Are there any spare wheels in the car?
There was a time when a new car came with five identical wheels and tyres – four on the road and a spare in the boot. But with alloy wheels now commonplace but more expensive than the steel wheels they’ve replaced, and car manufacturers looking for opportunities to cut costs, space and weight, you’re lucky to find a spare wheel in the boot at all.
Can a space saver tyre be used as a spare wheel?
There may just be a tyre sealant and inflator kit but if there is a spare then the chances are it’ll be a non-standard spare designed for temporary use only, and considerably narrower than your standard road wheels and tyres. Space-saver wheels are designed for temporary use, to get you to a place of repair.
Can a spare tyre be used on the same axle?
There may just be a tyre sealant and inflator kit but if there is a spare then the chances are it’ll be a non-standard spare designed for temporary use only, and considerably narrower than your standard road wheels and tyres. Tyres on the same axle must be of the same size and aspect ratio.
What’s the advantage of swapping summer wheels?
While it does have an impact on your budget and storage space, it also has the added advantage of saving your nice summer wheels from salt and the worst of the potholes. When swapping wheels, there’s a big advantage if you have a lift, air tools (a compressor and an impact wrench), and another car you can drive.
Why do you have separate wheels for winter and summer?
So you buy winter tires, which is a bit of a slippery slope (bad pun) because it often evolves into mounting those snow tires on a dedicated set of winter wheels. While it does have an impact on your budget and storage space, it also has the added advantage of saving your nice summer wheels from salt and the worst of the potholes.
Do you have to rotate your summer wheels?
There’s the question of whether, when re-mounting your summer wheels, you should rotate them (switch front to back and left to right to equalize wear). Old repair manuals used to show the wheel rotation pattern, including taking the spare in and out of rotation.