space saver wheels

[caslad]

Hello all

A question, is it legal (or safe) to tow with a space saver wheel.

My car has one and i was wondering what would happen in the case of a puncture.

 

[Lutz]

Space saver wheels are no more illegal when towing than when driving solo. However, some car manufacturers specifically advise not to tow with such wheels. Any such recommendation, where made, should be followed.

 

[jacky3]

Space saver wheels are no more illegal when towing than when driving solo. However, some car manufacturers specifically advise not to tow with such wheels. Any such recommendation, where made, should be followed.

hi

im afraid it is illegal to tow with a spacesaver wheel as they are not just speed restricted but weight restricted too.had a spare for x trail(16 ins steel) instead of 17 ins alloy. tyre was speed and weight rated lower than normal tyre.was told by r.a.c. after having a wheel replaced because of puncture(unable to change myself because jack would not fit after having sidewalk kit fitted.he said (NOTICING MY TOWBAR)you must not go more than 50mph and you must not tow with the spare on,police will notice this and will stop and prosecute.he said it was illegal

 

[bigbilly]

I always thought it was illegal to tow with a spacesaver spare wheel. It is certainly not recommended by many manufacturers. Some manufacturers don't even consider spacesavers are get you home devices but only to get you to the nearest place to fix the original wheel.

Many cars supplied with spacesavers have a 'well' big enough for a full size wheel/tyre and there is a healthy number of part worn single alloy wheels/tyres on ebay.

I recently bought a Freelander and part of the deal was to have a full size alloy spare fitted.

Bill

 

[ProfJohnL]

This is a grey area.

It is however clear that if the car manufacture states in their documentation or on the tyre any limitations to use e.g. speed, distance, or weight etc then they must be followed. You have in the car systems that measure speed and distance so those conditions can be easily met but most people have nothing to measure load, so the vehicle manufacture should only supply a spare that is capable of handling the maximum load range for the vehicle.

The Kwikfit web sites states:

"Spare tyres can be full-size or temporary space saver 'mini spares'.

'Mini spares' are designed to take up less room in your vehicle and to get you home, but not to be driven on for long periods. Many of the space savers can not be used at speeds over 50mph; consult your space saver wheel or vehicle handbook for specific details."

Other sites say "to get you to a repair station."

So there is general uncertainty about how far they can be used.

If the manufacture supplies a space saver and offers no guidance in their documentation or on the tyre, how can there be a restriction?

The fact is that a trailer only adds typically 75Kg to the rear of the car in terms of weight, so that could easily be the difference between a full boot or an empty one, There are additional stresses whilst in motion, but they are not very much greater than with a fully loaded car.

The manufacture is duty bound to ensure that all tyres are specified to handle the loads they say the car can withstand. If the specification allows for towing then that is also part of the vehicles range of loading, and the tyre should be capable of withstanding the resultant loads and stress.

Therefore unless the manufacture specifically excludes towing, towing should be in order.

That said, good sense dictates that when a mini spare is used, it should be for the shortest distance possible, at modest speeds, and with the lightest loading possible under the prevailing circumstances.

 

[xtrailman]

Lindsay

It may be possible to tow with a space saver, but i would advise against it.

As klarky says the latest x trail comes with a full size steel wheel, but bizarrely fitted with a temporary tyre, the load rating is 98M,(speed limit 50mph), while the alloys have a load rating of 96H.

Further the nissan handbook states in bold print, and in two different sections "do not tow a trailer with the temporary spare tyre".

What i have done is fit a tyre from my old xtrail, to the steel rim, this has a loading actually higher than the new x trail,at 96H.

 

[xtrailman]

I should also add, should you have an accident towing with one, i'm confident your insurance claim will be contested.

 

[xtrailman]

Lindsay

It may be possible to tow with a space saver, but i would advise against it.

As klarky says the latest x trail comes with a full size steel wheel, but bizarrely fitted with a temporary tyre, the load rating is 98M,(speed limit 50mph), while the alloys have a load rating of 96H.

Further the nissan handbook states in bold print, and in two different sections "do not tow a trailer with the temporary spare tyre".

What i have done is fit a tyre from my old xtrail, to the steel rim, this has a loading actually higher than the new x trail,at 96H.

sorry spare is now 98H (750kg)

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Ray,

I tend to agree that towing on the space saver is not ideal, but an insurance company would be on a very sticky wicket if they retrospectively refused claim on the basis of towing with the space saver, if the car or tyre manufacture did not specifically exclude it in their instructions.

An insurance company could only apply that type of limitation unilaterally and irrespective of the car or tyre manufactures instructions after written advice to policy holders or at the time of renewal under changes to the policy contract.

It is the same situation regarding some insurers who will apply a max. ratio to towed weights, which only seems to happen after a customer has made a claim where in the opinion if the insurers weight ratios may have been a factor in the claim.

 

[Lutz]

A space saver has to be just as useable when the boot is full. As you can't load the car any more when towing than when solo, the static load will be no different when towing. However, the sideways dynamic loads can be higher and for this reason, some car manufacturers advise not to tow with a space saver, but only for that reason. Therefore, where no such advice exists, an insurance company cannot contest a possible claim.

 

[xtrailman]

My local independent tyre fitter of 20 years standing, mentioned while having my temporary tyre changed.

Quote " we get lots of taxi drivers coming in, to have space savers removed and replaced with full size tyres on a alloy wheel. Otherwise there application for a license is automatically refused, by the local authority"

So it appears in my area at lest, not sure if its nation wide, you can not taxi, with out a full sized wheel and tyre, identical to the four existing road wheels.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Ray

I don't think that necessarily proves anything is wrong with spacesavers. Its more likely the wording of most hackney carriage regulations havn't been changed since before the introduction of space savers, Or the issuing officer has interpreted the the requirement for a spare wheel to be the same as the current road wheels.

 

[James_374408700]

Ray,

Are you saying that if I have a "proper tyre" fitted to my Xtrail 16" spare wheel this would then be legal to tow with. Does the difference in diameter not matter when towing, anyone know ?

Jim

 

[Bryan_374360331]

I guess you need a non-low-profile tyre on the 16" wheel to give the same overall diameter as the low(ish) profile tyres on the other four 17" wheels.

I'm interested, having an X-Trail too. Shame they didn't supply a 17" wheel with a normal tyre.

Bry

 

[James_374408700]

Bryan,

Yes it is a shame, I wish I'd know at the point of sale as it would have benn a condition of sale that a "normal" tyre had been fitted.

Nissan.........shame on you, do you realise how many caravanners use Xtrails!

Jim

 

[xtrailman]

It's a long drawn out story i'm afraid, in a nut shell, i can't in full confidence, say fit a "proper" tyre and then you can, legally or saftley tow with the steel rim that comes with the temporary spare.

The reason for this is nissan's case manager, (who i decided was a bit of a plonker) Sent me a letter stating that to tow i must replace the steel wheel with a 17" alloy.

When i asked him how that decision was made, he was honest enough to admit that his decision was directly as a result of him phoning a nissan dealer! So rather than be guided by the "expertise" of a nissan dealer, i discussed my problem with my local tyre fitter, with who i have had a long association.

He checked the steel rim, and concluled that it would be ok to mount a proper tyre on it.

Now i owed the first xtrail, this had 16" alloy wheels, came with a 16" steel rim, but with a tyre the same as the alloys.

The hand book made no mention of not using the tyre to tow, with the first xtrail.

The new xtrail came with 17" alloys, with 215/60 r17 98H tyres

The temporary tyre was a 16" steel wheel, fitted with 215/65 r16 98M.

Now when i used a comparison site, it was concluded that the spare came out 4mm smaller in overall diameter, than the alloys fitted with 60 profile.

My reasoning is this, if it was safe to tow with a steel wheel, and "proper" tyre, then logically it must be safe to tow the new xtrail also.

So i had a 215/65 r16 98H load rated tyre fitted, of the same make as the alloy tyres.

As i said this is my decision, so you have to make your own mind up. Either way if i get a flat tyre i now have a much safer spare, in particulary while solo, should i get a punture, my intention is to use the spare at a reduced speed say below 50mph, and get it replaced asap.

 

[James_374408700]

Ray,

Thanks for such a detailed response. Now I have to decide which way to go.

Thanks again

Jim

 

[xtrailman]

James

Assuming you are going the scrapyard route, i travelled 60 mile to view some desribed as mint, i considered them too accident damage to be safe, and at

 

[jacky3]

hi,

yes i agree,nissan should supply a alloy spare for the x-trail as the popular choice of this car is for caravan owners who tow.unfortunately i didn't realise the spare was a 16' steel wheel with a tyre fitted which was of no use if i needed to change to the spare while towing.contacted nissan about this and get no response,as the same from the garage i bought it from.a spare alloy for the nissan is like rocky horse sh**.THE COST OF ONE FROM THE DEALER IS AN ASTONISHING

 

[WatsonJohnG]

I went through this 18 months ago when I got the new XT

I ended up with an as new 17in alloy with identical tyre from a breakers at

 

[RayS]

The idea of buying a full-size spare if the vehicle originally has a space-saver is very attractive but there are a few possible snags.

1. Where to put the "flat" full size wheel - none of the vehicles with space savers I've had have had a well big enough.

2. Many new cars are fitted with tyres which are rotation sensitive, so whichever way you had the tyre fitted to the full size spare you have a 50:50 chance of it being the wrong way when used. The advice for using a tyre running with the wrong rotation is much the same as that for a skinny spare - i.e. 50mph max, and get it changed as soon as possible. not usre how you would stand insurance wise, since the car handbooks are usually quite firm on only fitting tyres with the correct direction of rotation.

(My van came with rotation sensitive tyres too - fortunately they didn't last too well and have now been changed)

 

[WatsonJohnG]

No problem on the XT because the emergency spare is full size and so a full size wheel fits the boot space

Why Nissan went to the expanse of making a non standard full size not to be used for towing spare on a 16 in rim rather than the 17in of the alloys is beyond comprehension

At least its not made out of chocolate a la teapot

They don't have a 17in steel spare available either !!