[Aditya]

Pros and cons of space saver spare tyres

Tyres are probably one of the most important components of your car. A tyre failure can stop you in your tracks quite literally. While tyre technology has kept on improving and punctures and blow-outs are not as common as they used to be, no one is immune to them. Once in a while, things do go wrong. In such times, it is always good to have a spare tyre in your car's boot.

In the past, most cars came with a spare tyre that was identical in size to the other four tyres. However, over the years, we have seen a change. In recent times, some manufacturers (mostly luxury carmakers) have started fitting vehicles with run-flat tyres and eliminating the need for a spare tyre altogether. Others supply a skinny wheel-tyre combo called a space saver instead of a full-size spare tyre. This is done to limit the boot space taken up by a spare tyre. In some cases, this space saver is provided only because the laws of certain countries require cars to carry a spare tyre.

Like everything in this world, space savers have pros and cons. Here's a look at some of them.

Pros of space saver tyres

• Storage space: As the name suggests, these tyres save space. They are more compact than full-size spares and as a result, take up less boot space. This means there is more space to store luggage. In smaller vehicles, this can be a boon. It's better to have one of these than no spare tyre at all.



• Fuel efficiency: Space savers are lighter than full-size tyres. This means the car's engine does not have a lot of weight to pull. This results in better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

• Cost: Space saver tyres do not cost as much as full-size spares. This helps the car manufacturer save some money. This saving may be passed on to the car buyer. It will also mean that when it comes to replacement, the car owners don't need to shell out a lot of money.

• Reminder to repair the flat tyre: Space savers look significantly different compared to the regular wheels of the car. Whenever a car owner sees a space saver on his car instead of one of the regular wheels, he will remember that he has a flat tyre in the boot that needs to be repaired/replaced. This will ensure that he is not in trouble the next time there is a flat tyre.

Cons of space saver spare tyres

• Limited speed: Most of these tyres have a maximum permissible speed of up to 80 km/h. While this is fine if you are in a town, it is a royal pain if you are on a highway or expressway with a speed limit of 100 km/h. Imagine driving a high-performance Mercedes or BMW for 100 - 150 km while being passed by humble 800 cc cars.



• Limited strength and range: These tyres are designed to get you to the nearest tyre shop or home. The materials used and construction lack the strength that is essential for regular driving. They can be used for just a few hundred kilometres before becoming worn out and needing replacement. Space savers are not as durable as full-size spare tyres.

• Less control: A space saver is skinny and has a smaller contact patch than a regular tyre. It does not offer the same traction as a full-size tyre. It also doesn't offer the same control with regard to stability, handling, steering or braking as a full-size spare. This will prove to be a disadvantage during emergency manoeuvres.

• Mechanical damage: Space savers are smaller in diameter than regular tyres. Long-term use of these can put a lot of stress on the car's differential resulting in damage.

• Storage of flat tyre: A flat full-size tyre might not fit in the space in the boot designed to carry a space saver. This means it will take up more space in the boot. Some cars carry their spare tyres above the boot floor. In such a case it will be difficult to store the flat tyre in the boot especially if it is full of luggage. This might require the flat tyre to be stored in the cabin.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[androdev]

All that these manufacturers had to do was to provide wheel well to accommodate a full size tire and not offer any spare tire at all. They would have met all their goals of cost savings and fuel efficiency and still give the customer the choice of buying a full size wheel. Instead they came up with this totally useless idea of a space saver which helps nobody.

[MSAneesh]

While I always had the pros and cons in mind, it never occurred to me about the issue of storing a full size wheel on getting a flat tyre

I dread it now, my boot is usually packed to full on long drives, and can't imagine keeping the dirty used wheel in the cabin (that too unsecured).

[ajmat]

The space saver is a necessary evil for cars with larger wheels due to the sheer wheel size. As mentioned, it is a get you home or get to some help solution.

Ideally with a proper distribution network for all tyres 24/7, runflats might have sufficed but in my experience, this did not work. The other issue is in extreme terrain, a space saver may not cut it. In Spiti - 2 Kodiaqs had tyre damage, the space saver made us feel fragile and Skoda decided these cars would not be able to make to to Chandratal, so we were exchanged our space saver wheel with a normal on from the other affected cars car and flat bedded that to Kaza.

[Hayek]

The fact is that the provision of a spare tyre is no longer standard practice. My Ioniq 5 came with no spare, no space to store a spare, and no option to buy a spare. If you have a small puncture, you can repair it with a tyre repair kit - for a sidewall failure, you need to tow the car to someplace where you can get a 20” replacement tire. Not optimal but something I was willing to live with since I have not had to use a spare even once in almost 90000 km between the X3 and the Tiguan (even if I have patched punctures several times).

So a space saver is not a bad option - soon most cars will not have even that provision.

[AMG Power]

The game has moved on from space savers to no tyres.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E, BMW i4, Mercedes EQS and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 have no spare tire. The Toyota Prius also hasn't included a spare for sometime now.

Mainly to make room for hybrid and electric vehicle components. Batteries and equipment can take up a lot of space. Of course, the cost saving is an added bonus.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

The game has moved on from space savers to no tyres.

This was a shocker for me while on a rental car at the most desolate places with gravel tracks in the scandavian countries and half way through the trip, during pre corona times, I decided to check the spare tyre/Jack location, just in case if it’s needed during the trip and voila, there’s none. Trust me, for the rest of the trip, it was on my head all the time and I was very uncomfortable with this condition.

To this date, I don’t know what I could have done, if there was a flat tyre. Luckily I didn’t had one. And here I see landcrusiers with 2 proper full-sized spares. I would rather say this as cheapness from the automaker rather than cost saving.

For space savers, I also came to know that they have certain distance limitations too.

[Axe77]

All the time I’ve had my 3 GT, which placed a space saver in the main boot (not a concealed wheel well), one thing irked me. The cover that they designed exactly fit the space saver and not a full size wheel. I’d have really appreciated it if they had made an expandable cover that fits the regular size wheel as well - surely that’s a really low cost thoughtful touch. On the off chance that one needs to place it in the boot while traveling with luggage it would be immensely helpful if the main (dirty) wheel could be placed inside the wheel cover.

Having said that, in the 8 years plus of owning the GT - multiple long road trips, including to places like Goa; multiple punctures, (one puncture while on a road trip to Goa) - I’ve never had to use the spare wheel - not ONCE!

I’ve finally come to terms with space savers but I still can’t wrap my head around completely new age cars, specially EVs that have NO spare wheel - just a puncture repair kit. I mean - I do hope to live to be an old man and die naturally but I can’t imagine not having a life insurance policy. Same with the spare wheel. I may never need it - ever - but to own a car entirely without one definitely makes me uneasy.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by androdev

Instead they came up with this totally useless idea of a space saver which helps nobody.

Agree, with 'First World' cars we get their problems too! A deeper and bigger wheel-well would have done wonders. This would have allowed slotting a steel rim with a tyre a couple of sizes down, rather than the abysmal SST provided currently. For example, in my 330i Sport the usual size is 225/50/17 and the SST is 135/80/17. Instead of the latter, I would have preferred, say a 185/60/17 (mounted on a steel disc), which would have allowed me to complete my journey at a reduced but perfectly acceptable pace.

Again, the SSTs are not exactly cheap. If I understand correctly, the BMW SST (Continental 135/80/17) is ~20K for the tyre + steel disc. I have not come across this specific tyre being sold standalone. Comparatively, a Michelin PS4 tubeless tyre is available for ~11-13K.

Just look at the hilariously thin SST below:

[debuda]

While it is easy to understand the logic behind space saver stepneys, I have never been able to figure out the rationale behind my Ford Endeavour's spare wheel. While the 4 wheels are 265/60 R18, the stepney is 265/65 R17. So the stepney is same in size (diameter and width) as the other wheels. The stowage space under the car accommodates both kind of wheels with equal ease.

Coming to costs, both tyres cost almost the same (the R17 tyre is just about Rs 2,000 cheaper). As far as the steel wheel is concerned, I would think that the cost difference between a 17" and a 18" of the same width would be marginal.

So that brings me back to the original doubt -- WHY?

[PaddleShifter]

I have an S-Cross and I am facing the usable boot space related issues because of full sized 215/60R16 tyre that has reduced the vertical height of usable boot space. Now this boot can not hold two large sized trolley bags (77cm and similar) which is possible in a Brezza that comes with a slightly smaller 205/60R16 spare tyre despite having 215/60R16 tyres in ZDi variant.

[atin001]

Question: why don't more manufacturers follow the ecosport model? Having the tyre mounted on the boot door.

Pros:
* doesn't take up boot space
* probably safer in case of a rear impact
* an extra place to keep stuff atvtge rear of car when parked
* looks cool (subjective)

Cons
* makes the boot door pretty heavy
*

[anandhsub]

Not sure if it is a pro or a con, but an SST or any different sized spare wheel also means one is restricted to do a 4 tyre rotation vs a 5 tyre one.

In my Verna which had a steel spare but of the same size, the tyre shop refused to shift the tyre from the spare to an alloy and do a 5 tyre rotation despite me requesting them to do so. They always said the spare is meant to remain unused, and that the next time I buy tyres I can buy 4 instead of a set of 5.

Atleast with an SST that confusion is out.

[SmartCat]

Problem lies in the trend of increasing tyre size. From 14 inch to 15 inch to now 19 inch wheels. What's wrong with 16 inch wheels? With taller side walls, it looks more elegant than current crop of cars:



With SUVs, the trend of NOT putting the tyre on the tailgate is the problem. Again, does the current crop of 18 inch tyre/50 sidewall SUV tyres really look better than this?