I have a 2008 XKR and had an unfortunate incident with a rock today at high speed. Thankfully it didn't get the windscreen, but the rear wheel is now busted so I had to put the space saver on. (the orange, 18 inch one).

I live in New Zealand and don't want to splash out on four new wheels so am having one sent from the UK.

My question is, how long can I drive on the space saver for?

Normal answer is 'as short a time as possible' but I live 20 miles away from the nearest shop and will run out of food (and beer!) at some stage over the two weeks or so it takes the wheel to turn up. Plus I was supposed to take two round trips for work to the nearest city (about 250 miles for both trips).

Any advice on how long I can keep this damn orange wheel on my car?

 

Find some old steel (or whatever) wheel with the same bolt pattern and hub diameter, then find a tire with your original rolling diameter that fits it. It'll still look like crap, but it'll be road worthy.

 

+1 - any other wheel that fits (not so easy) would be good.

Keep speed low on that space saver.

Worry what you'd do about another puncture before the new wheel arrives, too!

 

Is that damaged rim repairable? There are shops that can straighten and refurbish a bent alloy rim in 1-2 days. Although not as strong as new, it's acceptable until you receive the new one. Have you checked with your insurance company? It might be covered and, if so, they might cover the cost of renting a car until you get the new wheel. Otherwise, rent a car and pay for it out of your own pocket - that's much cheaper than fixing your XKR after you crash it because of the donut spare. It's designed for temporary use only - just until you can get to the tire shop to get the flat fixed, and not for long trips. Your car, your life, your choice.