Just bought a new (to me) car. It has no spare wheel. There is a space for one, but it seems that spare wheels are no longer considered to be useful accessories. In its place there is a flimsy looking plug in pump and can of sealant which the manual claims is all I need to get me mobile again. WTF? Has anyone real world experience of using these, or should I try to source my own spare?

Spares are an optional extra on a lot of cars. I’d be trying to find a 2nd hand one. My understanding is you can only use the foam once

My understanding is you can only use the foam once

more importantly, using the foam means no chance of repairing the tyre

I’m surprised you even have a space for one. Don’t know if I’m that bothed but I do have a real spare wheel

Very common now it’s all I have, had space savers for years before that and sorry no experience of using either. Except the foam on my BMX when I was a kid, it worked Ok for a bit.

Less weight to help with CO2 etc. and less cost

Using foam is probably easier and quicker than changing the wheel mind. Otoh, you can have both foam and a spare, can’t you?

more importantly, using the foam means no chance of repairing the tyre

Wow. Runs off to check. However most punctures I’ve had haven’t been repairable anyway

Can you tell it’s been a while since I last bought a car 😳

If you have a puncture at high speed or drive on the tyre for any distance when flat you can forget about the pump/sealant fixing the tyre.

This happened to me twice on my last car, once in deepest Ayrshire with no mobile phone signal took 5hrs to be recovered to a Kwikfit, then in the fast lane of M8 at about 6pm, got recovered back to Galashiels for about 11pm. With a spare wheel I’d have been back on my way in 15minutes.

The lack of even a space saver spare on new cars is a mystery to me when they ust only cost about 80quid all in, my new car doesn’t even have space for a space saver wheel. Gah.

This happened to me twice on my last car, once in deepest Ayrshire

good god! Wouldn’t wish that on anyone 😯

Skoda Fabia comes with a can of foam , but there are options for a space saver or a full size tyre.
Don’t see what space a space saver is saving as there is room for a full size wheel and tyre in the tyre well

had to pick up a mate a few weeks back who had a flat in his newish vw,no foam or pump both missing,lucky for him he’s a tight t**t and took the space saver out of the vw he traded in stashed in his garage.karma is a bitch.worth checking when picking up a used car

I’d spec a full sized wheel given the choice. I once flatted at the beginning of a 120 mile journey late in the evening, wasn’t looking forward to doing that at 50mph. I was very pleased to discover a full sized spare rather than the space saver I’d assumed was there.

Right, that’s settled it – I’m going to try and get a proper spare.

This happened to me twice on my last car, once in deepest Ayrshire

I live in deepest darkest Ayrshire and managed to break down just over the border in Lanarkshire on the last leg of a 600 mile trip. It was gone midnight and rac reckoned a wait of over an hour to get picked up. After 20 minutes I turned it over and it started. Call the rac and said don’t bother coming for me I’ll just limp home. Rolled 1/3 mile, over Ayrshire border cut out again…… And no signal

Back on topic

Unless the car is particularly fancy pants or new then just go to a scrappy for a wheel and tyre

I live in deepest darkest Ayrshire and managed to break down just over the border in Lanarkshire

Worser and worser… 😉

My understanding is you can only use the foam once

That’s correct.

more importantly, using the foam means no chance of repairing the tyre

That isn’t.

I’ve used foam twice now, and the tyre was repairable both times. They just cleaned out the foam and repaired the tyre as normal.

It’s easy to use, and simpler than changing a wheel by the side of the road.

The downside is obviously that if you have a proper blowout it won’t work.

The upside of that is that if your car wasn’t supplied with a spare when new, the AA/RAC/Green Flag etc, will arrange a mobile tyre fitter to come and fit a new tyre if needed.

Granted, that’s not as fast as fitting a spare, but its an option.

Mine didn’t come with one (missing, rathe than never present)
Got a brand new one, new tyre anyway old wheel, from a breaker’s for £10. Try asking at a few scrappies, doesn’t have to be great if it’s just a spare, will only ever need to do few hundred miles at most before you get the other repaired/replaced.
Can’t beleive anyone would ever drive without one. THere are some punctures a sealent just won’t fix and I’d feel a right berk caling the breakdown people for something I could in 10 minutes myself.

A lot of tyre retailers say you can’t repair a puncture once the foam is used, the tyre manufactures and foam makers don’t agree. If a puncture was repairable before foam it would be after but the effort to clear the foam away is what leads them to say ‘sorry needs a new tyre mate’.
I always acquire a full size spare, the wife had a blow out and the nearest tyre centres didn’t have anything in stock at 5pm on a weeknight, not a problem banged the spare on and sorted it out the next day, her friend with a Touran had the same but at 3pm in the school car park after collecting kids, no spare and to big to use sealant, by the time the breakdown people got there all the garages were shut, so she was recovered home and then recovered into a garage the next day, I know which position I’d want to be in.

40yrs of driving with no punctures so never needed a spare wheel. Current car has no spare, just the pump and sealant

^ you sir, must be at one with your puncture-fu!

I think I’ve had 3 punctures in over a million miles of driving.

Trekster – Member
40yrs of driving with no punctures so never needed a spare wheel. Current car has no spare, just the pump and sealant

which you will be using shortly…