From Japan. What do others think! Should we replace it with a full size spare!
Have never had a puncture since we got this car . But am a little worried about having to drive with such an odd wheel on if we do.
Thought!
Thanks
vtecintegra,
Jan 24, 3:45pm
Yes they do suck for driving on.
As for whether you should replace it that depends on how much distance you do, and whether or not a full sized spare will physically fit in the car.
homebay,
Jan 24, 3:46pm
OMG.Had not even THOUGHT it might not fit in the spare well.
saxman99,
Jan 24, 3:54pm
They are often referred to as a 'space saver' because, well, they save space.This does usually mean that a normal wheel & tyre does not fit in the well.In my own opinion they are a shocking invention.
illusion_,
Jan 24, 3:57pm
What kaz said.
And the fact that they are only there so you can drive reasonably slowly to a repair place to get your tyre fixed anyway. They are simply an emergency item. Not for everyday use. Have owned vehicles with them and am quite comfortable with the idea. Have also never had to use one (as per kaz's comment)
woki,
Jan 24, 4:00pm
They save space in the boot . Are incredibly dangerous to drive on at speed . Used correctly they will get you home or to repair centre only ! 80 kph max recommended in dry conditions . Slower if wet ! If you drive carefully then they are safe . If you expect to drive as per normal with it on the car then they are horrendously unsafe !
lucy_456,
Jan 24, 4:08pm
+1 Then if you do by off the chance need the space saver just keep your speed down and drive it home or to the place of repair. Most jap cars will not fit a normal spare from experience, paranoia. Most people have a thing about space savers because they have seen accidents happen from idiots who drive them for days on end or do not realise there is speed restriction on them.
For the sake of needing it vs a small tyre keep the space saver. A lot of even yank tanks have no spare.
lucy_456,
Jan 24, 4:09pm
+1 Which most people do not realize, the amount of people I have seen drive with a space saver on for days is scary!
woki,
Jan 24, 4:16pm
So true Kaz BUT generation X cant spell or read or be bothered reading warning labels . Most young fellas are immortal and speeding on space savers wont get them ,even in the wet . They are only as safe as the idiot in charge !
sr2,
Jan 24, 4:21pm
The rubber compound used in a space saver is much softer than normal tyres to compensate for their smaller footprint. Although this makes them surprisingly capable of getting you to a place of repair safely at a reduced speed it also makes the susceptible to both overheating and excessive wear if used as a conventional tyre. Yes they do have their place and can be used safely but only if they are used as intended. The stereotype South Auckland people mover running space savers on a permanent basis is a recipe for disaster!
rsr72,
Jan 24, 4:47pm
An excellent invention and quite illegal in any country to use them outside of the clearly noted speed restrictions on them.
The reason for the bright paints on them internationally is to clearly identify them not only to the user but more importantly to police for obvious lawbreaking use .
homebay,
Jan 24, 4:47pm
Many thanks for all the above :)
Just one more. Should they be used on front wheels.Or should they be used on rear wheels only!
Thanks and Cheers
thejazzpianoma,
Jan 24, 5:17pm
Get a life Grandad! Some Generation X'ers have turned 50 now and the youngest are about 30. Hardly the immortal speeding on space saver crowd. in fact most were driving years before space savers became the norm.
And for the record. I can spell and read labels just fine. Hows your eyesight and memory!
richardmayes,
Jan 24, 6:35pm
Say you get a flat tyre, on that one of those rare occasions when you are travelling with a 100% full boot, i.e. one of the very few times when you are actually making use of all that extra space that the space saver is supposedly saving you.
With the boot full, where are you supposed to put your full-sized wheel and flat tyre, if it won't go in the spare wheel well!
The litigation they create seems to have poisoned the world too. I rented a VZ Commodore Wagon some years ago. The spare was a full-sized steel wheel with the same tyre on it as the main alloy roadwheels had. But it still had the GM legal disclaimer sticker on it, "This is a space saver wheel ONLY and not to be used at speeds above."
franc123,
Jan 24, 11:34pm
Precisely, its all a load of crap.Instead of using a SS wheel, make the well it fits in a bit deeper, in many cases there is a full size well to accomodate the regular size wheels anyway!The only reason the manufacturers do it is to save cost and a little bit of weight at your expense, the little bit of weight saving is of course gobbled up by the adding of some other bit of electronic junk to go wrong, or another few airbags you don't need.They've also worked out that for every five cars they produce, thats the equivalent of a full set of mags, or full size steel wheels that they don't have to supply.
scuba,
Jan 25, 3:40am
another problem with space savers i see is underinflation,, too manyrun around on 30lb or less rather than 60lb per sq inch. suprised more of them don't just peal off the rim
carkitter,
Jan 25, 4:51am
Did you personally ask an engineer from a car manufacturer about this to provide such insightful information!
Some cars have directional mags. Some cars have directional / asymetric tyres. Some cars have different size tyres front-to-rear.
Recent cars don't run the 70 series and 82 series tyres that older cars came with. A car I was working on today had 275/45ZR-20's on it.
curlcrown,
Jan 25, 4:53pm
Why are they shocking! they are fine if they are used they way they are meant to be used and used by anyone with half a brain. How ofen does any one get ounctures these days! I have had 4 flat tyres since 1993. One was a retread which no one has any more, the othres they tyres were so ancient it was almost to be expected and the other was driving over a farm, so none totaly unexpected.
zirconium,
Jan 25, 5:04pm
I suspect you have never changed a wheel! - The whole wheel gets removed, and the space-saver tyre (which has a wheel with it) gets put on instead. You can put the space saver on the front or the back.
Hope this helps, the most important thing is to go slowly, especially on gravel or in the wet. - Less than the reccomended 80km/hr
clanky,
Jan 25, 5:18pm
Go to the local scrapyard, buy two full sized wheels/tyres and put one in the boot in place of the 'space-saver'. A part-worn/2nd hand full sized wheel/tyre is WAY safer than the POS these jap cheapskates supply as a 'get-you-to-a-repairer'- ; elastic band. European ones tend to be better spec'd.
rsr72,
Jan 25, 5:30pm
Note than in the more developed world, spacesavers are legally only allowed to be used to get to an immediate place of repair.
They cannot be used for any other purpose. In little NZ of course, with our slack laws, anything goes.
russ6,
Jan 25, 5:47pm
I bought an Accord with a space saver wheel and 'cleverly' decided to replace it with a proper matching mag and decent tyre. problem was that the new wheel wouldn't fit the spare wheel space, was too thick. Duh. Check first.
phillip.weston,
Feb 5, 1:59am
it seems most cars these days only have the space for a space saver spare wheel, or even don't even come with a spare wheel and just a can of tyre sealer instead. The early cars fitted with space savers usually had full size spare wheel holders. With one of my cars, the fuel tank of the 4WD model takes up all the room where the large spare wheel well would have been on the 2WD model, so instead there is a small space saver wheel and even then it protrudes quite far up into the boot floor space.
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