Why Do We Carry Spare Tyres?

The majority of modern cars come with a spare tyre stored somewhere in the car just in case one of your tyres goes flat or has a blow out. They can often be found in a well in the boot of your car, normally hidden by a layer of carpet, and secured with bolts for protection and security. They can also be stored underneath the car, secured to the rear of the car, or in rear engined cars, in the boot at the front of the car. While it is generally called a spare tyre, it is positively more than that as a tyre alone would be difficult for drivers to fit without master equipment. For this reason, cars are supplied with a spare tyre pre-fitted to a spare wheel.

These days we are rarely out of reach of a mobile tyre fitting service, or a vehicle salvage service, but when cars first came into use, this was not the case. Back then the roads were not in the (fairly!) smooth condition we are used to, but riddled with potholes and debris such as nails which did tend to cause punctures. As they were unable to call for assistance, this meant the driver had to take the wheel off the car, then remove the tyre from the wheel, mend it, reinflate and put all back together.

Fitness

It wasn't too long before a car manufacturer had the idea of equipping their cars with a pre-inflated spare tyre fitted to a spare wheel resulting in much quicker tyre changes and they could get back on the road quicker. The punctured tyre could then be repaired at a later date. Eventually, some cars even came adequate with two spare tyres for those positively long journeys! These days we make do with one.

Nowadays many cars don't have a fully spare tyre, as manufacturers try to maximise warehouse space, weight and cost by going for space-saver models. These are not intended to be driven far or at high speeds as most are restricted to 50mph. Some manufacturers have even done away with spare tyres thoroughly by producing cars fitted with run flat tyres. Similarly to space savers, when these have been punctured they should not be driven for long distances or at high speeds, it is just an urgency part to get you to the end of your journey (if it's a short one) or to somewhere you can have the tyre replaced (if it's a long journey).

As with all your car tyres, your spare tyre should be checked in the same way, both visually and tyre pressure.

Why Do We Carry Spare Tyres?