5.30am I went out to water the garden.

Bretrick

Well-known Member
I noticed my vehicle had a flat tyre.
I have been driving since 1987 and this is the first flat tyre I have had.
Trepidation sets in. Will I be able to change the tyre?
20 minutes is all it took.
I read the manual first. No issues.
One of those space saver tyres went on. What rot. Space saver? The flat tyre fit comfortably into
the tyre well. Cheap skates. That is what they are. Give a cheaper spare tyre instead of the proper one.
 

I noticed my vehicle had a flat tyre.
I have been driving since 1987 and this is the first flat tyre I have had.
Trepidation sets in. Will I be able to change the tyre?
20 minutes is all it took.
I read the manual first. No issues.
One of those space saver tyres went on. What rot. Space saver? The flat tyre fit comfortably into
the tyre well. Cheap skates. That is what they are. Give a cheaper spare tyre instead of the proper one.
When we bought our new Nisan Qashqai in 2020 it came with one of those space saver spare tyres @Bretrick
My hubs went to the Nissan wreckers in Adelaide and bought a brand new Mag to match our wheels ( at half the price of what Nissan spare parts wanted ) we had a new tyre put on it , so that’s our spare.

Those half width ( space saver ) tyres are not safe to drive in over 80 km hour or any great distance , it’s a cheap and nasty way of suppling a spare tyre for new cars, and as we live in a country area we rely on having good reliable car and good quality tyres
 

Yeah, unfortunately, the spare is not safe enough to be highway driving. Best to bite the bullet, and buy a brand new tire. They can rotate the tires for you while they're at it.
 
They are cheaper and somewhat lighter. The benefits mainly go to the producer, but the harm is on you.

Worse yet, a lot of cars only come with a sort of temporary "fix a flat" kit now.
 
So are you going to need to take it to a tire store and get a normal size tire put on?

Congrats on changing your tire, I don't think I'd have the courage to even try to jack up a car and I'm pretty sure loosening the nuts would be impossible.
Only a little force needed to undo the nuts.
I will replace the punctured, unevenly worn tyre with a new one. Then put the spare back in the wheel well.
 
When we bought our new Nisan Qashqai in 2020 it came with one of those space saver spare tyres @Bretrick
My hubs went to the Nissan wreckers in Adelaide and bought a brand new Mag to match our wheels ( at half the price of what Nissan spare parts wanted ) we had a new tyre put on it , so that’s our spare.

Those half width ( space saver ) tyres are not safe to drive in over 80 km hour or any great distance , it’s a cheap and nasty way of suppling a spare tyre for new cars, and as we live in a country area we rely on having good reliable car and good quality tyres
I might do likewise. Get a proper size spare and send MG the bill. :ROFLMAO: Cheap skates that they are.
 
Flat tyre, changed.
The spare is not as wide as the original. Called a space saver for some reason.
  • it gives you more cargo space
  • they weigh less therefore give better fuel economy
  • they are cheaper to produce because they are on a steel rim rather than an alloy wheel, and they don’t have to be the kind of expensive performance rubber that comes with some vehicles
  • it makes it simple for the manufacturer to provide a standardised wheel when alloy wheels of different types and sizes could be chosen by the customer
  • some large alloy wheels simply can’t fit into this space
  • it’s safer in a rear-end collision because it’s a smaller non-deformable object, rather than having a big wheel
  • it reduces the opportunities for thieves to break into the boot to steal an expensive wheel/tyre combination.
 
First of all. I'm impressed you were able to loosen the lug nuts with the cheap little wrench they normally supply. I've never been able to do that as the lug nuts are normally put on with an air gun and torqued to specification. If so, you normally need a 4-way lug wrench to loosen the lug nuts so; good for you in getting them loosened!

Secondly you mentioned "unevenly worn tyre". That would be something you may want to have someone look into. Tires that wear unevenly are usually an indication of another problem; often a wheel alignment issue. Isn't your car fairly new? I seem to recall you posting about getting a new car a few months ago. If so, I wouldn't think you should be having alignment issues yet, unless you hit a curb or pot-hole quite hard?
 
First of all. I'm impressed you were able to loosen the lug nuts with the cheap little wrench they normally supply. I've never been able to do that as the lug nuts are normally put on with an air gun and torqued to specification. If so, you normally need a 4-way lug wrench to loosen the lug nuts so; good for you in getting them loosened!

Secondly you mentioned "unevenly worn tyre". That would be something you may want to have someone look into. Tires that wear unevenly are usually an indication of another problem; often a wheel alignment issue. Isn't your car fairly new? I seem to recall you posting about getting a new car a few months ago. If so, I wouldn't think you should be having alignment issues yet, unless you hit a curb or pot-hole quite hard?
I was surprised I was able to undo the bolts as well. Just a single lever wheel spanner. Not the 4 way wheel brace. A modicum of effort was all that was required.
I think I remember hitting something with force quite a while ago. Maybe that threw the alignment out. Booked in for replacement tyre tomorrow. Will discuss the issue.
 


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