ROND Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Thanks for the advice from all the "experts" on here but to put the record straight none of my tyres were more than 2 years old. The first blow out was 6 years ago when the motorhome was 2 years old, empty van just returning from annual service, the beading blew out ,tyres had just been checked at 78psi, traveling at 55mph on the motorway. Michelin replaced that tyre free of charge without quibling. The two blow outs on the same day happened last year, tyres at 78psi van loaded but within weight, checked on weighbridge before leaving, traveling at 50 mph between Broglie and Alencon in France the first one went at 9am. The spare was put on and unfortunately 5 weeks before had gone flat due to a faulty valve and stood for a couple of days unknown to me, obviosly the wall must have been damaged. The michelin garage in alencon could not supply for 10 days so a local tyre depot supplied another make, left there and within 5 miles the previously fitted spare blew out. The pressure had been checked at the tyre depot at 78psi. Luckily the same tyre depot had another tyre in stock so we had a matching pair on the rear and have run happily on those since. The reason i said tyre fitters hate the tyre sealant goo is because my mate who was a manager of a tyre depot for 30 years always told me that they hated the stuff because cleaning up a wheel after it had been used was a nightmare. I will also add that i have been driving motorhomes since buying my first in 1964 and have only ever had the odd puncture in the past. So not overweight, under pressure or over pressure just bad ***""" luck on two occasions but obviously should have suspected wall damage on the spare after the valve giving up. RD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Random unconnected failures happen but unfortunately there are always people who insist on finding reasons, blame or causes for every incident or justification for their own views. Why can't we just accept that we all have differing views and that nobody is right or wrong - just different. The last m/home puncture I had was in 1982 - two in one day on the M6 - in rain of course (good job we pulled into Lancaster after the first to get it repaired!) - but in spite of 30 years of solid inflation I still would not tour, especially abroad, without a reliable and regularly checked spare wheel or at the very least a spare tyre. That said I understand and accept the strategy that many others adopt of relying on a can of repair gunge and a powerful inflator together with their breakdown service for anything more serious. If it works for the individual that is surely all that matters and the dissemination of information would at times be better made in a less confrontational manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 ... and now for (possibly) daft questions! :D Our spare wheel is stored in our MH's garage, upright and secured to the back face of the panel between the garage the main living area, it is kept inflated, but not quite at full pressure. So now for the questions: Will this do any damage as normally tyres are stored flat under vans etc? Should we 'turn' it occasionally? Anything else we should be doing to it (other than checking the pressure)? :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 ROND - 2012-08-03 8:09 PM In my opinion anybody traveling without a spare must be an idiot, RD You have just called the overwhelming majority of Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers an idiot. Are you trying for a Duke of Edinburgh's Award? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 As far as I was aware the spare should be kept at a pressure higher than the highest pressure of the tyres that are in running positions, that is confirmed by my copy of the Peugeot handbook. Perhaps yours may give a similar,or at least an answer. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peedee Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Peter James - 2012-08-05 10:45 PM ROND - 2012-08-03 8:09 PM In my opinion anybody traveling without a spare must be an idiot, RD You have just called the overwhelming majority of Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers an idiot. Are you trying for a Duke of Edinburgh's Award? I was thinking along the same lines. I am not comfortable travelling without a spare but don't nearly all HGV trucks do so? Is this because there is no way they could change/repair a wheel without assistance? Even if I carried a spare, I would still have to call out the breakdown services, there is no way I could do it myself. Even for those that can, if it is the requirement to do it on a motorway you should call out the breakdown services. I am aware of the small print that I may be charged for this service because I do not have a spare. peedee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Mel B - 2012-08-05 9:48 PM ... and now for (possibly) daft questions! :D Our spare wheel is stored in our MH's garage, upright and secured to the back face of the panel between the garage the main living area, it is kept inflated, but not quite at full pressure. So now for the questions: Will this do any damage as normally tyres are stored flat under vans etc? Should we 'turn' it occasionally? Anything else we should be doing to it (other than checking the pressure)? :-S If you visit any tyre-fitting outlet, you'll see that tyres will be stored vertically to maximise ease of access. Spare wheels are usually carried horizontally on vehicles because that's the most space-efficient way of carrying them. In your case, if it's easiest for you to carry the wheel vertically, then do so. It won't matter either way. As the tyre on your spare wheel has no significant load being placed on it, there should be no need to 'turn' it. Regarding the spare-tyre's inflation-pressure, the logical approach would be to inflate it to the highest pressure that would be appropriate if the wheel needed to be fitted to your motorhome in an emergency (ie. if it were to be fitted to the Flash 04's rear axle), plus a few psi to allow for natural 'leakage'. If you are currently inflating the tyre to just below under its recommended maximum (70psi?), and checking the pressure occasionaly, that's equally fine. Can't think of anything else you might do, other than to ensure the tyre (and tyre-valve) can't be damaged by anything loose/heavy/sharp you might be carrying in your Flash's garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 peedee - 2012-08-06 7:53 AM Peter James - 2012-08-05 10:45 PM ROND - 2012-08-03 8:09 PM In my opinion anybody traveling without a spare must be an idiot, RD You have just called the overwhelming majority of Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers an idiot. Are you trying for a Duke of Edinburgh's Award? I was thinking along the same lines. I am not comfortable travelling without a spare but don't nearly all HGV trucks do so? Is this because there is no way they could change/repair a wheel without assistance? Even if I carried a spare, I would still have to call out the breakdown services, there is no way I could do it myself. Even for those that can, if it is the requirement to do it on a motorway you should call out the breakdown services. I am aware of the small print that I may be charged for this service because I do not have a spare. peedee Fine buy you will still need to carry a spare for the breakdown service to fit unless you are prepared to put up with a awful lot of inconvenience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 peedee - 2012-08-06 7:53 AM I am not comfortable travelling without a spare but don't nearly all HGV trucks do so? Is this because there is no way they could change/repair a wheel without assistance? From my experience nearly all HGV drivers are capable of changing a wheel, but do not carry a spare. They would call out a tyre company like ATS or National Tyres who offer a 24/7 service, (not a breakdown company) to supply and fit it for them. This works out less expensive than the cost and loss of payload in carrying a wheel and jack. They will be a regular customer of the tyre company so won't get ripped off - unlike a breakdown company who probably would rip them off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 When you look at all the foreign lorries here you see they have no room for a spare wheel - every available chassis space is taken up with extra fuel tanks so they can bring their diesel with them and avoid paying British prices for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Thanks Derek, nice to know I'm doing it 'right' ... cause you've said I am and I believe you. :D No, nothing in the garage that could damage the valve etc as the only thing that goes near the wheel/tyre is one of our cycles as the frame of one 'leans' on it a little, but nothing else touches it - the wheel/tyre is kept covered to ensure nothing accidentally falls 'into' it or scrapes against it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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