[MelWA]

I agree 100 percent with banning space saver tyres, for the simple reason that they wouldn't last 10 minutes in the middle of nowhere on a 45 degree day.  I also don't like the indicator stalk on the left.

[eye30]

space saver tyres,

They are just a "get me home" tyre no more no less.

[Lakes]

space saver tyres,

They are just a "get me home" tyre no more no less.

Hi eye, well like MelWA say's, here in Australia they are not very usefull in getting you home, unless all your driving is in or close to a city. if you are traveling you could be a very very long way from help. & if the temps are up in the 40c road temps will be plus 50c, if your traveling you could have the car loaded up the space saver would not be safe as you can drive slow on outback roads.
but what i say is while people still buy cars that come with space savers. they will stay. hyundai did the right thing putting full size spare.

[eye30]

hyundai did the right thing putting full size spare.

I take on board what you save re heat etc but here in UK I would say 99.9% of roads are tarmac and temperatures, well if they reached 40C, in dreams.

Unfortunately I have 1 of those space savers.  I would have prefered a full size.
 I understand later models now get full size.

[Lakes]

hyundai did the right thing putting full size spare.

well can understand how you feel. i drive in some medium remote area's that get very hot and it's tarmac but very rough as no road maintainance to speak of, unless your lucky. also it's hard to find somewere to pull off and have a nice flat spot or enough room to change the tyre, jack car up, with that dicy wind up jack we get. then if all goes ok and you can get the spare on ok. it would be risky getting to the next town on the space saver. but so far 55,000k not one flat. ( that will probably happen next weekend on my next trip out there LOL)
cheers

I take on board what you save re heat etc but here in UK I would say 99.9% of roads are tarmac and temperatures, well if they reached 40C, in dreams.

Unfortunately I have 1 of those space savers.  I would have prefered a full size.
 I understand later models now get full size.

[MelWA]

Yeah, a space saver is supposed to only be used to get you from where you got a flat tyre to the nearest tyre repair shop.  Having said that, you wouldn't want to be stuck with only a space saver spare on the Nullarbor Plain where it is several hundred kilometres between roadhouses.  I wouldn't want to have to use a space saver where we live.  In summer the tar on the road melts - it has been 45C for the last few days.  I can't believe people actually try to sell them and expect to get money for them.  IMO the best place for space savers is the rubbish dump.  I'm sure some people don't realise they are for temporary use and that they must never be used on the front.  I wonder what happens, from an insurance point of view, in the event someone puts the space saver on the front and loses control of the car.

[eye30]

I'm sure some people don't realise they are for temporary use and that they must never be used on the front.  I wonder what happens, from an insurance point of view, in the event someone puts the space saver on the front and loses control of the car.

Not aware of such restriction in UK.

I think this was covered some time ago and had acknowledgement that they are OK for ALL corners of the car.

[tk421]

I went to have a look at this site and found an interesting article by Alborz Fallah on the topic of “badge snobs”. It was titled “2009 Hyundai i30 Review and Road Test” but there’s not a lot of specific information about the car. It seems to focus more on why the i30 has failed to sell as well as its competitors despite the fact that it is one of the best cars in its class. Strangely enough, the badge snobs seem to have avoided making any comments about this article.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/23244/2009-hyundai-i30-road-test/

On the topic of space savers… I had a space saver for my old Civic – and promptly replaced it with a full size spare before I drove across the Nullarbor. If I had my way, space savers would be banned. They only compromise safety for the sake of saving a few dollars – not worth it.

Tim 

[babis_xo]

Am i considered as the only one here, who "hates" full-size spare wheels? (*)
I have two kids and luggages hardly fits in the -considerable- smaller trunk.
So, i think that companies make their choices according to the their marketing policy as they try to serve more customers.
(besides, someone has to be devil's advocate )

(*) said that, i hope that i'm not getting a flat tyre soon...

[Dazzler]

Am i considered as the only one here, who "hates" full-size spare wheels? (*)
I have two kids and luggages hardly fits in the -considerable- smaller trunk.
So, i think that companies make their choices according to the their marketing policy as they try to serve more customers.
(besides, someone has to be devil's advocate )

(*) said that, i hope that i'm not getting a flat tyre soon...

Good on you for sticking to your beliefs.. but in the case of the i30 I don't think the difference in boot space between those with and those without is very much from the photos i've seen of eye30's boot....

[babis_xo]

Am i considered as the only one here, who "hates" full-size spare wheels? (*)
I have two kids and luggages hardly fits in the -considerable- smaller trunk.
So, i think that companies make their choices according to the their marketing policy as they try to serve more customers.
(besides, someone has to be devil's advocate )

(*) said that, i hope that i'm not getting a flat tyre soon...

Good on you for sticking to your beliefs.. but in the case of the i30 I don't think the difference in boot space between those with and those without is very much from the photos i've seen of eye30's boot....

Believe me Dazz, the 7cm difference in height is critical for me, as i struggle to fit all that uselless kid-stuff which my wife wants to carry with us every time
Though, i'm sure that i'd have the same problem, even if the trunk capacity was 800lt... greedy women...

[babis_xo]

(continued)
...not to mention the stuff we have to carry after a visit to my parents: fresh fruits, vegetables, all kind of pies, mousaka, youvarlakia...

[MelWA]

eye30 - I'm positive a space saver should not be used on the front.  Having one of those one one side and a normal wheel and tyre on the other side would surely have an adverse effect on steering and handling.

[bumpkin]

Surely that is why space-savers are speed restricted, you are not supposed to be trying to get maximum handling in the event of having to use it, just enough to get you home/to a garage.

The effect of a having the space saver on the front less of a "handful" than a deflating normal tyre and so is safer than that scenario.

I also don't mind having the space saver, the extra £400 for an MS 18" and tyre, the additional weight and the loss of 7cm depth in the boot for something which you are hopefully not going to need with any regularity is just not worth it.

[rushandy]

Yeah, I'm very much in preference for a space saver, but like others have said, that's because I live in the UK where all roads are tarmacced (sp?) and I'm unlikely to be more than 20 miles away from a tyre shop - unless I'm in the Scottish Highlands or somewhere similarly remote. Given that scenario I'm happy to get a cost saving and a tad more boot space.

If I lived in Oz, and regularly did drives where there was nothing for miles and miles and getting stranded could leave me in a serious predicament, I might not be so keen.

[eye30]

eye30 - I'm positive a space saver should not be used on the front.  Having one of those one one side and a normal wheel and tyre on the other side would surely have an adverse effect on steering and handling.

Auto Express article:
Traditional spare tyres are becoming a thing of the past – but can you rely on the skinny rubber in your car’s boot?

Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/230895/are_spacesavers_safe.html#ixzz0gHjkkmaL


I can't find any legal rule which says they can't be used on the front in the UK but I'm calling into the dealers this week so I'll ask for their opinion.

[Lakes]

Am i considered as the only one here, who "hates" full-size spare wheels? (*)
I have two kids and luggages hardly fits in the -considerable- smaller trunk.
So, i think that companies make their choices according to the their marketing policy as they try to serve more customers.
(besides, someone has to be devil's advocate )

(*) said that, i hope that i'm not getting a flat tyre soon...

eye30 - I'm positive a space saver should not be used on the front.  Having one of those one one side and a normal wheel and tyre on the other side would surely have an adverse effect on steering and handling.

Mel, i saw a new Mazda 3 last week with a space saver on one front side, it looked unsafe even at the crawling pace the guy driving was going at. he looked like he was expecting himself. Mel i think some people just use them to replace a flat no matter.

[bumpkin]

One of the guys I work with had his front offside alloy destroyed by one of our famous potholes last week and he continued the journey into work in the snow quite safely in his Volvo V70.

[Dazzler]

7cm (I can see where an extra 7cm could be handy) 

I didn't realise it was that much - in the photo on here of eye30's boot it only looked like about 3cm at the most...

In Aus where you get an alloy spare in the SLX and SR it is good if you happen to scratch an alloy you can just swap it with the spare 

[babis_xo]

7cm (I can see where an extra 7cm could be handy)  

 

well, the extra storage underneath, can be handy too if you want to keep there little things like cond...errr...ensers and other electrical stuff

[tk421]

OK… so you’re driving along in your fully laden vehicle, utilising every inch of boot space available (including the extra 7cm of boot space because you have a space saver), and suddenly you experience a tire blow out! You change the tire (possibly having to swap the wheels around because you don’t want a space saver on the front). Suddenly it dawns on you…

Where are you going to put the full sized wheel???!!!

Do you:
A) Leave the full-sized flat behind, or
B) Leave one of the kids behind, or
C) Leave luggage behind, or
D) Leave the missus behind (this would be my choice, because she will be continually reminding you of what an idiot you are, and that it’s all your fault!)

Tim 

[2i30s]

 

[Shambles]

* Shambles ducks the grenade lobbed in by Tim *

[babis_xo]

OK… so you’re driving along in your fully laden vehicle, utilising every inch of boot space available (including the extra 7cm of boot space because you have a space saver), and suddenly you experience a tire blow out! You change the tire (possibly having to swap the wheels around because you don’t want a space saver on the front). Suddenly it dawns on you…

Where are you going to put the full sized wheel???!!!

Do you:
A) Leave the full-sized flat behind, or
B) Leave one of the kids behind, or
C) Leave luggage behind, or
D) Leave the missus behind (this would be my choice, because she will be continually reminding you of what an idiot you are, and that it’s all your fault!)

Tim  

...what can i say Tim? I have no answer to that

Although, here is a solution(?) which can keep both of us happy (from one of my old designs, back in 1994):



It's a matter of priorities

[Surferdude]

Just to confirm there are no laws in Australia which ban the use of space savers on the front of a car.
Offset is the thing which governs steering stability and control and the space saver's offset is designed to ensure stability.
In my opinion, the worst thing about them is that they are of a smaller diameter than the full sized wheel so (front or rear, 2WD or 4WD), they are screwing with your diff.
Having said that, I believe they are an aberration and should not be allowed.
As someone has already pointed out, when you change your flat tyre and want to transport it with you to a garage for repair, where do you put it? Especially if you are travelling and loaded up with luggage and people. I have seen more than one seat trim ruined by brake dust and mud because in desperation the driver threw the wheel on the back seat.

[Shambles]

For those who are getting a thirst for this subject matter, there's more here

[Lorian]

It's a matter of priorities

I think I'd rather keep the fuel tank.

[bumpkin]

OK… so you’re driving along in your fully laden vehicle, utilising every inch of boot space available (including the extra 7cm of boot space because you have a space saver), and suddenly you experience a tire blow out! You change the tire (possibly having to swap the wheels around because you don’t want a space saver on the front). Suddenly it dawns on you…

Where are you going to put the full sized wheel???!!!

Do you:
A) Leave the full-sized flat behind, or
B) Leave one of the kids behind, or
C) Leave luggage behind, or
D) Leave the missus behind (this would be my choice, because she will be continually reminding you of what an idiot you are, and that it’s all your fault!)

Tim 

bumpkin picks up grenade..........

lob...........

E)The missus has a lap, ideal storage for a few hundred clicks whilst trying to find a tyre repair shop.

[tk421]

I had a look in the owners manual regarding "compact spares", and it does list a series of precautions to be taken when using a compact spare.

As far as installation on the front axle is concerned, the only thing I can find is:

"The compact spare tyre should not be installed on the front axle if the vehicle must be driven in snow or ice"

Tim 

Sorry for my misspelling of the word 'tyre' - I must have been 'tired' 

[Lorian]

A few miles at less then 30mph to the nearest garage in an emergency sure. I'd still put it on the back.