Thanks everyone that reponded to my request for a spare shadow chrome, which got me back onto this topic...

I seem to remember that mixing radial & crossply (showing my age now!) tyres on the same axle was illegal, as was mixing steel belted with ordinary radials. So what is the law on mixing 'profiles' on the same axle?

Just like my last car, my Freelander came with four 19" low-profile alloys and its spare is an ordinary 17" steel wheel with a full sized tyre but it has '50mph max' stickers on it - why?

Surely the proper sized 17" spare is good for normal speeds but if mixing such a combo on the same axle as an alloy causes stability/safety issues, then why provide it and that makes it about as useless as those daft skinny's. I imagine lots of customers like me need a proper spare that will get us home safely on long motorway journeys so why not provide a spare steel wheel & tyre combo that is the exact same dimensions as the alloys which is fully safe at all speeds.

No doubt the rolling circumference of the current spare will be the same as the alloys but why provide that combo if you cannot drive normally - and is it actually legal?

And if i had four such steel 'spares' put on the car, could i tear-off the 50mph warning stickers and drive the car at normal speeds <lol>

I thought about using 4 steel wheels with chains on in the snow-to save damaging my alloys,
For one thing The tyres on the steelys have a lower speed rating, but could be used legally in a set of 4 with same tread pattern with normal wheel nuts, the road handling would obviously be effected and it may effect the L/R warranty too??
The yellow label on the steely is just a disclaimer from landrover telling you that mixing tyres sizes is only recommended in an emergency situation.

Full size spares can be specified as an EXTRA when purchasing the car from new as I did when I ordered mine. I can't remember how much but was a lot less than the price of ordering later over the counter-I assume they take into account/part ex the steely

Rowy wrote:

I thought about using 4 steel wheels with chains on in the snow-to save damaging my alloys,

just use the triple sports for chain duties At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Chains don't fit 19's

Aye - that sounds like a much cheaper way of getting four that can be used for rough off-road use or chains etc. There must be plenty of spare 'steels' lying about in garages that owners like me will store until the car is sold again. I am thinking that four of them will be the same handling as the cars that have 17" from new - albeit with cheaper tyres but still ok for 70mph?

I'd rather specify nothing from new than have a useless combination. If all it takes is a paper sticker for the manufacturer to cover themselves, i wonder what would happen if an eagle-eyed copper (perhaps a neighbour) noticed someone driving around with one steel (mixed with the three alloys) for a 'long-period' ...perhaps long enough for the rain to have washed the sticker off.

For the copper that did the poor bloke for 'abandonment' ...that's got to be worth £60 and three penalty-points! <lol>.