Buying a spare tyre that will actually work when you need it

Why your spare tyre probably needs replacing

A spare tyre ages whether it is used or not. In the UAE a tyre is valid for five years from its manufacture date, and the boot of a car parked in the sun is one of the hottest places it can be stored. On cars bought used — a 2017 Patrol, a 2016 Camry — the spare is often the original tyre, eight or nine years old, with perfect-looking tread and rubber that has hardened and cracked underneath.

We see the result at the roadside every week: the driver gets a flat, takes out the spare and finds it flat as well, or bulging, or past its date. Buying a new spare before you need it costs the same as buying one in a hurry, without the waiting.

Full-size, space-saver or no spare at all

Before buying, check which kind of spare your car was built with. It decides what you should buy.

If your car uses run-flats, a spare is not the answer; see our page on run-flat tyres instead.

Matching a spare on 4x4 and all-wheel-drive cars

On a Land Cruiser, Patrol or any permanent four-wheel-drive car, a full-size spare will eventually sit on the road alongside the other three. If its diameter differs noticeably from the worn tyres, the centre differential works constantly to make up the difference. For these cars we recommend the same brand, size and pattern as the road tyres. On a front-wheel-drive Sunny or Corolla, a different brand in the same size is fine for a spare.

Spare tyre prices

A spare is priced like any other new tyre of that size:

• Economy sedan sizes (14–16 inch) from AED 150.
• Mid-range from AED 250.
• Premium brands such as Michelin or Bridgestone from AED 400.
• Mounting on your spare wheel is part of the AED 100 fitting visit. If you are buying a full set of road tyres at the same time, the spare goes on in the same visit.

This page covers buying the tyre itself. If the tyre is fine and you just need it put on the car after a flat, that is our spare tyre fitting service instead.

Checks we do on the spare well

When we mount a new spare we also look at the parts around it, because a good tyre is no use if you cannot get it out:

• The jack and wheel brace are present and the jack works.
• The locking wheel-nut key is in the car, if your wheels have locking nuts.
• The spare's valve is new and the pressure is set to the higher figure printed for spares — space-savers usually need 60 psi.
• Underslung spares on pickups and some SUVs can be lowered; the winch often seizes from sand and dust.

How old a spare tyre can be

The five-year limit is counted from the DOT date on the sidewall, not from when the car was bought. Read the last four digits of the DOT code: 1422 means week 14 of 2022. A spare older than five years should be replaced even if it has never touched the road. Our tyre maintenance guide covers reading the code and other routine checks.

Keeping the new spare ready

A new spare only helps if it is inflated when you need it. Spares lose pressure slowly like any tyre, and space-savers run at a high pressure that drops noticeably over a few months in UAE heat. Check the spare whenever you check the other four, roughly once a month, and before any long drive to Oman or Ras Al Khaimah. If you rotate a full-size spare into the set, ask us to do it during a fitting visit, where rotation is free.