There are two things to consider when determining how long you can drive on a temporary spare tire. Those factors are distance and speed. You Should NOT drive on a donut for more than 50-70 miles. However, you can stretch this range to 90 miles or so if absolutely needed.
How To Put On a Spare Tire
Extra mileage is not a good idea, these tires are temporary for a reason. You should not attempt to drive long distances on these tires. Temporary spare tires come with such little tread to begin with.
You don’t patch a spare tire for the same reason you don’t patch a solo cup. It’s temporary cheap junk.
Tweet
Temporary spare tires are not designed to take on poor road conditions. They won’t be the same as a normal tire. So, any bump, projectile, or road hazard could cause your donut tire to blow out.
You can use a spare tire more than once. Just remember to check the tires wear conditions and PSI before using. If the tire does not pass the safety check, you should not use the spare tire. This means you need to buy a new tire.
Advertisements
Spare Tire and JackWhat PSI Should a Donut BeUnderstanding what PSI your tire should be at is critical to the safety of you, your car, and your passengers. A tire should be replaced, with a donut, when one of your tires blows out or goes flat.
A donut spare tire should have a pressure of 60 pounds per square inch (PSI). HOWEVER, you should always check your vehicle’s manual to find the correct pressure for your spare tire. Before you put your spare tire on your car or truck, there are a few things you need to check.
Digital Tire Pressure Gauge
Designed to maintain correct tire pressure, reduce tire wear and extend tire life; Digital display reading instantly and clearly being shown, no longer do the guesswork of analog gauges!
Buy Now
First and foremost, check your donuts air pressure.
If your temporary spare tire is under inflated it is important to pump more air into it before driving off. It is important to keep a portable tire inflator in your vehicle’s trunk or car storage areas at all times in case of emergencies.
Another important safety factor that you need to take into consideration when replacing your tire with your temporary spare, is your other tires sizes. If your tires are not factory or stock, your donut tire may not allow your car to ride properly if installed with your new aftermarket wheels. It is always best practice to get a new spare tire if you upgrade your wheels.
How Fast Can You Drive on a Spare TireThe second factor of safety to take into consideration when replacing a flat tire is the speed your spare tire can handle. How fast you drive on a temporary spare tire depends on your particular spare tire’s ratings. As a general rule of thumb you should never travel over 50 miles per hour (MPH) on your donut tire.
It is best to avoid the freeway, to keep your speed down. Traveling at a speed greater than 50 MPH could cause further damage to your car or truck.
Life is fast. Are you living for what matters?
Tweet
When regarding load capacity, speed capability, or all-weather traction, temporary tires are NOT designed the same as a normal tire. It is very important to check your vehicle’s owner’s manual and/or the temporary spare’s sidewall for instructions on proper use. This simple preventative measure could prevent a wreck, severe injury, or even death.
Your vehicles braking, handling, and cornering characteristics are going to decrease when driving on a donut tire. The donut tire will decrease your vehicle’s braking and handling due to that fact that it is smaller in size when compared to your other tires.
Additionally, your vehicle leans to or dips in the direction that the donut tire is. With this in mind, your vehicle will tend to pull where the spare tire is located.
It is super important to understand what driving on a donut is going to feel/be like before taking off.
When looking to purchase a spare tire, it is important to know the difference between a spare tire and a donut tire/temporary spare tire.
A spare tire is a tire that is identical to the tires that are currently on your vehicle. This means that, that spare tire has the same load capacity, speed capability, or all-weather traction. These spare tires are typically on trucks, jeeps, or larger vehicles.
Unlike a spare tire, God is not a back up plan.
Tweet
A temporary spare tire, aka a donut tire, is a smaller tire. A temporary spare tire provides you with short or temporary means of transportation. These types of tires are usually on/in cars or smaller vehicles.
Now that you know the difference, it’s important to know where to buy the best and cheapest donut or spare tire(s).
The answer is, some donut tires can be bought online for as low as $40. These tires are far more expensive at a tire retailer or mechanic shop. Where a spare tire can range dramatically is when it comes to the size and brand.
A temporary spare tire can not be fixed or patched and is meant for limited use. The rubber simply isn’t thick enough to hold a plug reliably.
These tires have no belt and little to no tread. Most importantly, these tires are not reinforced. This means that these tires are already “fragile”. Drive on these tires with caution.
The temporary spare tire is simply made to get you to the repair facility you had your new tires shipped to. Find the right tires to ship to your local dealer!
Symptoms of Spare TiresThere aren’t specifically symptoms of a spare tire, more so, there are signs that you need to put on your spare tire.
Signs you need to put on your spare tire:
Spare tires are not always included with the purchase of a brand new car, but their importance makes them a necessary addition to the essential on-road equipment. Because it’s seldom used, spare tires spend years beneath the carpeting of the trunk or attached to the vehicle’s undercarriage, slowly deflating over time. By the time you need it, it might already be deflated beyond the point of usability, defeating its purpose.
In this guide, I’ll teach you what the standard spare tire air pressure should be, and ways to refill it on the road. So stick around and learn a few useful tricks that will certainly pay off at some point!
Space saver spare tires have to be filled with much more air than standard, full-sized tires.
The smaller dimensions, especially the contact surface are the reason why spare tires need more air. The best way to find the exact pressure needed for your spare tire is to check the markings on it. If you have never used it, you’ll find a piece of paper with useful information attached to the tire.
Alternatively, you can take the dimensions of the tire and search for appropriate tire pressure. You don’t need the entire specification, just the three dimensions. Here’s an example of what it looks like: 225/70 R 16.
The first, triple-digit number tells you the width of the tire while the second is for the aspect ratio. The letter R is for radial construction, which is the widespread standard, while the last two-digit number tells you the rim diameter. They’re followed by an additional load index, which is important for full-sized tires, but not as much for spare tires.
Another way of figuring out tire pressure is to open the driver’s door and look at the plate located on the B-column (column between driver and rear passenger door).
This plate can also be found on the inside of the gas cap. It illustrates different use scenarios and tire pressures you should use. Spare tire information isn’t always there, but it’s worth check as it only takes a second.
In general, space saver tires are pressurized to 60 PSI or 4 BAR. This might seem like a lot, but as previously explained, smaller tires need higher pressure to keep up with the weight. To put it in perspective, the slim tires used on professional bicycles can go as high as 130 PSI! If you were to pressurize a space-saver to the levels used by full-sized tires, you’d risk wheel damage
Full-sized spare tires are typically included with trucks, SUVs, and other heavier vehicles as they need to endure the extra load. If your vehicle didn’t come with a spare tire, and you’ve got room in the trunk to spare, buying a steel-rimmed wheel and an extra tire is a great way to solve the problem. If you happen to have two sets of wheels for different seasons, it’s completely okay to use a tire from an alternating set as a backup.
There’s a distinction between a full-sized spare and a regular tire used as a spare. the actual full-sized spare tire has the right diameter but is not as wide as other tires. It requires somewhere between 30 and 60 PSI, but it’s best to use markings on it to find the actual pressure. To get the best results out of a regular tire used as a spare, apply pressure equal to the amount used for front tires.
There are several methods you can use to get your spare tire pressurized to usable levels. The next time you’re at a gas stop or passing by a tire dealership, you can use their self-service air compressor to refill your spare for free or at a symbolic cost.
If you don’t mind breaking a sweat, a manual foot air pump is one of the cheapest tools at your disposal. It comes with a built-in pressure gauge so you know when to stop.
For a marginally higher price, you can get a portable air compressor that uses the power from a 12-volt output or the cigarette lighter port to fill up the tire.
I strongly recommend buying a portable air compressor as it is very cheap and will come in handy at some point.
One of the worst-case scenarios when driving is passing over the same tire-piercing object with both the front and back tire. Even if you replace one tire with the spare, you’ve still got one deflated tire left. In those cases, an inexpensive can of tire inflator and sealant will save you a lot of time and hundreds of dollars. With pressure to fill a full-sized tire, you can use it to get back on the road and reach the nearest tire dealer.
The most convenient way of checking the pressure in your spare tire is by using a tire pressure monitor. However, if you already have a manual or electric air pump, attaching it to the tire valve will give you the same results.
When a vehicle is designed, tires are one of the limiting factors in terms of cornering, braking, accelerating, and enduring high speeds.
This is why Formula 1 cars have massive slick tires to harness all that energy and performance. Space-saver tires go in the opposite direction. They sacrifice performance for a decrease in weight and size, which is why you should only use them to get to the nearest tire dealer and never go above 50 mph.
I do not recommend going for the upper limit of your tires, because they are not only affected by heat or cold weather but also high-speed driving and cornering. To be extra safe, pressure your tires to a few PSI below the specified amount.
A full-sized tire should be pressurized to 30 – 40 PSI, but it can endure up to 200 PSI before exploding. However, you should under no circumstances exceed the limit specified by the tire manufacturer, as overpressurizing tires can lead to serious injury, or loss of control while driving.
The space-saver spare tire isn’t built for long-distance travel nor high speeds.
The rule of thumb is to drive up to 50 miles without exceeding 50 mph. Go any longer, and you risk damage to the transmission, tire itself, and other components.
If haven’t been using your spare tire, it can last up to eight years, but the storage space will also affect its lifespan. A tire stored inside the trunk can last longer than one mounted underneath the vehicle.
Pressurizing your spare tire is a really simple process and you can even do it for free. With a space-saver tire, keep the pressure around 60 psi, while full-sized spares take the same amount of air as your standard tires. Preparation is key, so always check the condition of your spare tire before a major trip, and keep a portable air compressor and a tire inflator can in the trunk.
You may find these similar articles about tire pressure useful:
Low Tire Pressure Light but Tires Are Fine: Reasons & How to Fix
Where Is The TPMS Reset Button On A Hyundai Elantra?
How To Put Air in Tires Without a Gauge
Home / Articles / How to check tire pressure correctly
The tire contains air, but this air tends to go out and little by little the tire goes down.
The pressure in the tire drops, which entails certain consequences. Because the tire distorts more under load, the tire heats up more and wears out much faster. Control accuracy deteriorates and fuel consumption increases. In the worst case, this will lead to loss of control of the car and the tire may burst. Therefore, it is extremely important to constantly check the pressure in car tires. However, this operation requires some explanation.
In fact, the required tire pressure for various types of machines is usually given for cold tires.
In fact, the required tire pressure for various types of machines is usually given for cold tires. It's a tire that hasn't moved for at least the last two hours. The tire heats up quickly. For example, already after 3 kilometers of slow driving around the city. This means that in most cases the tire will be hot during the pressure test. In this case, it is considered normal that the pressure, which increases with increasing temperature, will be higher than that set for the cold Shiga.
More precisely, the pressure in hot tires should exceed the pressure in cold ones by 0.3 atmospheres. If this is not the case, the pressure should be brought back to normal. For example, let's take a tire in a cold state and a recommended pressure of 2 atmospheres. After the trip, the tire has warmed up, and the pressure gauge shows a pressure of about 2.1 atmospheres. Although this pressure is higher than recommended for cold ones, nevertheless, the tires can be pumped up by about two tenths of an atmosphere, that is, in order to reach the normal figure for a hot tire of 2.3 atmospheres.
What to do if the pressure gauge reads more than 2.3 tenths of an atmosphere? Then the golden rule applies - never run a burning tire. In other circumstances, more pressure than recommended may be required, such as 0.2 atmosphere more if you plan to drive on the highway for more than 2 hours. Or 0.3-0.4 more, in case of using a trailer. Or even more, if recommended by the manufacturer. As you can see, tire pressure requires special attention.
It is necessary to check the pressure at least monthly, and systematically before long trips. Don't forget to screw the caps back on the nipples. And one more thing. Check the pressure in the spare tire as well.
How do we work?
Contact us
By phone or leave a request on the site.
The manager of the company will contact you and place an order
Will specify your order. Give an estimate of the cost of the work.
A master will come to you and perform services
All equipment for this will be in a special van.
If you need advice,
just tell our operator about your problem
+7 (495) 374-89-07
You can also contact us through the website by leaving a request.
| Order a pickup. |
Call now and in 1 minute mobile tire service will go to you.
| Call a technician |
Inconsistency with the prescribed tire pressure leads to a significant hole in the family budget.
Let's figure out how to keep tires in good condition, and what dangers warn the driver.
Every year cars require less care from the owner. In the past, before each trip, the driver checked the oil and coolant levels in the engine, thoughtfully kicked the wheels. Those times are gone. Now the car owner calls in for maintenance in a timely manner, and fills in the washer fluid - if the vehicle does not present surprises, then the service ends there. They pay attention to the wheels only during the seasonal change or damage, forgetting that a mismatch in tire pressure can cause increased wear and even an accident!
The manufacturer always indicates the optimal pressure in the tires of passenger cars in the service book. This information is duplicated most often on the door pillar, for some models - on the inside of the gas tank cap or glove compartment. The numbers are clear and understandable. Pressure parameters are indicated corresponding to the allowable tire size at a certain load.
Loading is shown by the number of passengers, so even the blonde from the joke can determine the correct value. However, few people follow the wheels. It seems to be not blown away, we will assume that everything is fine!
If the tire is overinflated, its bearing surface becomes convex and there is increased wear in the center of the tire. Friction is slightly reduced and with it fuel consumption when driving on a flat road. But the savings are not justified, because in addition to damage to the tires, handling suffers. When driving at high speed, heating occurs, which is fraught with trouble, up to the explosion of the wheel.
The reverse situation is that there is not enough pressure. The sidewall of the wheel is excessively deformed, the rubber becomes unusable. There were cases when, when hitting an obstacle, the disk was deformed. There is an old "jeeper" trick: when driving off-road, the pressure is released to about 1 atmosphere. In the mud, the wheels begin to work more efficiently.-Step-20.jpg/aid7809351-v4-728px-Change-a-Tire-on-a-1999%E2%80%902004-Jeep-Grand-Cherokee-(WJ)-Step-20.jpg)
But the pressure will be insufficient, then the rubber breaks off the rim, and fixing tubeless tires in the field is not so easy. When leaving on a good road surface, you need to return the pressure to normal, which requires powerful compressors, the budget ones will push for 20 minutes and overheat.
Riding on under-inflated tires is dangerous: both handling and braking dynamics are reduced.
The conclusion is clear - car tire pressure control is needed every two weeks. Mandatory before a long run. Do not forget about the spare wheel, check its condition once a season.
Rule of thumb: pressure is checked on cold tires. When moving, the air heats up, and the pressure increases by 0.2-0.3 bar. If one side of the machine is in the shade and the other is in the sun, uneven heating occurs. It is not so easy to determine the correct adjustments, so in this case it is better to refrain from checking.
The outside temperature is also important.
Tires inflated in the summer heat will show insufficient pressure in the fall. In winter, the pressure difference in the wheels of a car standing in a heated garage and on the street reaches 0.1-0.2 bar. It is clear that the check is carried out where the car drives - directly on the street.
We habitually measure pressure in atmospheres, although bars appear on most pressure gauges produced abroad. Both bars and atmospheres have a dual meaning: physical and meteorological. Today we are interested in the physical.
1 bar = 1 dyne/cm 2 . Ding - a unit of force
In the system of units of the MKGSS, the technical or, as it is also called, the metric atmosphere appears. It is defined as the pressure produced by a force of 1 kgf per square centimeter. 1 atm = 1 kgf/cm 2 .
The difference between bar and technical atmosphere is small: 1 bar = 1.0197 kgf/cm 2 . Such differences do not go beyond the error of a household pressure gauge, so you don’t have to rack your brains on how to measure pressure - in atmospheres or in bars.
In the instructions of some machines may appear psi - pounds per square inch. 1 atm = 14.2 psi. Translating numbers is troublesome, so it's easier to get a pressure gauge with the right measurement scale.
It is impossible to determine the pressure in all the wheels of the car by eye. A slight difference from the prescribed one is practically invisible, modern tires hold pressure, even if they catch a nail. It is clear that this pressure is not normal. For example, in a wheel with several nails, 1 atm is stored, which only an experienced driver will feel. So you can't do without a manometer.
Inexpensive compressors are equipped with primitive pressure gauges, on the scale of which it is difficult to see tenths. Therefore, a manual pressure gauge is useful on the farm: it shows the data more accurately and it is easier for them to check the pressure.
Mechanical (pointer) pressure gauges are inexpensive and functional.
There are additional buttons for resetting indicators and bleeding air. Usually, 2-3 measurements are made with such equipment, since it is not possible to immediately press the pressure gauge against the tire nipple accurately. Mechanical equipment begins to show incorrect data when moisture enters. Mechanics are less precise than electronics. There is a subspecies of mechanical pressure gauges - rack and pinion. They look like a ballpoint pen, the readings are changed by a cylindrical spring. The thing is fragile, it is not in special demand, and therefore it is little represented in stores.
Electronic pressure gauges rule the roost. They are comfortable, there is a backlight, to switch the measurement scale, just press the button. It would seem - live and rejoice. But such pressure gauges also have disadvantages: they are more expensive than mechanical ones, they fail at low temperatures or refuse to work at all, they suddenly discharge, and they show a significant error when the battery is low.
