How Far Can You Drive On A Spare Tire? How Safe Is It?
It is possible that at some point, you might have experienced a flat tire because of a flat tire. There is the need to know just how far can you drive on a spare tire on how to change it too whenever the time come. It is important not to keep using your spare tire, especially the donut type. You need to learn more about just how much of distance you can do on a spare tire. We get to talk about that below.
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Contents
How far can you drive on a spare tire
Full-size spare
Having a full-size spare tire is often not common to many people nowadays. Most of the car manufacturers are making their cars to have a smaller donut spare for easy carrying. The same cannot be said for the SUV models or older cars. They would often have the full-size spare. This means that you get a tire the same size as the others on the car. You can use the full-size spare tire for longer as compared to the other options, but you also have to change it soon. The spare tire would not have been used to the same extent as compared to the other remaining three tires on the vehicle. Use it for a short time before mending the punctured tire.
How far can you drive on a spare tire with full-size?
Donut spare
The donut spare is the common type of spare tire you get in most vehicles right now. The work of such donut spares is to save on the space and weight of the vehicle. When it comes to how far can you drive on a spare tire, this one should be used for up to 70 miles and not faster than 50 miles per hour.
A run flat tire
With the new technology, we can now have tires that can still be used when they end up having a puncture. Depending on the model, you will definitely love such tires. They, however, have a limit on just how long they can be used. For most manufacturers of such tires, they would recommend that you use it for 50 miles before there is the need to replace it.
How to get a spare tire from under the car
Most of the time, the tire would be stored underneath the vehicle below the cargo area. We get to see how to get a spare tire from under the car.
Things you will need
– Wheel lug nut wrench
Step by step
- Depending on the car, you might have to open the tailgate or trunk to access the nut that holds the tire in position under the car.
- Once you have opened the tailgate, look for a hex bolt cover, which would be covering the nut holding the tire. Remove the cover to have easier access to the nut. To remove the cover, you can use a flathead screwdriver.
- Connect the wheel lug or socket to the nut and start loosening the bolt. Make sure you loosen it enough to lower the spare tire to the ground.
- To loosen the nut, you need to turn the wrench counterclockwise until you get to see the tire on the ground.
- Once the tire is on the ground, keep turning the wrench clockwise until there is enough clearance to draw the spare from under the car.
- Proceed to remove the retainer from the center of the tire to free it.
Tips and warning
– Do not rotate the wrench excessively as it might damage the spare tire
How to put spare tire back under the truck or car
Let us say you have now repaired the punctured tire and you are looking on how to put spare tire back under the truck.
Things you will need
– Wheel lug nut wrench
Step by step
- Start by laying the spare tire on the ground with the side having the valve stem facing upwards.
- Proceed to install the retainer, which is just the opposite of how you removed it. Make sure that the retainer is in position.
- Turn the wrench this time clockwise to get the tire up under the car. Turn the nut until you hear it clicking meaning that it is now in position.
Tips and warning
– Always make sure that the retainer is correctly positioned at the center so that the spare tire does not rattle all the time when driving.
It does not matter the type of tire; you always need to replace your spare tire sooner whenever possible. You do not have to keep running on the spare tire as it has its own effects on the car handling capability. Some people have often ended up in accidents just because they were driving so fast with a spare tire. Since the tires are the only thing between the car and road, you have to make sure that they are always in top-notch condition at all times.
