Spare wheel

[loneranger]

Hi Folks.

Having checked my spare tyre pressure (the first time in years) it was flat!

So now I am thinking :- why carry a spare? all that additional payload we could have!

Question ..... has anyone ever actually used these Instant Tyre Puncture Repair aerosol things......... successfully ?

I know a decent 12 volt pump would also be needed.

 

Thanksssss Geoff.

[rupert123]

This comes up at least a couple of times a year and you will not get a definitive answer. Those that have a spare will say would not be without one, those that do not have one will say they do not worry about it. As you probably know a lot of vans do not come with a spare wheel, mine does not have one, so you just get on with it. In the past I would not have changed a m/h wheel anyway, it has always been a 'dodgy' thing to do. You will have to weigh up the alternatives and decide but for my own part when I bought my current van it came with the foam thing, I would point out this is not the can of foam that you buy in car spares shops but is a combined foam injector and pump. I had my tyres filled with a product called Puncture Seal which is supposed to seal punctures as they happen. OK before anyone points out the odd puncture it will not work with I know. If you decide not to carry a spare I would have this done, you should also check with your rescue service if they will attend a puncture with no spare being carried, mine will.

[PJay]

As rupert says, I would recommend PUncture Safe, well worth it. We had an accident l;ast year, where a car careered down a steep hill, and damaged our nearside wheel and suspension, the tyre was still inflated after the collision.You would also know that if you got "flagged down" by some cowboy trying to rob you, by saying you have a flat tyre, the chances are you do not have a flat tyre.

Pauline

[Mel B]

Our new van came with the injector stuff and pump but we're going to get a spare wheel too ... knowing our luck we'll get a flat on a Sunday morning stranged miles from no-where with no phone signal!

 

Oh, one other thing, our new van didn't come with a jack either so if we had got a puncture and it wasn't repairable with the foam stuff we'd have been stuck as we couldn't even have taken the wheel off to get it repaired even if we had some transport to get it to the repair shop ... so we kept our old jack!!!!

 

Rupert - did you get a jack?

[Brian Kirby]

I assume you've looked in the risers of the cab door footwell steps (Ford handbook!  :-)).  Ours is LHD, so the jack is in the passenger's step riser.  Whether the side changes for RHD I know not.  However, there is a very neat little trap in the riser, inside which is a scissor jack, brace, and winding handle.  There was also a big cast aluminium block to sit the jack on when raising the rear.  In truth, I think the jack is borderline useless for 3.5 tonnes, and in conjunction with the aly block, something Ford should be deeply ashamed of.  W Heath-Robinson comes to mind!  Jack up your van with that lot at the side of a road, while HGV slipstreams shake it around?  You'd have to be barking!

So, I got a 4 tonne Halfords hydraulic jobby and, having suitably re-styled the EPS packing in the jack locker, it fits a treat.  We now have a nice big chunk of wood in lieu of the aly block, because unlike metal, wood isn't slippery. 

While on the subject, check the designated rear jacking points for accessibility.  Ours are partially obstructed, and as they are the rear spring mounting points (oh yea!), don't offer much in the way of positive location for whatever jack is used.  If ever I have to jack the rear myself, I think I'll stick the jack under the axle and raise the wheel just enough to clear the spare!  Otherwise, I'll just call the fourth emergency service!

[Brian Kirby]

loneranger - 2010-04-26 9:27 AM Hi Folks. Having checked my spare tyre pressure (the first time in years) it was flat! So now I am thinking :- why carry a spare? all that additional payload we could have! Question ..... has anyone ever actually used these Instant Tyre Puncture Repair aerosol things......... successfully ? I know a decent 12 volt pump would also be needed. Thanksssss Geoff.

Well, yes, flat spares are of limited use!  Who services the van?  Spare pressure should be checked as part of a service.

Can you do without a spare?  Of course you can, until you damage a tyre beyond repair and need to continue your journey!  :-)

If all you get is a slow puncture, due to a nail or similar through the tread, and you find it before you drive off, the goo will work.  If the sidewall is cut, the goo won't work.  Should the tyre "blow", or a valve fail, on a motorway, or any other fairly fast road, so that the tyre deflates while you are driving, your tyre will probably be beyond any kind of repair.  Where, then, do you inject the goo? 

If it happens on a wet Sunday (punctures and far more common in the wet, for obvious reasons), in a remote area, if you don't have your own spare, you may have quite a wait for someone to attend, and then locate an appropriate tyre. 

It's really all a question of how lucky you feel.  Punctures are not that common these days, but as you travel into the less developed bits of Europe, the roads become worse, and the risks greater.  Your call!  :-)

[flicka]

Hi Geoff

IMO the main point that everyone seems to ignore is that if you get a puncture that ruins the Tyre what will you do (?) (?) (?) (?) (?) (?) (?)

Sit where it happens for a loooooong time.

 

It appears on this forum at regular intervals that Camping Tyres are not readily available.

A) Dealers do not have stock "on the shelf"

B) Distribution warehouses have limited stock, if any.

Sat on the side of a motorway on a Sunday morning ringing umteen tyre dealers / distributors to get the answer that they may be able to get them for the end of the week :-( Despite to breakdown service option the wheels still need to go round for them to effect recovery.

 

Having a spare is a no-brainer for me.

[rupert123]

Mel B - 2010-04-26 6:04 PM

 

Our new van came with the injector stuff and pump but we're going to get a spare wheel too ... knowing our luck we'll get a flat on a Sunday morning stranged miles from no-where with no phone signal!

 

Oh, one other thing, our new van didn't come with a jack either so if we had got a puncture and it wasn't repairable with the foam stuff we'd have been stuck as we couldn't even have taken the wheel off to get it repaired even if we had some transport to get it to the repair shop ... so we kept our old jack!!!!

 

Rupert - did you get a jack?

 

Yes I got the standard Fiat jack, bloody great heavy thing that sits under the passenger seat together with wheel brace.

[colinfrier]

Don't loose site of the fact that a spare weighs about 35 kilo and I think that is the main reason many motorhomes are no longer supplied with one its why I gave mine uo after spending £160 getting one.

As to the sissor jack that was supplied with my X250 hate to praise FIAT but a good bit of kit" does what it says in the handbook"

[malc d]

colinfrier - 2010-04-27 10:59 AM

 

Don't loose site of the fact that a spare weighs about 35 kilo and I think that is the main reason many motorhomes are no longer supplied with one its why I gave mine uo after spending £160 getting one.

As to the sissor jack that was supplied with my X250 hate to praise FIAT but a good bit of kit" does what it says in the handbook"

 

 

I would have thought that ' the main reason many motorhomes are no longer supplied with one ' is that it reduces the manufacturers costs, (and increases his profit).

It is the buyers choice - 35 kilos of extra kit, or a spare wheel.

 

In an emergency I would prefer to have the wheel.

 

 

 

 

[Peter42]

My breakdown insurance requires that any insured vehicle carries a 'Useable Spare Tyre' (sic). They will fit one if it is present, which is just as well, as I am unable to get under the vehicle (Boxer chassis). I keep it inflated to the correct pressure via a Spairline attachment, which has the valve on the 'vans skirt and a length of line to the tyre's valve. See www.spairline.co.uk

[Colin Leake]

We have just come back from the Isle of White. Just before we left I noticed the couple in a new Autotrail next to us had a flat tyre. Given that the bloke was obviously slightly disabled plus the fact that I carry an expending wheel brace that makes short work of tight wheel nuts I offered to help him change the wheel. Problem was that they did not have one. Sadly left him wondering how he was going to get the puncture fixed and catch his ferry.

[kelly58]

Our Ace Airstream only has the pump and liqued thingy so I have bought a spare tyre £65 which has been stowed under one of the front side seats opposite the one with the liesure batteries under it and with a nice piece of 4mm ply I have made a cover so stuff can be stored on top of it the main reason was if I get a puncture hopefully the pump thingy will do , but if I have a blow out especially abroad at least I have got a new tyre that the breakdown people can get fitted for me

[Guest Tracker]

kelly58 - 2010-04-28 7:53 PM

 

Our Ace Airstream only has the pump and liqued thingy so I have bought a spare tyre £65 which has been stowed under one of the front side seats opposite the one with the liesure batteries under it and with a nice piece of 4mm ply I have made a cover so stuff can be stored on top of it the main reason was if I get a puncture hopefully the pump thingy will do , but if I have a blow out especially abroad at least I have got a new tyre that the breakdown people can get fitted for me

 

A good idea this - although I would be loathe to lose internal storage to a tyre.

 

Hows about a suitable mounting bracket or frame on the back (or even the roof?) of the van and covering it with a loose canvas type cover as used on some 4x4s?

 

With a little ingenuity one could even use the inside of the tyre for storage of low value items like spare oil, tow rope, loo chemicals etc?

[flicka]

An even better solution for all those who do not have a spare provide & especially if short on payload.

I think people will be able to find their own solution regarding storage best suited to their M/H.

 

Well thought out Kelly

 

[Mel B]

Tracker - 2010-04-28 8:18 PM

 

Hows about a suitable mounting bracket or frame on the back (or even the roof?) of the van and covering it with a loose canvas type cover as used on some 4x4s?

 

With a little ingenuity one could even use the inside of the tyre for storage of low value items like spare oil, tow rope, loo chemicals etc?

 

You're getting sad now Richard!!! :D ;-)

 

I wouldn't like to lift a tyre up onto the roof - you got muscles we haven't or been eating lots of spinach??? 8-)

 

I'm going to see if there's any way I can mount the full wheel under the camper when I get it, if not, there's a perfectly sized spot for it in the garage, stood upright (well secured of course), so taking up minimal space. :-D

[Guest Tracker]

That's fine if you have a garage Mel - not all of us do!

 

A tyre alone is much lighter and much more manageable than a wheel and tyre which, I agree, with the added weight of all that compressed air inside it, can be quite a handful to lift and carry - but then again you could always carry it deflated to save weight I suppose!

[kelly58]

How do you get onto your roof without a fixed ladder I am not going to take my large step ladder around with me that I use when washing the roof too big and too heavy there's loads of storage space in our 680fb especially under the fixed bed

[colinfrier]

I know my complete spare weighs about 35 k but what does a tyre weigh on its own?