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Where's that spare tyre when you need it.

I have attended several jobs this week, Solihull, Redditch, Bromsgrove, West Heath, Northfield, Kings Norton and Bourneville and in all of these locations the car has been stranded due to no spare being with the vehicle, I wonder just how many motorists buy cars - either new or second hand and don't even think for a minute about the spare wheel.

So many vehicles we work on now have no spare whatsoever - just a can of spray-in gunk that serves very little function or use at all. If I recall from my days manufacturing vehicles, spares started to vanish as emission laws got tougher and road tax bandings came into force. More weight meant the requirement for more power and therefore higher emissions and more expensive tax. This along with cost down requirements meant that the spare wheel became a thing of the past, but at what cost? And to who ?

As part of a franchise group we attend thousands of jobs up and down the country where punctured tyres render vehicles completely stranded. At best, the owners wake up to a flat tyre. At worst, a blow out or rapidly deflating tyre means abandonment often in tricky locations and situations.
There isn't an easy fix to this problem though. Car boots are often now made too small to fit a spare of any sort so the can of no fix shall I call it is all that tends to be in the place where once a nice new wheel and tyre would sit.

But all is not lost, there are ways to limit the occurrence of these situations if you do find you are unfortunate enough to get a puncture.

Firstly, remember to have your new tyres fitted to the rear of the vehicle. Two reasons why, new rubber is more elastic and will be more likely to deflect foreign objects. Old tyres will naturally perish, become brittle and become prone to blow out failure therefore you are less likely to control the vehicle when a rear end lets go shall we say.

New tyres are structurally more sound and may be able to absorb a puncture and only go down very slowly, again giving you more time and control to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.

As I've previously stated in numerous blogs the rule of thumb now is that you should always fit your newer tyres to the rear rather than previously suggested to the drive train, sorry my automotive head on again, the drive train is the drive wheels either from front or rear wheel drive. You can generally steer yourself out of trouble but you've no control over the rear of the vehicle- even more so if you get into a puncture or blow out scenario.

When I work on your vehicle be it for a single tyre change or multiple changes, I'll thoroughly inspect everything and give you best advice/practice and allow you to make an informed choice as to how to set the vehicle up.

Remember if I am in your area I will be more than happy to come to your home or work address to give you a free no obligation assessment of your vehicle tyres, I do it for dozens of companies and driving schools on a regular basis. Although I'm not classed as an emergency service I may be the difference to you having to call one.

Anyway, looks like spring is around the corner so happy motoring and make sure you check those tyres, I know some of you will be heading off out at the weekends now the weather is changing.

Look after your tyres !! The truth is that they could save your life.

 


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