It’s inevitable I guess that I post on this one, especially given the garbage put out by the SMMT member!
Really though perhaps we need an EU directive (ooh that’s stirring up a hornets nest!) to ensure that all road vehicles carry a replacement spare wheel - not a skinny emergency tyre but a full-sized one. After all, cars are getting bigger, so there should be room! Given the comments by Green Flag I suspect that the lack of spares is putting-up the cost of breakdown insurance, as well as putting people at risk - yes, risk, since this is a safety issue after all.
Perhaps we should also have an EU directive to the effect that all light bulbs on a car must be replaceable within a maximum of 10 minutes with no special tools and no removal of body panels or car components except for inspection panels made for the purpose? (Including of course dashboard lighting!)
Yes he was on Watchdog Geoff putting the case for goo kits instead of spare wheels. Anne Robinson was pretty good at making the case for a spare wheel and I agree with her and the others here, though, given the sheer size of modern car wheels, I can see the sense in space savers which also prompt quick repair of the regular road wheel.
I would much prefer to have a full sized spare with every car. The space saver may get people out of a fix at times but if you are further than the 50 miles / 80 kilometers you are supposed to use them for then they are as good as no spare at all.
I am not the only one who feels this way, my neighbour has a 1 year old Vauxhall that did not come with a spare so he has taken to carring one in a roof box (not very good for fuel etc).
Picture the scene, 5 pm on any motorway anywhere in the world. Front off side tyre blows out, and you manage to struggle from the outside lane to the hard shoulder. [If the hard shoulder isn’t being used for extra traffic during the many roadworks ] You’re driving a Mk1 with a space saver. Do you really want to spend the hour or so that it will take to get a rear wheel onto the front [can’t use a space saver on the front of a Mk1] with your btm sticking out into the slow lane. I wouldn’t want to do that. Even changing a flat for a full size spare is frought with danger. In fact out here the RACQ says call out the troops and let them sort you out while you observe from up an embankment.
I just checked a Mk1 owners manual (8C80-EE-91H) which because it is a Mazda book is quite amusing, it certainly does not state that a space-saver must only be used on the rear, it does however state;
: these wheels should not be fitted to the rear axle if the car is about to be driven on snow or ice…
: do not use tire chains on one…
: only ever fit one, never more than one…
: do not use a centre cap or wheel trim on one of them…
: not for long drives and not to be used for extended period…
: do not exceed 50mph on one…
: do not overload vehicle when one is fitted…
And here is the best jotting:
: “Avoid driving over obstacles. Also, do not take the vehicle through an automatic vehicle wash while the temporary spare tire is installed” (five points to anyone who can work out why without cheating and looking it up )
Am quite surprised it does not actually tell you to remove the elasticated cover before fitting one…
I think a copper can stop you changing it on the motorway (or elsewhere) if he thinks it poses a danger which is fair enough but surely a can of goo is as bad in that respect and at least the spare wheel will do the job. If a breakdown man arrives and you have no spare you’ll spend the rest of your day being towed to a tyre shop.
If a full size or space saver is provided they have to provide a wheel well big enough to take the punctured road wheel. Our Mazda 6 (old type) and Mazda 2 (new) both have space savers sat in the bottom of a deep well. Perhaps it’s finding room for a well that stops them providing spare wheels on some cars such as Mk3 and Mini.
There were different early Mk1 space savers and not all will fit all cars. Geoff could yours be a 1.6 wheel which won’t fit over bigger brakes?
Who’s used a space saver? I’ve used them several times locally and they’re fine. In fact you have to remind yourself that they’re fitted and I’m sure you could easily finish a long journey if you needed to.
Yes I’ve got a can of Holts goo too as our original stuff is out of date. Never used it though, anyone here used the original goo kit or an aftermarket can and does it work, what size hole etc?
the standard halfords stuff certainly doesn’t work on a 1/2" hole on the inboard front tyre wall (overenthusiastic drifting round a bend & the nearside wheel slipped off the tarmac on the apex & ripped on the sharp road edge) & there i was on top of brecon beacons with no spare, no mobile signal & a very miffed wife in passenger seat. 1/2 mile walk to the nearest signal…that was 5 yrs ago, still don’t carry a spare though, also just stole the compressor & sticky stuff from wife’s new picanto which also has no spare. she doesn’t need it anyway as she never goes more than 5 miles from home.
Sorry about the front wheel thing guys, I meant to say that the driven wheels must have the same sized wheels on, not the fronts. The same situation still arises with regard to swopping wheels around
I remember the first time I drove my (formerly owned) Porsche through a car wash that (unknown to me) dragged the car through… it was in Luxembourg and I couldn’t communicate in any common language with the operator of the car wash so didn’t understand why he kept pointing at my hand brake. I kept feeling the car slipping until I finally twigged it was meant to move by itself!
However I thought that Mazda didn’t recommend any sort of car wash with a soft top?
)
.