Have you ever blown a tire? It's okay, though, right? You have a spare tire. You can switch the blown tire out for the spare and go along with your everyday life, driving like normal. Actually, before you settle back behind the driver's seat, you need to assess the type of tire you are using as a spare. If you have a full-size spare that is just like all of the other tires, yes, you can drive as normal. If you are driving on a smaller-sized spare, or what some people like to call, a donut, you need to consider how fast and how far you actually go.
The sole purpose of the smaller spare tire is to allow you the chance to get off the road and to the nearest repair shop to get your blown tire either repaired or completely replaced. You don't want to drive over the speed of 50 mph on a spare tire. Driving faster or for long distances can damage the vehicle, the wheel, or even things like the transmission.
You never know what might damage your tires. You could drive over a nail and see the tire pressure plummet. You pull over and you can no longer drive on that tire, but it can be fixed. Putting on the spare and taking the full-sized tire in for repairs can help you get to where you need to go. It's hard to take the time out of your life to get the tire fixed when you have a spare on, but it's necessary.
Not a lot of vehicles carry full-sized spare tires, and you need to know what you have. If you are in the process of changing the tire on your vehicle, you will know the difference. The spare tire, if it is a donut, will look much smaller and less durable than your normal tires. It's not hard to tell the difference, even with a quick glance.
If you need tire repair or replacement, or you have other questions about spare tires and what you can do with them, give our auto repair shop a call.