A
spare tire or spare tyre (or
stepney) is an additional
tire (or tyre - see
spelling differences) carried in a
motor vehicle as a
replacement for one that goes
flat, a
blowout, or other emergency.
Spare tire is generally a
misnomer, as almost all vehicles actually carry an entire wheel with a tire mounted on it as a spare, as fitting a tire to a wheel would require a motorist to carry additional, specialized equipment. However, some spare tires ("space-saver" and "donut" types) are not meant to be driven long distances. Space-savers have a maximum speed of around .