Sodding space savers

Author
Discussion

walsh

Original Poster:

652 posts

158 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Well, I have joined the pucture club. At 60mph in the rain, which was much less dramatic than it sounds.

My mood was somewhat ruined however more by discovery that the golf doesn't have a proper wheel, as I thought it might, rather one of these wky space savers. I have ordered a new tyre from black circles, but I'm now wondering if it's even legal, let alone safe/sensible, to drive to work this evening on the space saver. A quick search on the Internet/ /ph seems to bring up various conflicting answers.

Opinions? Or even better, facts? It's "only" 10 miles away, but I don't like to use the car at all unless it's legal.. First time in ages I haven't got anything else running in the fleet either. Balls.


nicanary

9,751 posts

145 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
There's a recommended speed limit of 50mph, although I've regularly driven at 60mph on one all day. Nothing wrong with them as long as you don't try hooning. I've always used one whilst waiting for a puncture to be repaired. Perfectly legal AFAIK and I don't think there's any time limit to have a full-sized wheel fitted. Probably an MOT fail, though.

Oh how I'd like a space-saver. My present car has just a foam repair kit. Totally useless in most cases of puncture.

MockingJay

1,311 posts

128 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
I would have thought as long as you don't exceed 50 you'll be all right.

Fort Jefferson

8,237 posts

221 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Space savers are for emergency use only to get you home. They are not for driving about on until you can be bothered to change it.

walsh

Original Poster:

652 posts

158 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Yup, three posts, three different answers.

Anyone know the law? Also, it isn't a case of being botherd to change it, the new tyre should be here tomorrow. It's a case of can I use the car legally to do a 20 mile round trip this evening. Speed limit accepted.

tr7v8

7,186 posts

227 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Fort Jefferson said:
Space savers are for emergency use only to get you home. They are not for driving about on until you can be bothered to change it.
This is my understanding as well.

Spangles

1,441 posts

184 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
tr7v8 said:
Fort Jefferson said:
Space savers are for emergency use only to get you home. They are not for driving about on until you can be bothered to change it.
This is my understanding as well.
Me three. You would fail an MOT with one on if that's an indication of how you should be using it.

pills

1,712 posts

236 months

Rich1973

1,191 posts

176 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
At least it's not a can of useless goo.

Watchman

6,391 posts

244 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
[massive irrelevance] They're pretty good in the snow. I stopped a guy for a chat as he was walking away from his car a few years ago (that bad snowy winter of 09 or 10), as he'd pulled into the car park with all 4 wheels replaced with space savers. Said he'd bought them all off eBay for pennies and had been tooling around on them in that snow with absolute ease.

addz86

1,439 posts

185 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Didn't PH put two on the back of a C63 and go drifting round in it?

Be rate I reckon

Maulden7

147 posts

231 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
From the driving test :-

If you have had a flat tyre and have fitted a space saver wheel what must you do?

A. Drive at 80kph (or the speed denoted on the wheel) or less to a place you can fix the tyre as soon as possible
B. Drive up to 300km if the weather is fine
C. Lower the pressure in the other tyres
D. Put your hazard warning lights on while you are driving

The correct answer is A. & this must comply with the appropriate law / rules on using space saver wheels. Presumably "as soon as possible" means what can be achieved in practical terms e.g. puncture on Saturday pm, drive the car as described until Monday am & get the damaged tyre repaired / replaced.

Minty12

3 posts

97 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Construction and use information is;
"temporary use spare tyre
a pneumatic tyre which is designed for use on a motor vehicle only—
(a) in the event of the failure of one of the tyres normally fitted to a wheel of the vehicle, and
(b) at a speed lower than that for which such normally fitted tyres are designed."

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regul...

I would say sensible use is acceptable complying with the restricted speed requirement. It could be that your standard tyre is an odd size that may not be sitting on the shelf of the tyre supplier and needs ordered. I do not believe that would then be reasonable to say you cannot drive the car. I have though seen some space savers fitted to cars which have clearly been on for an extended period and worn below the minimum legal depth. You could not argue that away to police at roadside.

Alick

bristolracer

5,528 posts

148 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
For some of us more senior members on here
Modern space savers are far superior to some of the stuff we used to have on all four wheels.

williredale

2,866 posts

151 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
addz86 said:
Didn't PH put two on the back of a C63 and go drifting round in it?

Be rate I reckon
biggrin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPh90yNX-mY

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Spangles said:
tr7v8 said:
Fort Jefferson said:
Space savers are for emergency use only to get you home. They are not for driving about on until you can be bothered to change it.
This is my understanding as well.
Me three. You would fail an MOT with one on if that's an indication of how you should be using it.
Suppose 'home' was 20 miles away and the nearest tyre fitter was next to the OP's workplace 10 miles away? Would you still drive home.

FWIW, a friend had a puncture in his Alfa 156, fitted the spacesaver and drove home, four-up, 130 miles away perfectly safely at normal motorway speed.

NiceCupOfTea

25,280 posts

250 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Worth remembering that if your car is more than a few years old it has been sat festering in the boot and will be well past its best.

AlexHat

1,327 posts

118 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
I had a puncture a couple of months after fitting new tyres (naturally) and fitted the space saver to drive home, then to work the next day so I could order a new tyre, which because I wanted a specific tyre (I had three almost brand new ones on the other wheels...) took a day to arrive so I drove home and back to work again the next day. Perhaps a total of around 31 miles done on the space saver without issues.


Slushbox

1,484 posts

104 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Had this last year. Volvo C30 with a space saver in the boot and a nail in the front N/S tyre. Fitted SS, drove ten miles home, then 15 miles to tyre fitter the next day. No problems. However,the space saver was hot when T/F pulled it off, so I'd be wary about going over 50 mph with one. Was on the front so maybe heat came from the brakes.

Also the tyre pressures in spares tend not to be checked very often. I keep an electric pump in the boot, and if I had to do it again I'd pump up the S/S to at least 35 psi and drive at 40 max.

TonyRPH

12,963 posts

167 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
quotequote all
Riley Blue said:
Suppose 'home' was 20 miles away and the nearest tyre fitter was next to the OP's workplace 10 miles away? Would you still drive home.

FWIW, a friend had a puncture in his Alfa 156, fitted the spacesaver and drove home, four-up, 130 miles away perfectly safely at normal motorway speed.
But if he had needed to brake hard or perform an emergency stop or take evasive action in the form of swerving around something, things might have been rather different.

It's all very well to make statements like "it drove perfectly" etc. but overall handling will be severely compromised with a space saver fitted.

Also - IIRC they are supposed to be inflated to quite a high pressure (usually around 60 PSI), but due to lack of use most have deflated quite significantly over time.