It’ll happen. You’ll have to change that tire to a spare, then drive on that tire to get home after a long day of work. It’ll be late by the time you squeeze in to parallel park just a few blocks away, since everyone else took the close spots before you.
You head to bed thinking, “I need to go to the tire shop tomorrow”. But tomorrow turns into a week, and suddenly you realize you’re still rolling on a spare donut tire.
This raises two questions: how long can you drive on a spare tire, and how fast?
Full-Size Spare
How Far Can You Drive on a Full-Size Spare?
It all really depends on your tire and your tire age. If you have a 15-year-old car and you’re the third owner, you might look in the spare compartment and find a full-size, rusted-out spare.
The rubber may be dry and cracked, which won’t do you any good when you’re trying to maneuver away from a moose crossing the road, but I know from personal experience they’ll still get you to where you’re going. Maybe avoid the highway and take the side roads to be safe?
How Fast Can You Go on a Full-Size Spare?
This depends on what brand of spare you have and how old it is. A lot of truck drivers and off-roaders carry 5 full-size tires on their vehicles. This way, they can rotate the five tires so they wear evenly, which actually increases the life of all 5 by 20%! Just be sure they are all balanced.
If that’s the case, you´ll still be able to go as fast as you would have with normal tires. You’ll just want to get that flat fixed so you don’t forget and are left with a flat as your spare when you get a blowout of another.
Donut Spare (Space-Saver)
How Far Can You Drive on a Donut?
All indications are that most mechanics are in agreement that never drive more than 70 miles on a donut. I’m not exactly sure why that figure was used—whether it’s because of what the space saver tire is, and no more, or possibly 70 miles is how long it should take you to get home and to a tire shop the next day.
But if you’ve ever driven on a space saver “donut” tire, you well know they are fairly useless for day-to-day driving and far from reassuring. But they can weigh as little as 20 pounds and make your vehicle considerably more gas-efficient (as opposed to being a gas-guzzler when lugging a wheel and a full tire)!
Note: Your space-saver spare likely will NOT come with a tire pressure monitor sensor, so don’t be alarmed when your TPMS light appears on your dashboard. Next, when your original tire is fixed and the wheel that goes with it is back on, the TPMS should reset itself after a while, and the light will go out.
How Fast Can You Go on a Donut?
Short Answer: I wouldn’t push it.
Longer Answer: These tires are obviously far smaller than the flat tires that you just replaced, and you may even notice your car is sitting a bit lower to the ground on the recently replaced corner.
This caused uneven tire wear, and speeding up would only amplify the effect.
Most of these tires had a disclaimer printed on the rim that read something to the effect of “Do not exceed 50mph on this wheel”. This was sound advice, the prudent suggestion of an engineer who tested these wheels at higher limits, and I imagine something bad happened.
Run-Flat Tire (After a Puncture)
Run-Flats are another of the spare tire types and are a great option for people looking to shed weight from their vehicle, ditching the donut altogether, along with the repair gear that goes along with that.
Contrary to what you might think, it can still be punctured and should also be handled with care.
How Far Can You Drive on a Punctured Run-Flat?
You can go approximately 50 miles on a punctured run-flat. This is because the safety features are built into the sidewalls of the tire, enabling your car to keep rolling down the road.
Of course, if it’s a really bumpy road, you would make out differently, and you’d surely wear down the sidewall structure, but I’d keep it to 50 miles or so. You really don’t want to end up on the side of the road.
How Fast Can You Go on a Punctured Run-Flat?
Bridgestone (one of the four largest tire companies) suggests one should not exceed 50 miles per hour on a punctured run-flat tire. Another problem is, your vehicle’s handling/braking/suspension will be compromised going above that speed.
Can You Repair a Run-Flat Tire?
You can patch anything, but it’s almost impossible to tell if you did any damage on the inside of the run-flat tire, so that’s why most tire manufacturers tell you to discard them after getting a hole.
How Often Should a Spare Tire Be Replaced?
Most tires have a shelf-life of about 10 years from the date of manufacture, so if your car is that old and you’re still rolling on the factory tires, it’s time for an upgrade.
Look closely at that sidewall. Is it cracked? Is it dry? Is the tread almost non-existent? If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you should throw that baby out. Start here to arrive at a replacement.
Treat your spare tire like you’d treat a Band-Aid.
Temporary: just there to help you limp on home after a horrible day. And check your tire pressure frequently to be sure you’re within manufacturer-recommended PSI!
Can You Drive on a Spare Tire For a Week?
No, you should not drive on a spare donut tire for a week. Donuts are designed for short–term use only, and they should be replaced as soon as possible with a regular tire. Driving on a spare tire for an extended period of time can cause the tire to wear out more quickly, and it can also present a safety hazard.
If using a full-size spare, it’s still not a good idea to drive on it for a full week since its condition and/or specifications may not make it suitable to drive on it full-time.
Additionally, what happens if you get another flat tire while the spare tire is in use? Now you have no backup, and you have to worry about getting AAA or mobile tire service out to your location to get you out of your predicament.