Most, if not all four-wheel drive cars keep their spare tire or wheel outside, attached to the car. The same applies to recreational vehicles and vans. One of the reasons car owners are doing this is to save space inside the car and also to have their spare tire or wheel readily accessible. But they would leave it uncovered; it would quickly get dirty or even damaged. Therefore the spare wheel cover was developed, to prevent exactly this from happening. But such a cover can be so much more than just a cover; it can be the place to put your business information or designed in a way that it actually enhances the look of your car. Other car owners just prefer to have a plain one in uni-color.

When it comes to the durability, one factor is more important than any others, the material the cover is made of. Soft vinyl, for example, looks great when new, but gets quickly affected by weather and climate and the stress of the road in generally. They will loose their good fit, shrink or wrinkle and even can split easily. The other important thing to check is the stitching; the best material is worth nothing if it is hold together by weak stitches. Often the old saying is true ‘You get what you pay for’. More expensive covers might turn out being the least expensive ones due to the fact that they don’t need to be replaced so often. It is also a good idea, after having mounted your spare wheel cover, to check it regularly for damages and repair it when necessary. This way you will have it for a far longer time.

Changing such a cover, or mounting a new one for that matter, is really not difficult. Normally they do have a string that is inside the seam and that pulls tight behind the wheel or tire. Simply place your cover over the mounted tire and make sure it covers well the wheel. Then you need to pull the string tight in order to keep it in place. If you need your spare wheel, just release the string and pull the cover off, it is really not difficult. Just make sure when you purchase one that it has the right size for your wheel, if not you will either have to fight with it every time you need to remove it. Or, even worse, it will not fit tightly and catch the wind and impact so negatively on the driving behavior of your vehicle.

You can buy a spare tire cover online or offline. Offline shops will offer you typically only a limited choice, but if you go to your car dealer, they might well have some in stock that you like. Online or eShops have a wider range of models, but you must make sure, that you buy the right size. Alternatively you can always go for a so-called universal cover, which will be of the ‘one size fits all’ make. Many of those will not have a pull string, but a elastic, flexible opening in the back. This way you can just pull them over your tire or wheel without having to worry about strings.