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A debate is going on about spare wheels and tyres fitted as standard. Should manufacturers continue to provide a full sized spare wheel, a skinny emergency wheel or fit run flat tyres that would enable manufacturers to not fit any spare at all? Puncture callouts to the RAC and AA are increasing, in 2002 the RAC was called out 160,908 times but by 2007 this had risen to 230,196, whilst the AA was called out 330,000 times. Of course this is not simply because we are getting more punctures but more likely to be our fear of changing wheels on the side of a busy road or motorway or in a remote area. Having a full sized spare means that each car is carrying extra weight, that will affect fuel consumption and also means that 25% more rubber is provided for each car than is used at any one point in time. One solution is to fit the skinny emergency tyres that are less weight and use less rubber but of course there are severe limitations on speed and the length of time you can drive your car on one of these wheels. So whilst you could continue to drive your car on a full sized spare, until it was convenient to get the puncture repaired, the puncture has to be repaired more quickly if you are driving about on a skinny wheel, it looks ugly too! So could the answer be run flat tyres. More manufacturers are considering this option as tyre quality improves to give similar driving qualities to the equivalent traditional tyres. Run flat tyres can only be fitted onto cars that detect tyre pressures, as it would be difficult to tell if you have a puncture. They work by having a strengthened tyre wall reinforced with a special rubber compound that enables the tyre to retain its shape even when it has a puncture. It makes the car easier to drive if you suddenly get a puncture at speed and need to slow the car down but there are some downsides. First of all you are still limited as to how far you can travel and at what speed, the recommendation is 50 miles at 50mph, although that is the suggestion with a full load of passengers and luggage. With no passengers or luggage this could stretch to 150 miles. Then of course it may be possible to repair the puncture but the recommendation is to replace the tyre which is, on average, 30% more expensive. Then of course there is the psychological effect of driving a car with no spare if run flats are fitted. And so the debate goes on. Some manufacturers are seriously considering run flats and BMW are already fitting them on part of its range but if they are fitted and you want to revert to standard tyres you have to change them all as you cannot mix run flats with standard tyres. The debate continues but whatever happens if you get a puncture don’t think twice about calling out whoever provides your roadside assistance and get them to change the wheel, they are better equipped, less likely to injure themselves and they turn up in a van with a million flashing lights giving a lot more warning to motorists to slow down than your hazard warning lights and half naked bottom! By Graham Hill