'm (perhaps incorrectly) understanding ...
- 617
6
votes
Accepted
Why does a tire have the same air pressure when mounted on the car and when not?
The very short answer is this: for a gas at constant temperature, the product of pressure and volume is constant. This is the ideal gas law - close enough for this purpose.
When you load a tire, it ...
- 186
5
votes
Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
Having recently had the pleasure of the company of an AA Rescue Patrolman for a couple of hours. This is after picking up a hole in the sidewall that the can of gloop couldn't seal. I was on the ...
- 1,432
5
votes
Trailer spare tire mount: U-bolt threads too long for lug wrench
I agree with the answer by @Paulster2. However if you don't want to do any sawing, grinding or filing, you could buy a suitable box spanner, for example -
Product details from that website -
Make ...
- 24.8k
4
votes
Accepted
Why is removing a spare tire from the trunk so time consuming
So the bolt & thread is still long enough when tires of different sizes are used.
Edit based on comment:
Many cars can have different wheel diameter and widths as standard, usually specified when ...
- 34.6k
4
votes
Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
I have a 2003 Mini Cooper S that didn't come with a spare tire, the battery was relocated by the factory to the trunk to make room for the supercharger. It did originally came with run flat tires, ...
- 564
4
votes
Can I disregard the sticker on my sparewheel?
TireRack indicates that there may be other differences at play.
Full-Size Temporary Spares
Full-size temporary spare tires and wheels match the vehicle's original tire dimensions, but ...
- 619
4
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between 245/75R16 and 265/70R16, and will it damage my car to drive with one smaller tire?
What you've got there is what we call a plus zero tire size. The tire is wider than stock but fits on the original wheel without changing the outer circumference very much.
Is there a huge ...
- 24.3k
4
votes
What is the difference between 245/75R16 and 265/70R16, and will it damage my car to drive with one smaller tire?
There is not a significant difference in circumference and that's what you need to worry about with your spare. I believe the size you have is for the original, full-sized spare. If you look at the ...
- 153k
4
votes
Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
In the 45 years I've been driving, most of which were on the poorly maintained streets of Hawaii, I've had only one flat that could not have been fixed by a plug kit (and even that one was my fault). ...
- 41
4
votes
Trailer spare tire mount: U-bolt threads too long for lug wrench
The answers from Paulster2 and HandyHowie both provide viable solutions, but if neither option appeals to you, make a spacer.
Remove one nut and find a short length of pipe or metal conduit that will ...
- 5,510
3
votes
Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?
My car has no spare wheel, but has comes with a repair kit and built-in inflation kit. I've decided it's not worth the cost of acquiring a spare wheel, based on:
Likelihood of a puncture (at all) is ...
- 229
3
votes
Spare tire usage
If your spare is a full size tire then there's no reason you can't use it longer term as long as it's in good shape. Over time the rubber compounds will break down and you'll get sidewall cracks which ...
- 16.2k
2
votes
Accepted
Left with a piece after changing the tire [PICTURE]
It is called "jack pad" which is used in elevating the car when changing tire or other mechanical inspections. It's attached under the car (somewhere around the side edge of the chassis).
https://www....
- 41
2
votes
Accepted
Will putting a 5x115 lug pattern wheel on 5x114.3 fit?
tl dr: Don't use anything but the proper lug pattern/size.
The biggest problem with using a lug pattern which doesn't match exactly is you will most likely never get the wheel to align correctly. It ...
- 153k
2
votes
Should the 5th wheel be included in the tire rotation?
There are several patterns of rotation for vehicles.
When a vehicle has a space saver spare then patterns of side to side, cross or front to rear are applicable.
As you have a full size spare then ...
- 34.6k
2
votes
Where do I store spare tire?
Here is a picture, if this is what you are asking. I'm not exactly sure what you are asking... where do you store the spare tire? Where I assume you found it:
- 12.4k
2
votes
Trailer spare tire mount: U-bolt threads too long for lug wrench
Like almost everybody else, I defer to Paulster2's answer: a U-bolt is a stock item made to one of a number of sizes, none of which was quite right for the application.
However: is the wheel dished ...
2
votes
Advantage of criss-crossed U-bolts
The criss-cross helps prevent the bracket from turning when installed. If they were just straight up and down, the bracket would tend to walk, causing it to turn. With them criss-crossed, it has a ...
- 153k
1
vote
How far should you drive on a donut in an all wheel drive car?
The donut provided by the manufacturer should be the same rolling diameter as the original tires provided on the vehicle. Especially when concerning a Subaru. The size of the tire is very important ...
- 153k
1
vote
Accepted
Renault Master spare wheel - best place to keep it
For anyone interested... This is what we ended up doing...
- 283
1
vote
1994 Nissan Pickup Spare Tire (Frontier class model)
If that wheel and tire came with the truck, then the tire is 26 years old.
Tires degrade with age. Because of this age-related degradation, the tire is unsafe. Don't use it. Don't put it in anyone ...
- 3,643
1
vote
unscrew the over-tightened nuts from a Hyundai Santa Fe 2012 Limited
A cross type lug wrench will work better. You pull up on one side and down on the other so it only applies torque with no bending moment as your wrench. Crosses have 3 or 4 different size sockets , ...
- 3,708
1
vote
Is it safe to drive with spare wheel but with proper tire?
I have a set of alloys and a set of steel wheels looking very similar to that shown.
They do require their own nuts ie the alloys have one type of nut and the steels another.
The steels are ...
- 34.6k
1
vote
Accepted
Tire blowout, mounted spare on front of FWD vehicle
It is extremely unlikely that you caused any damage whatsoever in the three miles you drove.
Basically, there are a couple little gears that don't normally spin except when you go around corners. ...
- 719
1
vote
Can I put an inner tube on my space-saver spare wheel/donut?
Not likely, where you going to but the valve for the inner tube? Also why would you depend your life and 3-4k pounds of metal on something that wasn't designed to do so? Go get a $5 spare from the ...
- 140
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible