Potential daft question: Spare tyre different size to main tyre

[Mr Bigglesworth]

I was just getting out the jack and realised something I possibly should have recognised a year ago when I got the car.

My main tyres are 225/45/17s. The spare is 205/55/16.

Stupid question time but:

Is this legal?

Asking as I think the overall diameters are going to be the same aren't they. I obviously know that you aren't meant to have different rated tyres on the same axle, but then space savers exist so if it is your spare tyre I'm wondering if there is an exception?



/edited to get the right sizes in!

 

[alexj124]

if the spare was 205/55/16 and not the 225 i'd assume that you used to have the 16'' wheel and the main wheels have been replaced with an aftermarket. As above though get that changed as its next to useless to have in your car.

 

[MPJ88]

I thought it didnt matter what the spare wheel is. Its not even a legal requirement to have one. I asked when i had my MOT done and they said its not.

Even so you'll be fine as long as it works! its only a spare!

 

[Mr Bigglesworth]

Ok, I'll start again - this is exactly why I should write stuff down and not do it from memory

Mains are 225/45/17
Spare is 205/55/16

So the difference is 2mm then? Assume that given tyre wear could be a bit of tolerence going on there...

 

[CupraTurbo81]

Its perfectly legal to use as a spare as long as you don't drive the car over 50mph with it fitted. If its different just treat it like a space saver.

 

[MPJ88]

It's not a legal requirement to have one, but if it does then it has to be suitably safe. i.e. if you took a bald spare to an MOT you'd fail.

Nope they said they dont even look at the spare tyre.

 

[kevlpool24]

I got a 205 55 16 spare my cupra had 16 inch miltispokes on then I upgraded to starfish 17s
205 fine to use has same rolling radius just get it changed soon as possible

 

[Slimy]

Nope they said they dont even look at the spare tyre.

They 'should' do, but they won't fight through a bootload of carp to get to it. I used to have a boot full of speakers in my old Nova, that completely removed the ability to use the spare. It got through 3 MOT's before I found out it was knackered!

 

[mentalmechanic]

i.e. if you took a bald spare to an MOT you'd fail, but if you took it out of the car, you'd pass.

This is incorrect. Spare doesn't come into the MOT test whatsoever.

From an MOT tester..........

 

[Jamie225]

It's not a legal requirement to have one, but if it does then it has to be suitably safe. i.e. if you took a bald spare to an MOT you'd fail, but if you took it out of the car, you'd pass. Ditto things like rear seatbelts on cars not originally equipped, if you take a car in without you're fine, if you take a car in with retrofitted, broken belts, it's a fail. Mixing tyres with a 4cm difference in size definitely doesn't sound safe to me.

Thankfully the OP was mixed up, and actually has a perfectly normal spare, same as me. The difference in diameter is tiny and tbh having a new tyre one side and a part worn tyre the other would probably give you the same 2mm change so as far as I'm concerned they're the same size.

Bull. Spare has nothing to do with mot.

 

[graham463]

i am an an ex mot tester it is just an advisory when it comes to spares but then all the mot testing is vague

 

[Slimy]

i am an an ex mot tester it is just an advisory when it comes to spares but then all the mot testing is vague

Too right, hence people find their 'favourite' MOT tester whose intepretation of the rules is a little more relaxed than others.

I'm sure I've had at least one car fail due to a bald spare though....