Poll of the Day > Great. I get drive my car on a donut wheel to the tire shop tomorrow

(+) Yeah! (+)

Last time I drove on a donut wheel the rubber came right off the rim and i got stuck.

Had a flat one time, took me an hour to locate a long enough pipe to use to pull off the shop tightened wheels... then discovered the donut was also flat

A wheel made out of doughnuts ?

Jkd91 posted...

A wheel made out of doughnuts ?

It's a term (at least in the US) for a small spare tire that's stored in some vehicles.

KJ_StErOiDs posted...

It's a term (at least in the US) for a small spare tire that's stored in some vehicles.

why would you use a spare that's not the right size?

Krazy_Kirby posted...

why would you use a spare that's not the right size?

Because it takes up less room that a full-size tire. They are usually the same size around, but narrower. The spare on my Caprice is less than half as wide as the normal tires, which is important because it is stowed inside the trunk. It is meant to only be used for a very limited distance (up to 50 miles) and at speeds less than 55 mph. Enough to get you home or to a repair shop, and that's it.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/8/6/AAQwHjAADg8q.jpg

Some European cars have "space saver" spares that require inflating before use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjFnCOI7NUQ

A lot of trucks and SUVs have full-size spares, but those are usually stored outside of the vehicle, either underneath or mounted on the back. On my Expedition there is a small winch with a cable that hooks onto the tire and hoists it up under the back behind the rear axle. There are no speed or distance limitations because it's the same as the other tires, but you're supposed to rotate the spare with the other tires and you replace all five at the same time when you buy new tires.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/8/7/AAQwHjAADg8r.jpg

my car has a hollowed out compartment in the trunk for a full tire. no space taken up

I went 30 mphs in a 50 and some dude almost ran me off the road. Luckily i made it to my destination and getting my real tire repaired

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/2/0/AADUYLAADhAU.jpg

Ooof nasty one >.<

A lot of shops will take care of it for free (provided you havent been there before otherwise it's like $20)

If you're driving on a donut and need to take it easy, drive with the emergency lights on :D

JixHedgehog posted...

Ooof nasty one >.<

A lot of shops will take care of it for free (provided you havent been there before otherwise it's like $20)

If you're driving on a donut and need to take it easy, drive with the emergency lights on :D

Lmao i forgot to do that haha

I'm getting two new front tires installed tomorrow, hopefully (if this place will actually have tire service available tomorrow). I have a slow leak on the front left due to a screw but it's not flat yet, but the tire is worn enough now that I need to replace it. I was going to get them installed today but they said no tire service today.

Let this be everyone's reminder to air up your spare tire once a year so it actually has air in it when you need it.

teddy241 posted...

Last time I drove on a donut wheel the rubber came right off the rim and i got stuck.

sounds like it wasn't aired up

hera posted...

sounds like it wasn't aired up

I think youre right. It was a 93 acura integra donut. The year at the time of the donut failure was around 2007. So a 14 year old donut tire that im sure never had air put into ever

DarkMinun posted...

Let this be everyone's reminder to air up your spare tire once a year so it actually has air in it when you need it.

This is a good reminder. Read the sidewall on the donut cos it takes more psi than your regular tires IIRC

DarkMinun posted...

Let this be everyone's reminder to air up your spare tire once a year so it actually has air in it when you need it.

you can also buy air pumps. some plug into your car.

You should replace your spare tire every 10 years. Beyond that the rubber starts to decay and it could fail when you need it most.

Compact spares usually have MUCH higher pressures than regular tires. On my Caprice the normal tires use 30 PSI but the spare is something like 60.

Combine high pressure with old rubber and you have a recipe for disaster.