Space Saver Tyres

[Lorraine_5040934]

I saw Dave's question asking is it ok to tow with a space saver wheel - I have had lots of replies from the RAC. AA, Insurance Companies, the Police, and I wrote to 14 car manufacturers and also Practical Caravan and The Caravan Club - the general answer is NO. It's a very "grey area" but they all said the wheels/tyres are designed for lower speed and short emergency distance. Two police forces said they would not want to see a car pulling a caravan with a space-saver and would consider it illegal and liable for prosecution! Also, the recommendations are not to exceed 30 miles - so if you were on your way home on a motorway - the police would assume you WOULD be exceeding the recommended limits. Nine car manufacturers said the wheel was not suitable for towing with! My argument started with Vauxhall with their new Vectra - the older Vectras have full sized wheels but the newer one is a space-saver! Good luck!

 

[Ian_5040598]

I too had one in my Volvo S80 and the concern was a puncture in the middle of nowhere towing the caravan. Are you going to leave the caravan by the side of the road even with the wife watching it. No ways, I would rather incur the wrath of the law and pay the fine. Car manufacturers are endangering our lives by not supplying full size spares. Eventually I ought a full size matching alloy wheel at a cost of nearly

 

[MikeP]

I have a space saver, and I would only use it to get as far as a tyre dealer or (if late) a site for the night. I have no problems about the possibility of towing with a space-saver, and I would not exceed 35-40 mph on the open road. This would not matter, as I would not travel far. Here's another point - I would tow the minimum distance possible if I did not have a servicable spare wheel, as seeking recovery for a car and a caravan would be a nightmare. So even if I had a full-size spare, I would still act as above to minimise towing distance and the potential nightmare of a second puncture.