Emergency Spare Wheel Use
Discussion
My neighbour, who owns a Golf GTD has been driving around since early January this year with an emergency spare wheel fitted to the nearside front corner.
He drives daily on this commuting around ten miles a day and at times carries his children in the car.
The purpose of these spare wheels is of course simply to enable you to get to a tyre repair centre or home to replace the damaged tyre.
I can’t imagine these skinny tyres are designed to withstand the heat generated and surely they can’t provide much grip particularly on a diesel engine with its torque.
Besides the safety aspect is there anything that can be done from a legal standpoint?
The guy is a total mouth breathing knuckle dragger and I’m not sure he’d take a single word on board if I were to discuss this with him.
He drives daily on this commuting around ten miles a day and at times carries his children in the car.
The purpose of these spare wheels is of course simply to enable you to get to a tyre repair centre or home to replace the damaged tyre.
I can’t imagine these skinny tyres are designed to withstand the heat generated and surely they can’t provide much grip particularly on a diesel engine with its torque.
Besides the safety aspect is there anything that can be done from a legal standpoint?
The guy is a total mouth breathing knuckle dragger and I’m not sure he’d take a single word on board if I were to discuss this with him.
RED5RACING said:
My neighbour, who owns a Golf GTD has been driving around since early January this year with an emergency spare wheel fitted to the nearside front corner.
He drives daily on this commuting around ten miles a day and at times carries his children in the car.
The purpose of these spare wheels is of course simply to enable you to get to a tyre repair centre or home to replace the damaged tyre.
I can’t imagine these skinny tyres are designed to withstand the heat generated and surely they can’t provide much grip particularly on a diesel engine with its torque.
Besides the safety aspect is there anything that can be done from a legal standpoint?
The guy is a total mouth breathing knuckle dragger and I’m not sure he’d take a single word on board if I were to discuss this with him.
Add Utter ill educated moron as well. He drives daily on this commuting around ten miles a day and at times carries his children in the car.
The purpose of these spare wheels is of course simply to enable you to get to a tyre repair centre or home to replace the damaged tyre.
I can’t imagine these skinny tyres are designed to withstand the heat generated and surely they can’t provide much grip particularly on a diesel engine with its torque.
Besides the safety aspect is there anything that can be done from a legal standpoint?
The guy is a total mouth breathing knuckle dragger and I’m not sure he’d take a single word on board if I were to discuss this with him.
Boringvolvodriver said:
sherman said:
It could be that the alloy was damaged when the tyre punctured and he has a new one on a lengthy back order.
If that were the case, then a sensible person would perhaps buy a cheap steel wheel with the correct sized tyre fitted. A full size spare with a tyre is £100-£150 on top of a roughly £500 alloy.
RED5RACING said:
My neighbour, who owns a Golf GTD has been driving around since early January this year with an emergency spare wheel fitted to the nearside front corner.
He drives daily on this commuting around ten miles a day and at times carries his children in the car.
The purpose of these spare wheels is of course simply to enable you to get to a tyre repair centre or home to replace the damaged tyre.
I can’t imagine these skinny tyres are designed to withstand the heat generated and surely they can’t provide much grip particularly on a diesel engine with its torque.
Besides the safety aspect is there anything that can be done from a legal standpoint?
The guy is a total mouth breathing knuckle dragger and I’m not sure he’d take a single word on board if I were to discuss this with him.
Is it a proper space saver (which will have bright yellow stickers on it saying "Max 50mph Max 30 miles" or something to that effect, or just a mismatched black steel wheel but with a "full ish" tyre on it. If it's the latter, it'll be fine. If it's the former, they really aren't designed for high loads (esp on front axle!). Would probably be ok if pottering about in 30-40mph zones, but high speed would be bad. He drives daily on this commuting around ten miles a day and at times carries his children in the car.
The purpose of these spare wheels is of course simply to enable you to get to a tyre repair centre or home to replace the damaged tyre.
I can’t imagine these skinny tyres are designed to withstand the heat generated and surely they can’t provide much grip particularly on a diesel engine with its torque.
Besides the safety aspect is there anything that can be done from a legal standpoint?
The guy is a total mouth breathing knuckle dragger and I’m not sure he’d take a single word on board if I were to discuss this with him.
It's not legal if anybody proved he's not using it beyond just an emergency temporary solution. In reality, unless he has an MOT coming up anytime soon, the chances of him getting stopped for it are nil, unless one of his neighbours is a copper.
sherman said:
Boringvolvodriver said:
sherman said:
It could be that the alloy was damaged when the tyre punctured and he has a new one on a lengthy back order.
If that were the case, then a sensible person would perhaps buy a cheap steel wheel with the correct sized tyre fitted. A full size spare with a tyre is £100-£150 on top of a roughly £500 alloy.
Mr Tidy said:
I've bought several full sets of alloy wheels with usable tyres for £300 or less!
It is possible but if its through insurance due to a pothole claim for example it will be a new OE wheel from VW with a new midrange tyre A set of alloys can be bought for £300 as you say but buying 1 alloy is more difficult.
sherman said:
Mr Tidy said:
I've bought several full sets of alloy wheels with usable tyres for £300 or less!
It is possible but if its through insurance due to a pothole claim for example it will be a new OE wheel from VW with a new midrange tyre A set of alloys can be bought for £300 as you say but buying 1 alloy is more difficult.
LightweightLouisDanvers said:
Often thought it would be hilarious to fit 4 spacesavvers and check out the handling.
Over a decade ago, Chris Harris did a video for the "DRIVE" YouTube channel where he put 4x space savers on a C63 AMG. It was as comical as you'd expect. I highly recommend giving it a watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPh90yNX-mY
These narrow tires sure have reserves, I have seen them used on the quartermile,
as "low drag" rear tires on powerful FWD drag cars with huge slicks on the front axle.
They are of course not allowed and will not pass any scrutineering,
but some shoestring boy racers still use them on non-sanctioned airfield events.
I would not like to see the result of an explosion at 150mph but that never happened, yet.
as "low drag" rear tires on powerful FWD drag cars with huge slicks on the front axle.
They are of course not allowed and will not pass any scrutineering,
but some shoestring boy racers still use them on non-sanctioned airfield events.
I would not like to see the result of an explosion at 150mph but that never happened, yet.
Benni said:
These narrow tires sure have reserves, I have seen them used on the quartermile,
as "low drag" rear tires on powerful FWD drag cars with huge slicks on the front axle.
They are of course not allowed and will not pass any scrutineering,
but some shoestring boy racers still use them on non-sanctioned airfield events.
I would not like to see the result of an explosion at 150mph but that never happened, yet.
Trying to stop and turn with one on the front would worry me more than going in a straight line. as "low drag" rear tires on powerful FWD drag cars with huge slicks on the front axle.
They are of course not allowed and will not pass any scrutineering,
but some shoestring boy racers still use them on non-sanctioned airfield events.
I would not like to see the result of an explosion at 150mph but that never happened, yet.
an ex neighbours brother in law, who lived a decent distance down the adjoining road ( I need to add this point because I don't want people thinking I live in scuttersville, Tennessee 
) Picked up a left rear puncture on his 2006 E class Merc before Covid, and he still has the tyre on the car today. All be it that the car appears to be fairly recently abandoned on his front lawn.
It's people with no money, s
t priorities and zero skills, especially if it requires either effort or money.
) Picked up a left rear puncture on his 2006 E class Merc before Covid, and he still has the tyre on the car today. All be it that the car appears to be fairly recently abandoned on his front lawn.It's people with no money, s
t priorities and zero skills, especially if it requires either effort or money.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff