Comments on: Space-saver tyres

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:54:19 +0000

With run flats generally only suitable for up to 80 kms, you think it would be common sense for vehicle manufacturers to include a traditional spare

By: JOHN RILEY

JOHN RILEY — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:58:25 +0000

Purchased a new Mazda3 hatch a couple of weeks ago. I was aware of the space saver spare, so bought a full size alloy to match the ones on the car. Guess what? It won’t fit into the tyre well in lieu of the space saver. So now it floats around in the boot and takes up about 20% of the space. If purchasing a full size spare is an option available to you by the Dealer, why wouldn’t Mazda have made the spare wheel well big enough to accomodate it? Beggars belief!! The dealer didn’t even mention that it wouldn’t fit.
By the way – the car had 4xBridgestones and the purchased spare was a Pirelli.
Checked with the Dealer after the first 1000km service to get it changed to match the car and was told – “tough, not our problem.” If I wanted to have a tyre to match I would have to pay for it and no credit for the Pirelli.

By: Curlygirl

Curlygirl — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 13:23:32 +0000

Agree with all the posts that full-size spares should be compulsory – not ‘Noddy wheels’ or, heaven forbid, no spares.

I have had 5 ‘spectacular’ flat tyres in recent years – 4 on city roads (3 in Canberra, which is supposed to have ‘good’ roads). Thankfully none were blow-outs, but 4 were bad enough that it was difficult to pull to the side of the road (even the ones at fairly low speeds) – and all except one with a full boot (of course!). (And while I’m ranting, tyre fitters – please ensure that the nuts can be undone by human hands – even male ones!… )

I am looking for a replacement car but finding a very small pool that have full-size spares – and haven’t found one that meets my other specs as well yet…

By: Wil B

Wil B — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:23:58 +0000

Got a flat (sort of a blowout actually) doing 110kmh on the Pacific Motorway near the Gold Coast on my way from Sydney to the Sunsine Coast in my 2009 Mazda CX-7. I pulled over and called the NRMA, who put me through to the RACQ who because I was on a motorway arranged for a tow truck to tow me off the motorway. We almost had to pass a tyre dealer but the towtruck driver said the rules are he had to tow me to a service station about 100 metres away! Then the RACQ patrolman wouldn’t change the tyre because the spare was a spacesaver. This was for ‘legal raesons.’ What?? So I’m 100 metres from a tyre dealer with a flat tyre and a car loaded with luggage. I tried to inflate the tyre to drive to the tyre dealer, but the air came straight out of the hole. So in pouring rain I had to take all the luggage out of the car, even the boot space cover board to access the jack which was almost under the rear seat! and fit the space saver spare then drive 100m to the tyre dealer. The tyre needed replacing and they didn’t have one in stock until the next day so my options were to stay overnight (just because of a puncture!) or drive to Brisbane along the motorway at 80kmh while being abused by other drivers (even though I was in the left lane and had my hazard lights on). $499, four hours and a lot of wet luggage later the tyre had been replaced. My opinion? Ban space savers because they ruin your trip. Also RACQ is a joke. Why tow you past a tyre dealer to just leave you at a service station and then refuse to fit your space saver for legal reasons? Come on!

By: Tyrepower

Tyrepower — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:19:39 +0000

Volvo claims by 2020 no one will ever get injured in an accident in their cars. Big claim, wonder if they will sort out a tyre that never gets a puncture. Maybe its time to rethink the wheel.

By: David Elliott

David Elliott — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:01:40 +0000

I regrettably just bought a new Volvo XC-90.
It came with a Space Saver.

Any car company that prides itself in safety and or Luxury has absolutely no right involving itself with space savers.

Also, I love the thought of the car being full of family and loaded to the roof. The we get a puncture on the front wheel.

Whoooo!!!!!! Then we need to change one of the rears over to the front, then put the space saver on the rear…………….Best of all, where do you put the full sized flat???????????? Oh tie it to the bonnet????? No how about the roof???? Oh, silly me you leave the luggage by the roadside, put the flat in your beautiful clean boot space if it’s all wet and perhaps muddy and then get it repaired and then come back for your wet luggage.

The people at Volvo didn’t think of possibly needing to carry the flat to anywhere really did they????

The spare does not fit in the space saver space of course!!!!!

Mad!!!

Why am I really mad??? Because I knew all this before hand!

By: George

George — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:24:40 +0000

Be thankful that you even have a space saver spare tyre. My Lotus Elise doesn’t have a spare all, just a can of air. There’s just no room for a spare, and if it did have one, would it be the 16 inch for the front or the 17 inch for the rear?

By: Davo

Davo — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:50:09 +0000

I have a full size spare in my car right now…but i am gonna get rid of it becoz i only have room for a space saver in the groove as i wanna put things in the boot. a space saver is after all a very temporary tyre, one that will let u get the car home or to a mechanic.
i have a device that u can use to pump up and repair punctured tyres in the car that i will use instead of the space saver, which will be there in the most extreme emergencies. so for some people (like me) a space saver is the way to go.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:28:56 +0000

Seriously, some of these arguments don’t make sense. It’s not always a case of needing a full sized spare wheel. People who live in the city or urban areas most of the time probably don’t require a full sized spare.

Space Saver spares are applicable in some areas, and then full size spares are applicable in others. Think of those poor people who buy small cars that have no spare tyre at all!

And if you’ve got a space saver spare and you break down in the country and its 100km’s to the nearest workshop.. I guess you call NRMA.

The question of over or incorrect use of space saver spares is a different matter though.

By: Full Spare

Full Spare — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:25:01 +0000

I refuse to buy a car, business or pleasure, that has not got a full size spare! Alternatives at present are simply too dangerous, inconvenient and in some cases impossible to use, even as backup.

Looking around for a suitable fleet car for my company recently came to several possibles. The final decision was easy… chose the model with a full size spare, irrespective of all the other gimmics and add ons the opposition threw in. Manufacturers take note!!! Toy spares are simply not suitable in Australia where no garage is open at night or long week end, so punctures cannot be repaired.