How Long Can I Drive on a Spare Tire?

Unless you’ve only been driving for a few years, chances are you’ve had to deal with a spare tire at some point in your life. Whether you popped a tire on the middle of the highway, or you simply returned to your vehicle to find a deflated tire, you’ve probably had to throw the old donut on the car to provide a short-term fix for the problem.

Your spare tire can get you out of a sticky situation, but you don’t want to rely on the tire for too long. Because the spare tire is usually a smaller, different version than the four tires on your vehicle, it’s not built for extended travel. The job of the spare tire is to keep you safe until you can visit an auto repair shop to have a regular tire installed.

Although you should consult your owner’s manual for a specific answer, a good rule of thumb to follow is to limit your travel on the spare tire to no more than 50-70 miles.

The main reason why you shouldn’t drive too far on your spare tire is because you may be putting yourself and everyone else on the road in danger. The spare tire is a small tire with very little tread, meaning it doesn’t have a very good grip on the road. This is especially dangerous if you are driving in elements like snow or rain.

When you’re driving on your spare tire, you may notice your car has poor handling or braking. This is more evident if your spare is needed on the front axel, where braking occurs. You may also notice that your car slightly pulls in the direction of the spare tire. As you can imagine, this occurs because the spare is not as equipped to handle stress like your regular set of wheels.

If you have any questions about your spare tire, or if you need to have a regular tire installed on your vehicle, don’t hesitate to contact us!  We’re always happy to help.

Related source:  AOL Autos