Can anyone who knows about wheels/tyres please help me answer this question.

Hello.

Driving home today I accidently got a puncture :( As it is a pretty much brand new car I took the spare out and it has a high brand michelin tyre on it (like all the other wheels on my car)

What I want to know is can I take my car to a garage, (most likely kwik-fit) and have them take the michelin tyre off of my spare and put it on to my usual wheel and then just buy a cheap tyre for my spare.

I wish to change it as my usual wheels are alloy wheels and the spare is just a black disk sort of wheel however it is the same size as the alloys.

Would any garage have a problem taking the tyre off of my spare and put it on to my punctured alloy wheel?

Yeah, like the other guy said, try to get a plug/ patch first. If your spare is new or in pretty good shape they should have no problem switching it (at least here in the US).

Don't replace a quality tire with a crappy tire, that's dumb. Plug or replace the damaged tire and put the spare back in the trunk.thegerg

1. If the puncture is on the sidewall (or close to it), most every place will not fix it.
Here is the reason:
In order to fix a tire properly, you must
-dismount the tire (take it off the rim)
-clean the 'wound'/remove the item that punctured if applicable
-put some chemical compound that makes the next process easier
-grind down the area around the wound
-apply glue, let it sit for a moment
-apply a patch or a patch-plug combo depending on the size of the hole

The fact that you have to use a grinder (which resembles a dremmel tool) is the reason it can't be close to the sidewall
-you only have 2 ply protection there (2 layers). If you grind through a layer = more likely to blow out
-the rest of the tire has at least 4 layers

Some places attempt to patch without taking the tire off the rim/with no grinding
-this is the 'lazy' way that will fail eventually (they just stick a plug in the hole and hope it holds...will leak eventually

2. if the tire is ruined -b/c:
-it was on sidewall
-too big of a hole
-you drove on the tire flat
-etc
...then it will have to be replaced

3. This is where I disagree with the above
-you have a nice vehicle most likely (full size spare is rare on cars and Michelin tires)
-that Michelin is most likely a perfect match for the other tires (same tire)
-so using it is your best bet
-you then buy a cheaper tire for the spare (they move the tire on the plain spare rim to your nice rim, you put a tire of less quality on the spare)

The reason I say that is
a. ensures a matching tire on your nice rim (matching is best for ride and performance quality)
b. spares are VERY seldom used by most people
-they go bad from age for more than use...rubber has a shelf life that varies with conditions.
So you might as well use it on the ground and have something that 'will just do' in your trunk

4. HOWEVER, if your tires have some age on them/wear on them, THEN YOU NEED TO REPLACE AT LEAST 2.
-it is not a good idea to have a 'new' tire (which is what your spare is) with an old one...for drive and wear reasons

[QUOTE="thegerg"]Don't replace a quality tire with a crappy tire, that's dumb. Plug or replace the damaged tire and put the spare back in the trunk.rawsavon

1. If the puncture is on the sidewall (or close to it), most every place will not fix it.
Here is the reason:
In order to fix a tire properly, you must
-dismount the tire (take it off the rim)
-clean the 'wound'/remove the item that punctured if applicable
-put some chemical compound that makes the next process easier
-grind down the area around the wound
-apply glue, let it sit for a moment
-apply a patch or a patch-plug combo depending on the size of the hole

The fact that you have to use a grinder (which resembles a dremmel tool) is the reason it can't be close to the sidewall
-you only have 2 ply protection there (2 layers). If you grind through a layer = more likely to blow out
-the rest of the tire has at least 4 layers

Some places attempt to patch without taking the tire off the rim/with no grinding
-this is the 'lazy' way that will fail eventually (they just stick a plug in the hole and hope it holds...will leak eventually

2. if the tire is ruined -b/c:
-it was on sidewall
-too big of a hole
-you drove on the tire flat
-etc
...then it will have to be replaced

3. This is where I disagree with the above
-you have a nice vehicle most likely (full size spare is rare on cars and Michelin tires)
-that Michelin is most likely a perfect match for the other tires (same tire)
-so using it is your best bet
-you then buy a cheaper tire for the spare (they move the tire on the plain spare rim to your nice rim, you put a tire of less quality on the spare)

The reason I say that is
a. ensures a matching tire on your nice rim (matching is best for ride and performance quality)
b. spares are VERY seldom used by most people
-they go bad from age for more than use...rubber has a shelf life that varies with conditions.
So you might as well use it on the ground and have something that 'will just do' in your trunk

4. HOWEVER, if your tires have some age on them/wear on them, THEN YOU NEED TO REPLACE AT LEAST 2.
-it is not a good idea to have a 'new' tire (which is what your spare is) with an old one...for drive and wear reasons

I am with Raw on this.

Thankyou very much for all your information :)

Yes the puncture was on the sidewall so I have taken your advice. I have taken the Michelin tyre off of the spare and put it on my nice wheel. I have then put a budget tyre (Only cost £65) on to my spare for future and thats back in the boot. In total cost £70.

What I would ask though is my car has done 6,600 miles. Is that enough miles to wear away the other three michelin tyres enough to make it feel wierd (they look absolutely fine) or am I going to be ok with those three and this unused one for many miles to come? The wheel was balanced after putting tyre on.

Thanks

One new tire and three with 6,600 miles should work perfectly fine.

Thankyou very much for all your information :)Galantina

It is not often a college job proves useful. Sorry, I probably gave waaaaaay more info than you wanted

Yes total mileage for my car is 6600.

No I liked all the information, I simply love information especially if it helps me out like this.

Ive done a bit of research on the michelin website and found that my brands main selling point is that it lasts longer by at least 6000 miles compared with other tyres and better on fuel so yes they should be fine as you stated.

I will send him a thankyou as it turned out much cheaper than I thought doing it the way you recommended, and again thank you.