The primary aim of space-savers is to maximise space and minimise weight, the latter being a significant factor in reducing fuel consumption. In coming up with specifications, the challenge that car designers face is to find the optimum balance between space that is usable every day and fuel economy that is beneficial every minute that the vehicle is running – and a spare tyre that is likely to be needed only once or twice in several years. “The benefit that space-saver tyres bring is that they provide greater luggage capacity and improve flexibility of the interior space of vehicles,” says Ford Malaysia managing director Michael Pease. “Space-saver tires have been used and approved by many (car) manufacturers globally for more than a decade now. When these tyres are used in accordance with manufacturer's specification, they have been demonstrated to be reliable and dependable.” Run-flats sound like the ideal way to go but they have limitations, too. They can be used only on cars equipped with an onboard tyre pressure monitoring system (otherwise, the driver may not be aware when a tyre is punctured).