Having a spare tyre for your vehicle is a legal requirement – so always make sure yours is in good condition and that you know what to do with it if the need arises!

Most spare tyres are kept under boot compartment, either inside or underneath the car. There should also be a car jack and locking wheel nut tool alongside it to aid with changing the tyre. Some people’s worst nightmare is changing a tyre by the side of a busy motorway (possibly in a thunderstorm, just to make it a little more difficult), but anyone can do it if you take your time and follow each step in your manual methodically.

Tyres can need changing if they become flat or are damaged – sometimes it’s unnoticeable until it’s too late, sometimes you’ll be very aware that something is wrong with your tyre. Some spare tyres are temporary, known as ‘mini spares’, which are more compact and only really meant to get you home or to a garage – many space saver tyres cannot be driven at high speeds (over 50mph for example) so be extra safe when using one of these.

If you have trouble changing a tyre, or are in a particularly dangerous place when you break down, then call your breakdown service, or a Grippy engineer, who will be able to get to you and help you get home with a brand new tyre. We stock high quality, low priced tyres for your day-to-day tyres as well as your spares, and can repair, reinflate and replace damaged and flat tyres, as well as adjusting wheel balance and alignment. If you’re ever unsure about the integrity of your tyres, please pay us a visit and we’ll do our best to keep you safely on the road.