Spare Wheel

[Pete-B]

 

Hi, We've had motor homes for many years and always carried a spare wheel but in all those years never had to use it. Not complaining by any means but often wonder, should I leave it off and gain about 35kg in payload. I guess it's sods law if I did, I'd get a puncture but then got to thinking, I gather a lot of vans now don't come with a spare.

 

If I did leave it behind and find I needed it, what's the best product on the market to get me home or somewhere I could get the tyre fixed?

 

Thanks for any suggestions.

[StuartO]

If you are staying in UK and have breakdown cover, and you clear it with them and your insurers if necessary as a 'modification', then I would think it's a good idea.  After all it's standard practice with newer vehicles these days, including MHs.

 

Not quite such a good idea if you are touring abroad, especially in the more adventourous countries like Morocco.

 

Taking a spare tyre (not on a spare wheel) might be a reasonable compromise because the uncertain availability of replacement tyres in some touring areas and you might just suffer tyre wall damage rather than just a repairable puncture.

 

[Keithl]

Pete,

 

If you do look at the 'Pump & Goo' style of get you home fixes be very careful as many carry a sell by date and, more importantly, a maximum operating pressure which is typically aimed at car tyre use and is woefully insufficient for MH use.

 

And as previously posted, check the terms of your insurance and breakdown cover for the small print if you do remove your spare wheel, many will exclude all breakdown cover if you do.

 

I for one will not travel in our MH without a fully functioning spare as IMO the risk of seriously damaging a tyre if you do have a puncture is far greater than in a car due to the weight involved.

 

Are you really that desperate for 35 KG payload?

 

Keith.

[Auditor]

I've been running, without a spare wheel, for over 10 years, now.

The tyres were injected with Ultraseal permanent tyre sealer, and I carry a 12v compressor.

I replaced the Tyres, last year, after they were 12 yrs old, and had the new ones injected with Punturesafe

 

I had been thinking about ditching the spare, to save weight, when an article appeared, in MMM, about the late, well respected journalist, Mel Eastburns, bespoke camper van. He had decided to go down this route, too, so I took the plunge, and haven't regretted it.

 

As others have advised, I have assurance from my breakdown recovery company, that they would recover the motorhome, to a garage, for a new tyre to be fitted, in the event of a complete tyre failure.

 

I carefully thought through all the scenario's that might occur, and am happy to take the risk, having had only one major tyre failure, in 50 yrs of driving, and that was on a cheap remould, a long time ago.

[Brian Kirby]

As others have said, I depends to some extent where you go and what tyres are presently fitted to your van. It also depends on whether you get a "blow-out", that would deny you the ability to stop in a place of your choosing, meaning that you may have to drive on for some distance on the deflated tyre before being able to stop safely. Even if the flat is not due to tyre damage (for example valve failure while driving) it is likely that the tyre will probably have been damaged beyond repair by the time you become aware and can safely stop.

 

Permanently treating the tyres with a puncture seal type product seems to me the best alternative to a spare. Those intended to be applied post hoc have all the disadvantages already stated. The disadvantage of the puncture seal type treatment is, IMO, that if damage is a result of, or is the cause of, the flat tyre, it will not prevent deflation, so you end up wherever you are, with three serviceable wheels and no spare. It just depends how lucky you feel! :-)

 

The question of where you go involves two considerations. First, whether you favour remote places, where a breakdown service may take considerable time to reach you.

 

The second relates to punctures abroad. If, for example, you travel to, or through France (I don't know about other countries), and you present your van to a tyre depot that doesn't have stock of matching tyres (make and size) you will either have to wait until they can match the tyre on the opposite wheel, or pay to have two tyres fitted, since French regulations do not permit odd tyres to be fitted on the same axle. I'm happy to be corrected on this, but it was the case a few years back, and it led to much discussion in France. The requirement was that both tyres on an axle had to be of the same make, model, and size, and in some cases it was even argued that where a manufacturer had changed the tread pattern of a tyre but kept the same model designation, both still needed replacing as the tread difference counted for the purposes of the regulation.

 

Be aware that I'm not referring to the construction of the tyre (e.g. radial/cross-ply, or 4 ply radial paired with 6 ply radial) but, for example, that a van shod with a Michelin Agilis tyre must be paired with another identical Michelin Agilis, and that if the van is shod with Michelin Agilis Camping, the new tyre must also be Michelin Agilis Camping.

 

This leads to the risk of not having a spare when running on "camping" type tyres. These seem to be batch produced, and at times in the past demand has exceeded supply. Were you to arrive at almost any competent tyre fitter in (so far as I am aware) any country, UK included, with a damaged tyre in need of replacement at a time when no camping tyres were available, you would be obliged to have two fitted rather than pairing a camping tyre with a non camping tyre on the same axle but, if in France, you would also have to have two fitted even if camping tyres were available, but not of the same make as those on your van.

 

Punctures do seem to be very rare these days, and a spare does weigh 25kg+, but getting a flat when not carrying a spare can result in considerable delay while a replacement is located, or additional expense if you find local fitters won't fit a similar, but non-matching, tyre. Ultimately, it is a balance between that unlikely risk, your payload, and your willingness to accept the consequences should you suffer a flat.

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

Never use that milk to pump in. that thing , the bottle is very expensive and has some pot live. However you can use it as a tyre compressor on 12 volts. The same goes for the heavy fiat elevator which is stored in the garage in numurous set ups in the garage. Mostly stand in the way. I call road assist because i pay for that. But for ease of mind have a spare wheel whit you. It is the same as insurance for your motorhome.

[Derek Uzzell]

Brian Kirby - 2018-01-30 7:00 PM

 

...The second relates to punctures abroad. If, for example, you travel to, or through France (I don't know about other countries), and you present your van to a tyre depot that doesn't have stock of matching tyres (make and size) you will either have to wait until they can match the tyre on the opposite wheel, or pay to have two tyres fitted, since French regulations do not permit odd tyres to be fitted on the same axle. I'm happy to be corrected on this, but it was the case a few years back, and it led to much discussion in France. The requirement was that both tyres on an axle had to be of the same make, model, and size, and in some cases it was even argued that where a manufacturer had changed the tread pattern of a tyre but kept the same model designation, both still needed replacing as the tread difference counted for the purposes of the regulation...

 

This is the 2013 forum thread that discussed the possibility of having to purchase two tyres in France rather than just one.

 

http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/urgent-advice-re-tyres/31371/

 

The EC Directive that French tyre fitters may insist on following demands that all tyres fitted to an axle be of the same MAKE - it’s an odd rule and controversial even in France. As I said back then

 

“For UK motorists visiting France, the important thing to be aware of is that the tyre-fitting practice in that country differs from the UK's. Whereas a UK tyre-fitter will be prepared to fit unlike makes of tyre to a vehicle axle, a French tyre-fitter may well refuse to do so.”

 

Tyre sealant won’t save you if the tyre-valve fails, and it’s quite likely that tyre ‘blow outs’ suffered by motorcaravanners result from valve failure with the tyre being destroyed as a consequence. As I’ve mentioned in the past, while travelling in France I had a tyre-valve partially fail on my Ford-based Hobby motorhome (a known problem with Transit Mk 6s, though not recognised by Ford) followed by a 2nd valve failure as I was putting the spare wheel on. It happened on a Saturday afternoon and the vehicle was immobilised until Monday. This was a pretty freaky event and both tyres survived the experience, but it just proves that, even if you carry a spare wheel, Mr Sod (of the famous Law) can still get you.