{"id":1228,"date":"2021-01-05T12:53:11","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T17:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/?p=1228"},"modified":"2025-10-27T12:33:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T16:33:46","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about your car&#8217;s spare tires"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you\u2019re shopping for a new car, something you probably aren\u2019t thinking about is what you\u2019ll do in the event you run a flat. After all, you haven\u2019t even purchased the car \u2013 why would you be thinking about roadside troubles already?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, flat tires are a pain. So you\u2019ll want to make sure whatever car you purchase has the right equipment to deal with that situation (unless you plan to use a roadside assistance service.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If roadside assistance isn\u2019t your thing, there are a handful of alternatives \u2013 like the classic spare tire. Speaking of spares, have you ever heard it referred to as a \u201cdonut\u201d? &nbsp;Do you know if there\u2019s a difference between a donut and a spare tire? Are they the same?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out, there&nbsp;<em>is<\/em>&nbsp;a difference and it\u2019s pretty sizable (you\u2019ll appreciate the joke if you read on\u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:0px;\">Now that we\u2019ve got you thinking about donuts, take a minute to familiarize yourself with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edmunds.com\/car-buying\/the-disappearing-spare-tire.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">different types of spare tires<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\"><li><strong>Full size spares<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 A full size spare tire is a tire that is the same size as the rest of your tires. Because it\u2019s the same size, the full size spare shouldn\u2019t compromise your car\u2019s driving performance once installed, which is one of its biggest benefits. Of the spare tire options, the full size spare will take up the most space in your car\u2019s trunk, so you might want to consider trunk space when selecting your spare. Full size spares can be matching or non-matching.&nbsp; A matching full size spare is identical to your other tires and should be incorporated into your regular tire rotation.&nbsp; A non-matching full size spare has lighter-weight construction and shallower tread depth to reduce weight and make it easier to install.<\/li><li><strong>Temporary spare&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013 Also known as a \u201cdonut,\u201d this tire is smaller than your car\u2019s standard tires. Unlike the full size spares, there will be a noticeable performance difference when driving on a donut. Plus, the size difference between the donut and the rest of your tires limits the speed and distance you can safely drive. The trade-off is that a donut won\u2019t take up as much space in your car when it\u2019s not being used. If you\u2019re trying to maximize your trunk space, the donut might be the better spare tire option for you.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a spare that spends its time collecting dust in your trunk, it\u2019s a good idea to periodically check its air pressure. How tragic would it be to find yourself in a situation where your tire is flat\u2026 and so is your spare?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also important to remember that non-matching full size spares and donuts are temporary fixes and should only be driven on long enough to get your car safely to a service center. Once at the service center, a trained professional should replace the spare with the correct tire to match your set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 style=\"margin-bottom:0px;\">An alternative?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:0px;\">As car manufacturers become more mindful of things like trunk space and fuel economy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2015\/11\/automakers-are-sacrificing-the-spare-tire-for-fuel-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">they are shying away from including spare tires<\/a> in new vehicle models. To keep up with the changing times, there are a couple alternatives to spare tires for car buyers to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\"><li><strong>Run-flat tires<\/strong> \u2013 Run-flat tires are made with reinforced sidewalls and are designed to keep your car going even after a tire has been punctured. While run-flat tires are a good option because you can essentially keep driving even after your wheel\u2019s been punctured, there are tradeoffs to consider, like higher cost and a shorter tread life. Edmunds.com outlines&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edmunds.com\/driving-tips\/run-flat-tires-a-primer.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">potential pros and cons<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Self-sealing<\/strong> \u2013 Similar to run-flat tires, self-sealing tires are designed to withstand punctures and keep you going. Self-sealing tires tires are made with a sealant inside that can maintain the air pressure even after you, say, drive over a nail.<\/li><li><strong>Tire repair kit <\/strong>\u2013 A tire repair kit is a nice alternative to a spare tire because it won\u2019t take up nearly as much space in your trunk. Typically this kit will include an air compressor and sealant that can be used to fix a tire so long as the puncture is on its tread.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So while you\u2019re shopping for your next car, remember to consider your spare tire options. Whether you end up with a full size spare, spring for some run-flats or self-sealing tires, or are prefer roadside assistance at least now you know what a \u201cdonut\u201d is in car terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"\/resources\">Click here<\/a> for more information about insurance in your state.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"36610\" class=\"elementor elementor-36610\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ee649ab elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ee649ab\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4c502b6\" data-id=\"4c502b6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21697f5 post-margins post-link-class elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"21697f5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><strong>Now let\u2019s talk about you<\/strong><br \/>\nDo you have the right coverage for your vehicle? We\u2019d love to chat with you about it. Call us at <a href=\"tel:1-800-516-9242\">800-516-9242<\/a> or speak to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/find-an-agent\">local agent<\/a>. \n<br \/><br \/>\nIf you\u2019d rather not talk, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/buy.plymouthrock.com\/esales\/entry\/start?PLF_Code=HIPT&amp;iRefid=Website&amp;iRefclickid=Copy_Link\">get a quote<\/a> quickly and easily online. Just enter your ZIP code to get started and see how much you could save!\n<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re shopping for a new car, something you probably aren\u2019t thinking about is what you\u2019ll do in the event you run a flat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5047,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":""},"products":[71],"state":[79,83,80,81,82,84],"class_list":["post-1228","resources","type-resources","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","products-auto","state-ct","state-ma","state-nh","state-nj","state-ny","state-pa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Everything You Need To Know About Your Car&#039;s Spare Tires<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read everything you need to know about spare tires from Plymouth Rock including different types like full sized and temporary ones.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Everything you need to know about your car&#039;s spare tires\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read everything you need to know about spare tires from Plymouth Rock including different types like full sized and temporary ones.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Plymouth Rock Assurance | Car Insurance and Home Insurance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlymouthRockAssurance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-27T16:33:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hero-resc-spare-tire-640x350-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@plymouthrock\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires\",\"name\":\"Everything You Need To Know About Your Car's Spare Tires\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hero-resc-spare-tire-640x350-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-05T17:53:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-27T16:33:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"Read everything you need to know about spare tires from Plymouth Rock including different types like full sized and temporary ones.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hero-resc-spare-tire-640x350-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hero-resc-spare-tire-640x350-1.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":350,\"caption\":\"man getting spare tire from car trunk\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Resources\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Everything you need to know about your car&#8217;s spare tires\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/\",\"name\":\"Plymouth Rock Assurance | Car Insurance and Home Insurance\",\"description\":\"More than just Insurance\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PRAC-Tagline_new_branding.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PRAC-Tagline_new_branding.svg\",\"width\":\"1024\",\"height\":\"1024\",\"caption\":\"Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlymouthRockAssurance\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/plymouthrock\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/plymouthrockassurance\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Everything You Need To Know About Your Car's Spare Tires","description":"Read everything you need to know about spare tires from Plymouth Rock including different types like full sized and temporary ones.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Everything you need to know about your car's spare tires","og_description":"Read everything you need to know about spare tires from Plymouth Rock including different types like full sized and temporary ones.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires","og_site_name":"Plymouth Rock Assurance | Car Insurance and Home Insurance","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlymouthRockAssurance\/","article_modified_time":"2025-10-27T16:33:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":350,"url":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hero-resc-spare-tire-640x350-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@plymouthrock","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires","url":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires","name":"Everything You Need To Know About Your Car's Spare Tires","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hero-resc-spare-tire-640x350-1.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-05T17:53:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-27T16:33:46+00:00","description":"Read everything you need to know about spare tires from Plymouth Rock including different types like full sized and temporary ones.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hero-resc-spare-tire-640x350-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hero-resc-spare-tire-640x350-1.jpg","width":640,"height":350,"caption":"man getting spare tire from car trunk"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-spare-tires#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Resources","item":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/resources"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Everything you need to know about your car&#8217;s spare tires"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/","name":"Plymouth Rock Assurance | Car Insurance and Home Insurance","description":"More than just Insurance","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#organization","name":"Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation","url":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PRAC-Tagline_new_branding.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PRAC-Tagline_new_branding.svg","width":"1024","height":"1024","caption":"Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlymouthRockAssurance\/","https:\/\/x.com\/plymouthrock","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/plymouthrockassurance"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/1228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resources"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/1228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"products","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/products?post=1228"},{"taxonomy":"state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.plymouthrock.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/state?post=1228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}