Some car drivers have this notion that spare tires can equally function just the way a full-sized tyre does and as a result, take their spare tyres for granted. While it’s necessary to take proper care of your tyres to ensure safety on the road, it's also of great importance if you know how long the spare tyre can be able to serve as a backup. Here on this post, Naijacarnews will be sharing with you some essential facts about spare tyres which you might be oblivious to.

To start with, let's get to know what a spare tyre is.

What is a spare tyre?

A spare tyre is an additional or extra tyre carried in a vehicle to serve as a replacement. A spare tyre is used whenever the regular tyres go flat or are punctured by sharp objects. These spare tyres, however, are fixed on the entire wheel since mounting a tyre to the wheel demands a skilled mechanic and specialized tools.

With the definition out of the way, let's take a look at the 4 essential things so you can know what you should and shouldn't expect your car spare tyre to do.

A spare tyre can be compact or full-size

A full-size tyre has the same dimension with regular tyres as they are designed as them. On the other hand, the compact is a temporary tyre and a smaller version of the original tyre. This tyre is used to replace a tyre that can't be driven on. You shouldn't drive 50 miles with the compact tyre.

Here is a full-size spare tyre, as it has the same dimension with a regular tyre

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Spare tyres are for temporary purposes

If the spare tire you have isn't full-size, it can only be used for a short trip. If you resort to driving a long distance with it, you stand at the risk of a collision or even a bad wear pattern.

Don't rely on the compact tire to drive you to your destination, it’s meant to take you to the nearest mechanic to get the regular tire fixed.

A compact tyre is for temporary use and shouldn't be driven on a long distance trip

They can have an effect on the MPG

It does, even if your spare tyre is a full-size one. When the tread pattern of your spare tire isn’t the same with the regular tyre, the car will consume more gas thereby affecting the miles per gallon.

You may have to inspect the tire pressure

If the spare tire your car uses is the compact one, get it to be inflated at 60 psi. This is to prevent the problems that come with an under and over inflated tyre. Ensure the correct tyre pressure is used, even if your spare tire is a full-size one.

Some new vehicles have no need for a spare tyre. This is due to the fact that the tubeless tyre doesn’t deflate, even when a sharp object punctures it.It has an additional layer inside of it which helps to keep the air inside.

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