Why new cars dropped the spare
Weight, boot space and a line on a brochure. A lot of current hatches and crossovers leave the factory with a compressor and a bottle of sealant. That kit is cheaper to ship than a wheel. It is not cheaper when you are on the hard shoulder in the rain.
If the well is still in the boot, we can often put a space-saver or a full-size spare back in. If the well was deleted, we will tell you rather than selling you a wheel that will not sit.
Space-saver limits
A space-saver is a get-you-home tyre. The sidewall will say the speed and the distance. Treat those as law, not a suggestion. Do not do a week of school runs on it. Do not do the N25 to Cork on it.
It also has to match the car: PCD, centre bore, and a tyre that the speedo and the ABS can live with for a short hop. A random spare from a breakers is how you find out the bolts do not fit at 11pm.
Full-size spare versus space-saver
A full-size spare that matches the road wheel is the honest kit if the well will take it. Same size, same load, and you can finish the week. A space-saver is smaller, lighter, and only for getting to us.
| Kit | Use | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Space-saver | Get home, then into us | Speed and distance limits on the sidewall |
| Full-size spare | Same as the road wheel | Well size, PCD and offset still have to match |
| Compressor kit | No well in the boot | Sealant can wreck a tyre we could have patched |
Compressor and sealant kits
Sealant in a puncture we could have repaired often means the tyre is scrap. It gums the inside, hides the injury, and can wreck a TPMS sensor. If you already used the can, say so before we take the wheel off.
A compressor on its own is only useful for a slow leak you can still inflate. It will not fix a sidewall. It will not fix a destroyed belt. We will still sell a compressor kit for cars that physically cannot take a spare. We will not pretend it is as good as a wheel.
Vans and 4x4s
A Transit, a dual-purpose 4x4, or anything that tows needs a spare that can take the load, not a pretty space-saver from a hatch. Load index and the well still have to match. Some vans have an underslung spare. Some have nothing. Bring the vehicle if you can.
Will it sit in the well?
Bring the car. We check the well, the PCD, the offset and whether a spare from the same family will actually sit and be tied down. A wheel that rattles in the boot is not a kit. A wheel that will not go on the hub is not a spare.
How to get one
Request a quote. This is not a shop listing. You pay in the workshop when the kit is right.
- Tell us the make, model and year, and whether the car has a well.
- We confirm what will actually fit.
- Collect at Grattan Quay, or we fit the spare and show you the jack points.
What to have ready
- The car if possible
- Make, model and year
- Whether there is a spare well
Need this done?
Request a quote and we call you back. You do not pay labour online. Where: Grattan Quay.