Who Carrys a Spare Wheel?

[MR. FUSION]

None of this would apply to us as we carry a spare wheel with tyre on all our vehicles but to suggest that accessing a spare rim would need luck just can't be true in Europe or the U.K.

Luck as in yes you can get one, but some or all of the above will apply.

 

[JJ]

I always carry a spare wheel and a jack.

Always have and always will.


JJ

 

[MC 55 FUN]

Luck as in yes you can get one, but some or all of the above will apply.

No doubt the added complications as you have stated would be a 'mare.

 

[Northernraider]

None of this would apply to us as we carry a spare wheel with tyre on all our vehicles but to suggest that accessing a spare rim would need luck just can't be true in Europe or the U.K.

You'd be amazed, I broke down in Germany in the 90's in a vw transporter the rectifier in the dynamo was knackered..... Couldn't get one for love or money

Its amazing how fortune turns out at times
These days I'd rather be prepared, my car never came with a spare wheel despite having a place for one instead it had a compressor and some gunk stuff, I went to the local breakers yard and picked up a wheel and tyre for £20
If there wasn't one in the motorhome I'd be inclined to do the same, personally I think it's more essential than some of the other stuff

Its a sad thing these days that vehicle manufacturers are relying on folk having to have breakdown cover to change a tyre.
Even petrol stations now where they used to sell bulbs, oil and fan belts they've been replaced by over priced coffee and dodgy hamburgers
Given that most breakdown company's give you 3-5 breakdown a year before upping your costs.... Having to use them for a tyre change I'd be reluctant

 

[MC 55 FUN]

You'd be amazed, I broke down in Germany in the 90's in a vw transporter the rectifier in the dynamo was knackered..... Couldn't get one for love or money

Given that most vehicles had alternators as far back as the early 70's I'm not surprised that sourcing any parts for a dynamo would be difficult to say the least, however sourcing a wheel rim for Sevel clones or a Transit would be much easier I suspect.

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[Northernraider]

Given that most vehicles had alternators as far back as the early 70's I'm not surprised that sourcing any parts for a dynamo would be difficult to say the least, however sourcing a wheel rim for Sevel clones or a Transit would be much easier I suspect.

Perhaps but why take the risk?
As someone else said carry a wheel it's a 30-60 minute interruption to your holiday
Sourcing a rim fitting a tyre etc all at the mercy of the supplier with little option to shop around can take longer and cost a lot more

 

[MC 55 FUN]

Perhaps but why take the risk?
As someone else said carry a wheel it's a 30-60 minute interruption to your holiday
Sourcing a rim fitting a tyre etc all at the mercy of the supplier with little option to shop around can take longer and cost a lot more

I agree, certainly not a risk we'd take

 

[The general]

Not irrelevant if you carry an extending breaker bar with the correct socket. It is dual purpose as acts as a suitable self defence implement kept close to me!
Cheers
Bernie

Yes deffo check to make sure the wheel brace is the right size I changed mine for transit and got a proper socket some of those braces slip off the nut . But you got to give it a dummy run .

 

[Barclaybasher]

 

[PhilG]

I had a punture last week. Phoned Safegared, arranged for tyre change. Arrived in an hour. Spare changed within 10 min. with a trolly jack. Excellent service.
Phoned Kwik Fit for a new tyre. Did not have the facility to lift a 4.5 ton van.

That is because you phoned a car place... ATS Euromaster is where you need to be going .

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[Nigel L]

Thanks for all the replies.
You have convinced me to carry both the spare wheel and the Jack and brace etc.
I have just taken the Jack and tools out of the large black case and wrapped them in bubble wrap and stored them under one of the rear seats. Thus, getting rid of the large rigid carrying case. This has freed up the space under the front passenger seat, which is exactly what I was after trying to achieve.
Downsizing has certainly focused the mind into discarding what we don't actually need in reality, but take 'just in case!'

 

[Stewart J]

Interestingly only yesterday I removed the jack and tools from the large black box, the box is now in my garage the tools are in the vehicle garage along with the scissor jack. The jack is wrapped in an old tea towel and wedged in the vehicle garage, its freed up quite a useful space. My Hymer did not come with a spare wheel it was an option which I duly paid for when ordering the van,I wouldn't be without one for the same reasons expressed by others.

 

[Crazylegs]

Had a flat tyre on a trailer we were towing on the motorway, police insisted we were recovered as we didn't have a spare, cost £160!! Then the 24 hour local tyre fitter charged an outrageous sum to supply and fit a new tyre to the trailer!!! Always carry a spare.

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

Wish we had the option / place to carry a spare wheel. Another one here with gunk and pump.

 

[PhilG]

I carry a spare under the rear floor, all of the toolkit plus a bottle jack, in my truck i had a 10 ton bottle jack and a reduction unit to get the wheels off.. plus cable ties, duct tape and lock wire, and a toolbox, because i dont want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere because of something i could fix if i had the tools .

Im still at a loss as to why you would carry a tyre and not have it on a rim.

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[busby]

All Thea's who have a spare tire culd be very disappointed when the RAC man turns up an says can't do that I don't have a tire changing machine in my van
It's not the changing the tire that's the problem it's braking the bead
That's the problem
I run a Mobil mecanick business and I do have a tire machen in my work shop
Did have a fully kitted out thire van but sold that part of the business on
I have had several call me to Chang a tire when I turned up it was just a the that had
Not a problem as I have a sliding hamer bead braker
But in sum cases the rim is how can I put it f and could do nothing to help them
Exept call a very expensive recucery truck
And if you are suppled with a spare and get a puncture and don't have a servicibil spare it's a varry expensive recucery
And you ant cuverd by braking down recuvery I know it happens to me two punctures in one day

Bill

I have broken the seal before by running one of the car/van wheels around the bead,,BUSBY,,

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

Would a Michelin Camping tyre be an appropriate spare for a van with Continental Vancouver tyres the same size? Would I be able to use it as a spare? I think I read that in France they are very fussy about mixed makes, but I cannot find that reference again

 

[Kingham]

When I ordered my current car, it wasn't until I got it home that I realised there was no spare, just the inflator and gunk kit.
I was straight on the phone to the garage and ordered a full spare and jacking kit.

I have no issues changing a wheel on the car, or even the heavier van wheel, as long as I could do it safely in the location and traffic conditions.

For those of you that are totally dependant on recovery and breakdown services, on a busy day I have seen them take close to 2 hours to get on scene, then however long it takes to effect the change over.
This is fine if you're not in a hurry, but no good if you are heading to the ferry or some other time critical appointment.

Even if you can't physically change the wheel yourself, a passing friendly policeman or HETO might just offer to change it for you and get you on your way, which is probably where I became well practised in the art of changing wheels
(something in the back of my mind is telling me that HETOs may have been stopped from changing wheels)

 

[PhilG]

When I ordered my current car, it wasn't until I got it home that I realised there was no spare, just the inflator and gunk kit.
I was straight on the phone to the garage and ordered a full spare and jacking kit.

I have no issues changing a wheel on the car, or even the heavier van wheel, as long as I could do it safely in the location and traffic conditions.

For those of you that are totally dependant on recovery and breakdown services, on a busy day I have seen them take close to 2 hours to get on scene, then however long it takes to effect the change over.
This is fine if you're not in a hurry, but no good if you are heading to the ferry or some other time critical appointment.

Even if you can't physically change the wheel yourself, a passing friendly policeman or HETO might just offer to change it for you and get you on your way, which is probably where I became well practised in the art of changing wheels
(something in the back of my mind is telling me that HETOs may have been stopped from changing wheels)

This ...

Last time I had a puncture in the car , I was on the way back from a race with a badly mangled arm and concussion, stopped at Watford Gap, and pulled off up slip road and the car felt a bit odd, so stopped before we reached carriageway , and within 5 mins the HA guys were there to check on us, Mrs had the wheel out of the boot , and just said to stand out of the way in and they would sort it.

Not being able to change a wheel is pretty poor IMO, its not hard ,unless you are physically unable, just need to make sure you don't do it in a stupid place.

 

[vwalan]

I have broken the seal before by running one of the car/van wheels around the bead,,BUSBY,,

ideally use the jack to break the seal.
i use the trailer wind down legs work perfect.
carry conventional tyre spoons and some halte . mitchy levers . the ideal tubeless truck tyre levers .
half the places we go you could never get recovery to get to you. unless they are in a tractor .

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[PhilG]

ideally use the jack to break the seal.
i use the trailer wind down legs work perfect.
carry conventional tyre spoons and some halte . mitchy levers . the ideal tubeless truck tyre levers .
half the places we go you could never get recovery to get to you. unless they are in a tractor .

Spade.. never travel without one .

 

[nicholsong]

We had a blow-out on the autobahn near Leipzig this year. Fortunately rear RH and hard shoulder available, which was lucky because we were in single lane in roadworks. No barrier and v. steep stone-covered bank. Not ideal.

Gunk would have been no good. I doubt the recovery guy had means in his small van to fit a tyre to a rim.

We have an easily accessible spare on the plinth in our MH garage - only had to take out the bikes to get to it.

In any circumstances I would be reluctant to use just a scissors jack for our 3850kg MH. In this case there was quite a steep camber so I would not have tried it; even the ADAC man had to use two jacks, trolley and bottle, to ensure safety and to get the height - remember MHs have quite a high CofG compared with a car.

The problem is getting a tyre to match the other Toyos as I run winter tyres all year and they are not available yet, so at moment have no spare tyre, but MH is currently static in UK. Hopefully I can get one before it is back in commission, or I might have a problem with recovery company if I get a flat.

The spare that we put on is a Michelin(came with MH) and I was not sure whether at the MOT a few days later it could have been failed for mismatch on same axle - it could be failed in Poland for that, but fortunately not.

Geoff

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

Would a Michelin Camping tyre be an appropriate spare for a van with Continental Vancouver tyres the same size? Would I be able to use it as a spare? I think I read that in France they are very fussy about mixed makes, but I cannot find that reference again

That should have said Continental Vanco. Bl**** autocorrect again

 

[Kevan]

Had a puncture on the way from Lyndon top (Rutland) to ten day meet at Stratford (on avon) we were towing on a-frame on the Motorway, the tyre alarm went of and we were losing air very quickly had to stop at every garage we found to keep topping up, until we eventually reached our destination, quite scary, we did have a steel spare,(motor home on alloy wheels Scorpion came on van from new) but now we have to change it in the middle of the race course on grass, did not trust Ducato jack, went to Halfords and bought 3 ton trolley jack, changed the wheel with ease, been meaning to buy a trolley jack for a while for use at home, it turned out that it was not a puncture a such, but air escaping between tyre and rim, alloy wheels have problems with making good seals. we have now changed all our wheels to steel and feel much happier, plus bought 10 ton bottle jack...

 

[gerry mcg]

I was under the impression one should not try to change an offside tyre on the motorway (or slip road) without an escort car such as police / HA or AA etc behind with flashers on in case you are belted by a passing car - I would probably deal with a nearside tyre - but would be much happier waiting for assistance from Police / HA or AA to provide protection.

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[GSD]

With the tool-kit provided jack and the spare wheel you are likely to be able to cope with any tyre emergency anywhere even though you may need assistance to do so. I wouldn't leave either of these at home. You can carry everything you need in a PVC for eight weeks in Europe and to accommodate a range of climates its just a matter of prioritisation and care in selecting what you need and what you don't.
Ask yourself the question what are you going to store under the seat that is so indispensable that it should displace such an important item.

 

[joka250]

Reference Nicholsong, presumably the Michelin which came with MH is not a winter tyre therefore it should not pass MOT and I believe it is illegal,illegal to use on the road as the grip potential of each tyre is different. The presence of a newly issued MOT would not help.

 

[Ninjabob]

Bear in mind (new Peugeot motorhome owners) Peugeot Assist does not cover tyre changing without paying an additional charge at inception.

 

[stcyr]

Our spare is on a cradle above the engine. Easy to remove at waist height, and clean if needed.

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

We've got a pvc though Ralph built it .
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/rb-panel-van-conversion-begins.100614/
The wheel was included in our oringinal payweight .
Just been on a weigh bridge , last week , after uprating to 4.250 fully loaded with absolutely everything possible. Including plenty clothes, coats, shoes boots, ladies bits n pieces ( most important .....) full water tank , 2different sets of chairs ,outside table , mozzie tent, enough basic food ( we eat out lots ) treats , bottles of beer , wine, prosseco, gas, water, spade , chains, Ralph dog me everything. Still got 550kg to spare !!
Yaaaay !

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