We are often asked how long a spare tire will last, how long you can drive on a spare tire and what the speed limit is for a spare tire. Many Jeeps have full-sized spares mounted on the door to the trunk, for example. It’s a temporary, quick fix.įull-size spares are an option, but you’ll need to have the space on your vehicle for a whole extra tire. However, due to its small size, it’s usually only rated for around 50 miles per hour and only 50-60 miles. These are referred to as “donut spares.” It’s compact and stored in your trunk while not weighing your car down. Rather than have your vehicle towed, you can quickly switch out your damaged tire with your spare and get back on the road.Ī spare tire traditionally comes in a compact, lightweight model meant to get you that extra few miles in case one of your tires blows out. What Is a Spare Tire?Ī spare tire is an extra tire that you store in your car in case you experience a blowout or puncture while on the road. For those of us with spare tires stored in our cars, this article will serve as a refresher for spare tire purpose, use, and maintenance. While this is a small contribution to the ultimate decision of whether or not to buy a car, it’s worth knowing what you’ll be missing out on. And then check the pressure - including the spare - once a month, if possible, and at the very least, once a season, and you'll be all set, LeeAnn.You may have noticed that many new cars are coming without the spare tire that’s traditionally housed in the back of the trunk. TOM: So you want to use the tire sizes and ratings recommended by your manufacturer, and abide by the weight and cargo limits for your vehicle as well. Not to mention what would happen to those spindly little spokes! In that case, the pressure would shoot up and cause the tire to explode. If you put a bicycle tire on your car, for example, the weight of the car WOULD crush the tire and decrease the interior volume. RAY: Keep in mind that this only works if the tires are designed to handle the weight of your car. TOM: But because they've been designed to handle the weight of the car and have enough sidewall strength, the volume inside the tires stays the same, and thus the pressure stays the same. Kind of like my brother did as he got older. RAY: You'll notice that the tires change shape under the weight of the car, flattening a bit on the bottom but widening a bit on the sides. TOM: And I would have to guess that the reason it makes no difference is because properly designed tires maintain the same exact volume inside, despite the fact that they deform under the weight of the car. Whether it's on or off the car appears to make no significant difference. RAY: So the answer is that you should inflate your spare tire to the same pressure that you inflate the rest of your tires. TOM: 30 pounds! Or at least as close to 30 pounds as we could see with the naked eye and our gauge. RAY: We then put the tires back on the car, lowered the car to the ground and measured the pressure again. TOM: Then we measured the tire pressure on those "removed" wheels with a good - but not scientific-quality - dial gauge, and both tires had 30 pounds of pressure in them. RAY: On Paul's advice, we took my car into the garage and took off two of the wheels. So we consulted with Paul Murky at Murky Research, and he devised an experiment for us. And, like most great questions, we don't know the answer. Does a tire's air pressure vary depending on whether or not it is supporting the vehicle's weight? I'm wondering if my spare tire, which is supporting nothing, should be inflated to the same psi as the other tires, which are bearing the weight of the vehicle.
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