Directional Spare ?

[Omega]

Hi all,
Here is a question I think I ought to know the answer to,,,, but I don’t.
A friend has just bought his first Mercedes - an E270 (04) and asked about the spare wheel.
We are both thinking of replacing the ‘get-you-home’ item with a proper wheel.
My tyres (Vredstein front – Uniroyal rears) are directional.
Is it legal to carry 1 NON directional spare ?
Can we mix a directional & a non directional on the same axle ?

Incy dentally: my vehicle nearly failed the MoT in Dec. The front tyres had been put on backwards – wrong direction !

Also: Can my mate obtain an owners manual for the model ?

 

[Dieselman]

You can mix any radial tyre with others, assuming correct size and specification.

 

[markjay]

Not directly an answer to your question, but as far as I recall the manual says that if you have directional tyres and the spare is directional as well then the spare wheel may be fitted against the direction of rotation in 'get-me-home' situations.

On another note, my understanding is that the difference between directional and non-directional tyres is in fact quite small and relates only to their aquaplaning resistance - so by fitting a directional tyre backwards you are loosing the additional aquaplaning protection but otherwise the tyre should behave normally. Or so I am told.

 

[Dieselman]

It is illegal to use a directional tyre running backwards. I cannot see any manufacturer giving advice to do that.

 

[V12]

It's only worth replacing the spacesaver with a full size wheel if you are planning to tow.

 

[Spinal]

From what I know, carrying a spare tyre is NOT an MOT requirement - so I can't see why carrying a directional one would be a problem from an MOT perspective.

That said, I would look at carrying a non-directional one... The only place you may have trouble is Europe, where in some countries tyre tread patterns need to be matched on the same axle.

 

[Omega]

Thanks guys - some great advice.

1/ I can't see me going abroad any time soon - so that's covered.

2/ As in my OP, KWIK-FIT was going to fail my MoT because the fronts were put on wrong. They didn't fit the Vredsteins, but kindly swapped 'em over.

3/ There is no 'law' as far as I now know, saying that you have to have a spare wheel.

4/ What started me thinking was:
If you have a vehicle with different size wheels on the back to the front, you either have to carry TWO spares (one of each) or NO spares - so that you aren't tempted to put the wrong size on the wrong axle.

I've just insured (AA - £204), so will drop them a line also.

cheers for now

 

[whitenemesis]

From the AA website

"You don't have to carry a spare and it does not have to comply with the legal requirements while it is stowed away. However, when fitted to the vehicle (for example, following a puncture) it must then comply with the law. The spare is not tested in the MOT but the examiner may draw your attention to an unserviceable item as a matter of courtesy."

Law about car tyres | AA