All cars come equipped with a spare tyre or some form of a tyre repair kit. This is to ensure that in the unfortunate case where your car’s tyre is in an undrivable condition, you will be able to take temporary measures to drive your car to a repair shop.
The spare tyre of a car is often kept in a recessed area inside the trunk, under the car, or mounted externally depending on various factors such as the tyre size and available space.
Full-size spare tyre
Some cars come with a full-sized spare tyre, which is an identical copy of the existing wheels installed on the car. This allows for the full function of your car even after you have replaced your tyre, as it is essentially the same thing. The only downside to a full-sized spare tyre is that it adds more weight to your car and takes up space that could have been used for storage and other purposes.
Space-saver spare tyre
Also called a donut spare tyre, these spares are usually smaller in size, and closely resembles a donut (hence its name), and can only be temporarily used for short distances at a slow speed as it’s smaller than all the other tyres on the car, greatly affecting the handling of the vehicle. The benefit of space-saver spare tyres is that they’re able to save up space and are lighter in weight when compared to a full-sized spare tyre.
Tyre repair kit
Some modern cars have even outright omitted the spare tyre and instead opted for a tyre repair kit stored inside the car. Tyre repair kits work by patching holes in the tyre, and is not a permanent fix as the damaged tyre should always be replaced when damaged. Tyre repair kits consume the least space and are the lightest when compared to other alternatives, but if your tyre has more than just a hole in it, you’re out of luck.
Note: Because the spare tyre is also a tyre, it too needs to be maintained properly to ensure safe use by making sure that it is always inflated, as well as changing out the tyre if it’s too old. It is also not advised to use parts from other car models as it may not be compatible with yours.