Emergency spare wheels or crutch wheels were invented by manufacturers to save space and weight. It is used so that when we get a flat tire, we can stumble upon the first tire shop, where they will either fix the flat tire, or we can even buy a new tire instead, if the damage is that bad.


Did you know that you can find two types of crutch wheels in the trunk of a car?

  • One is the classic “hot dog” crutch wheel. To be fit for purpose, it is much smaller than the size of a tire mounted on a car – so it takes up less space. All this already indicates that it is not able to replace the missing original wheel 100%, as the stability of the car deteriorates significantly.
  • The same load as the original tire is applied to a smaller surface, so the emergency hot dog must bear a serious load compared to its size.
  • The newer type of crutch wheel has approximately the same size and geometry as the standard factory-installed wheel. But this is not complete either, because the structure of these tires is weaker than that of tires designed for permanent use.
  • All of these are reasons enough for tire and car manufacturers to limit the use of spare wheels.
  • You are only allowed to drive it short distances, and at a maximum speed of 80 km/h.