Spare tire

If placed on a drivetrain axle, the smaller-diameter tire can put stress on the differential causing damage and reducing handling.

[4] The early days of motor travel took place on primitive roads that were littered with stray horseshoe nails.

To alleviate this time-consuming process, Walter and Tom Davies of Llanelli, Wales, invented the spare tire in 1904.

The spares were mounted behind the front fenders as they blended into the running boards (a narrow footboard serving as a step beneath the doors).

In 1941, the U.S. government temporarily prohibited spare tires on new cars as part of the nation's World War II rationing strategy, which led to quotas and laws designed to force conservation, including rubber that was produced overseas and difficult to get.

Vehicles like the Volkswagen Beetle used spare tires for ancillary purposes such as supplying air pressure to the windscreen washer system.

Many models of Bristol cars - those from the 404 of 1953 to the Fighter of 2004 carried a full-size spare wheel and tire in a pannier compartment built into the left-hand wing.