Driving with a space saver spare wheel

[JPL Sussex]

I thought people might be interested in my experience of driving my ZS EV with a space saver spare. I had a slow puncture in the front driver's side tyre - a screw found it's way into the tyre. The garage decided the tyre couldn't be repaired and ordered a replacement. Until it arrived and could be fitted, they put on the space saver spare that I had purchased on ebay.

Driving away from the garage everything seemed fine. I drove about 10 miles during which the anti-skid stabilisation system light flashed a few times on bends. Then I parked and left the car for about 40 minutes. When I came back and drove away, pretty much every system in the car decided it couldn't work. The tyre pressure system died first, then all the various braking systems plus the car didn't seem to be recovering any energy - i.e. it didn't slow down as per normal when I released the accelerator pedal so I guess the KERS system had stopped working too.

Moving up hill from a standing start at a junction was fun - unless I had my foot on the brake, the car just rolled backwards. A hand brake would have been useful!

But the good news was that the car did drive, and the foot brake did work so the car was, just, driveable.

 

[nwarddrfc]

Was the space saver put on the front or back, I would say it would be best on the back, as the rear wheels are just there to stop the back end of the car dragging on the road

 

[Lovemyev]

Reading the post, I would say the space saver was fitted to the O/S/F of the car ?.

 

[N2STY]

Think it's to do with rolling circumference if the spare is to big or small it rotates a different speed to the other 3 so brings up a abs fault or thinks car is skidding which describes your problems

 

[JPL Sussex]

Think it's to do with rolling circumference if the spare is to big or small it rotates a different speed to the other 3 so brings up a abs fault or thinks car is skidding which describes your problems

I think you're probably correct. It was odd that it took 10 miles and a stop before the car decided to get upset about it. Once the correct wheel was put back on, all the systems reset themselves almost immediately.

 

[N2STY]

I think you're probably correct. It was odd that it took 10 miles and a stop before the car decided to get upset about it. Once the correct wheel was put back on, all the systems reset themselves almost immediately.

It probably takes time for for the ecu to work out there's a problem and not just road conditions

 

[Les burrows]

Reading the post, I would say the space saver was fitted to the O/S/F of the car ?.

Hi Geoff I to have just read this post, and I’m wondering why you think the space saver wheel was on the O/S/F, can you please explain if, why, and how it makes a difference, hope your keeping safe and well there in north wales.
Les

 

[nwarddrfc]

The op put that there was a puncture on the o/s/f tyre so assuming that the garage just put it on the front.

With the ZS being front wheel drive and also the steering puts a long of strain on a space saver so best to put it on the back

 

[Lovemyev]

I’m wondering why you think the space saver wheel was on the O/S/F,

Hi Les - I hope you are well !.
The position of the offending wheel was was in the OP’s message I think ?.
Quote :-
“I had a slow puncture in the front driver's side tyre - a screw found it's way into the tyre. The garage decided the tyre couldn't be repaired and ordered a replacement. Until it arrived and could be fitted, they put on the space saver spare”.
It was on the drivers side which makes it the O/S/ F wheel.
The space saver is not fitted with a TPMS sensor so the car will detect that the original wheel has gone missing !.
I believe the TPMS system is different from the type used on the VAG system.
On the VAG system it is linked to a speed sensor for the ABS system placed on each wheel and power is provided by the car.
On the MG system, it has a TPMS sensor ( battery powered ) in each wheel.
If power is lost to the car, by disconnecting the 12 volt battery then the recorded readings are lost.
Then the car will require driving for about 10 miles in order for the car to relearn from the sensors.
The space saver has no sensor, hence the fault codes thrown up on the dash.
Hope this makes sense ?.

 

[Gomev]

....

Moving up hill from a standing start at a junction was fun - unless I had my foot on the brake, the car just rolled backwards. A hand brake would have been useful!

But the good news was that the car did drive, and the foot brake did work so the car was, just, driveable.

You do have a handbrake.

 

[Alb]

Interesting story.
Must get round to putting a tyre on my spare (full size) rim.
That sounds like a much better solution.

 

[Les burrows]

Hi Geoff silly me I did not register which tyre it was in the original posts sorry about that was very early this morning when I read it so maybe only had one eye open. lol.
Anyhow thank you for your explanation about the TMS system I didn’t know that still don’t understand why the regen KERS was affected also very strange to me.
Les

 

[Les burrows]

Interesting story.
Must get round to putting a tyre on my spare (full size) rim.
That sounds like a much better solution.

Yeh I wondered about this also Alb but will it fit in the spare wheel well in the boot?
Les

 

[Alb]

By raising the platform, yes

 

[Les burrows]

By raising the platform, yes

Ok thanks for that but not for me I need the boot space.
Les

 

[Kithmo]

Putting the space saver on the rear used to be a thing when space saver spare wheels first came out and was usually mentioned in the manual. Manufacturers don't seem to do this now for some reason.

 

[Alb]

It's often driven by the fact that a space saver doesn't fit over the larger front brake caliper. That's the case on my other car.

 

[N2STY]

All of the problems form 1st post would not just be missing tpms that would just be a tpms fault which isn't a problem.
The biggest problem is in the miss match of rolling circumference I have see on a lot of car when the wrong size space saver has been fitted there is a 3% +/- tolerance allowed
So a 215/50/17 original tyre means space saver should be 125/70/18 which is 2.4+
You can fit 125/80/17 which is the same 2.4+ if it clears the brake calipers
215/55/17 original tyre should have a 135/80/18 space saver which is 0.8-

Hope this makes sense

 

[dm57]

Had a puncture on the rear off side of my Leaf yesterday and fitted space saver and lost regen. Suspected car thought I was moving on three wheels and could not compute. Not investigated to deep as tyre been replaced and fitted same day all back to normal.

 

[Les burrows]

Had a puncture on the rear off side of my Leaf yesterday and fitted space saver and lost regen. Suspected car thought I was moving on three wheels and could not compute. Not investigated to deep as tyre been replaced and fitted same day all back to normal.

Hi dm57, thank you for your post and the information within, so it appears it’s not only the MGs, that have this scenario of systems going haywire when driven while fitted with a space saver wheel on one corner, and you also say the brakes on you leaf had a loss of regen braking seem very Strange to me, lovemyev did explain earlier in the thread about the TPMs system and how that works, on the MGs, and I said at the point why should it also affect the braking Weird.
I don’t understand it at hall but I sure someone will come up with an answer.
Les.