Directional tyre as a spare

[delfinis38 1]

dumb Q...

 

Is it okay to have a directional tyre as a spare ??

 

assume if i have a puncture on the wrong side i shouldn't rag it or do i need to reverse all the way home ?

 

Oh this is a serious Q

[dukest 0]

I've got 5 speedlines and had this dilemma. Typically when I needed it it was the wrong side :( I probably would have risked it if it wasn't wet but I was off on a long journey and I think directional the wrong way in the rain would be very dangerous. If you had to do it under any circumstances keep it very relaxed and change it asap. If it was in the wet I would say 40mph max if at all.

I would guess at it being illegal like a bald tyre would be too.

[CazzaVR 0]

Had this prob with my last 16v. Spoke to a couple of garages, and they said it wouldn't make much difference.

[dukest 0]

even in the wet? i'm surprised - if you've got one tyre cutting through water and one doing the opposite then i'd have thought you'd come unstuck quite easily?

[CazzaVR 0]

Yeh, wouldn't feel comfortable with it in the wet TBH. DG said not to worry too much as it wouldn't make that much difference though :shrug:

[bcstudent 0]

I know a guy that had a directional tyre fitted backwards on his Astra. The road noise was unbelievable but I can't recall if there were any other issues. He didn't really have it on backwards for long enough to test its performance.

[stretch. 0]

I had this particular dilemma on my first car,

 

I'd fitted huge 300 mm brakes from a mondeo to my fiesta, which meant I could only fit 16" alloys over the front.

 

A series of bad luck on one side resulted in me having

 

2 directional tyres, one facing the wrong way.

1 Non directional 13" Steel Spare

1 Non directional 14" Alloy.

 

Talk about unbalanced!

[davidwort 0]

directional tyres seem designed to shed water better, I can't see you'd have much of a problem using one as a spare up to the national speed limit, a VR rated tyre isn't going to shred at 70mph because it's run backwards.

Of course if you are involved in a fatal RTA then the insurance/courts might be a bit funny about it.

[aki 0]

hi

still better than a spacesaver!

andy

[Roger Blassberg 0]

Just think of the dilema I have with my S-Type R Jaguar with different sized wheels and tyres front/rear and directional tyres - no two wheels are the same. So the only options are either a space saver, which looks and performs somewhat poorly compared to a 275mm wide normal tyre, or run-flat tyres which are generally rather harsh and expensive.

 

As has been said already, I doubt if in an emergency, reverse running is a major issue at sensible speeds and it would almost certainly give better control than a space-saver.

 

Why not have a symmetrical tyre on the full size spare wheel - is that legal in tandem with an asymmetrical one on the same axle?

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[davidwort 0]

only one thing to do to be sure:

5_TYRE_003_2.jpg[/attachment:2y6iscyu]

[Roger Blassberg 0]

David,

 

how long have you been saving that picture up, in the hope that it would eventually be useful?? :lol:

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[davidwort 0]

slow day at work :lol:

[Roger Blassberg 0]

Answer or question?

 

Probably both........ :sleeping: I'll do anything to get to the magic 1000 posts

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[colinstubbs 0]

directional and symmetrical tyres on same axle is only a prob at MOT time i would think