Advice required re spare wheel

[Mollymops113]

Hi All
We purchased our motorhome in April 2021 Pilote 696 and have to say it’s the best thing we have done, lots of amazing adventures, with hopefully lots more to come.
We had a fantastic holiday doing the NC500, however during the trip we thought about the fact that we were not carrying a spare wheel. My husband doesn’t have the best of health and should we have an issue would have to call breakdown out to change the tyre. We were considering purchasing a spare for this year but are unsure of the best place to store the spare wheel. We were wondering if anyone with similar motorhome has had one fitted( underslung, on the rear of the motorhome , garage etc) any advice would be greatly appreciated as we are very very new to motorhomes. Any info on weight for tyre and mount etc would be really helpful. Thank you in advance.

 

[TinaLes]

Always best to carry a spare wheel & tyre f you have the room. If not, they can be mounted underneath the van on a spare wheel carrier, of which there are many makes & types. Have a word with your dealer to ask what they have seen, maybe Fiamma, or Alko do one, but they are not easy to get to, or operate, so the breakdown company would have to do that for you.
The spare wheel & tyre is also big and heavy to weald about, weighing in at around 26 to 28KGs, and on a wet cold day or night that is heavy!
I would also look at getting a Tyre Pal tyre pressure monitoring system fitted on the van if it doesn't have one, easy DIY install, screwing a sensor on each wheel tyre valve, then setting up monitor near the dashboard. It gives an early indication of a tyre problem, especially at speed on a motorway. I would add that Some on here hate them, others love em, like we do.
Happy touring.
LES

 

[Spriddler]

To reduce the weight you can carry just a tyre. If the puncture isn't repairable the breakdown chap/woman will have to remove the punctured tyre anyway. You already have the wheel.

 

[Fdhadi]

Cheap Spare Wheels & Space Saver Wheels - Thewheelshop.co.uk

The wheel shop are the leading suppliers of cheap spare wheels, space saver wheels and steel wheels in the UK. Free delivery, Free fitting.

www.thewheelshop.co.uk

Recently bought a wheel (tyre purchased from a dealer on eBay) to use as a spare from the above. They also do wheel & tyre.
Be careful you get the correct stud spacing if Ducato, they have 118 or 130 pcd.

 

[BillyKontiki]

I wouldn’t bother, leave it to the breakdown company if they can’t fix you out at the kerbside they’ll arrange to get you sorted elsewhere, and you can always have a brew while waiting.

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[POH]

What about puncture safe looking at getting mine done again some like it others hate it.

 

[Stealaway]

I wouldn’t bother, leave it to the breakdown company if they can’t fix you out at the kerbside they’ll arrange to get you sorted elsewhere, and you can always have a brew while waiting.

As above. These wheels and vans are far too big for me to go changing wheels at my age. Plus the chances of having a puncture these days is far more unlikely and you have the repair kit.
When did have a puncture in any vehicle?

 

[dosser]

Had a leak at the tunnel having travelled from Scotland, turns out that the wheel was cracked and had a leak. Changed the wheel and still travelling. Wouldn't tavel without one.

 

[the1andonly]

Wouldn't tavel without one.

Neither would i. Said it before i would chuck out other junk if payload was an issue. For all those who haven't had a puncture inthe last ten years youve been using up my luck. Stuck out on a single track road without a spare no thanks . With a spare at least you might even get a good samaritan to stop. I once watched the wife and her mother change the wheel on the car on the main a158 lincoln skeg road i really enjoyed the looks i got from the hundreds of holidaymakers passing, not one stopped to help. i had 2 sprained wrists at the time. Changing a wheel was the least embarrassing thing the boss had to do.

 

[Reallyretired]

I have twice had punctures on the continent. Getting a replacement tyre is a real headache. I would now never be without a spare.
In the garage is a good place if you have one. Underslung can be a problem to extract especially with a flat tyre at the rear.
On my last motorhome it was mounted on the rear towbar. Not the best for weight distribution but accessible.

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[EzeeRider]

Wouldn't tavel without one.

I would and have been for years. If you cannot change it yourself I see no point in carrying one. A call out to a mobile repaire outfit will cost you anything between £50 to £90 unless you are covered by breakdown insurance. Don't overload the vehicle and take good care of your tyres and they will take care of you.
ezee

 

[Googlebot]

A mate had a tyre wrecked by a bit of metal in the Alps. He had no spare but it happened outside a garage. They couldn’t get him a new tyre for 3 days so he spent those 3 miserable days on the forecourt next to the main road.

I now carry a spare.

 

[10tenmen]

I have a Pilote P650GJ this is where the wheel carrier fits on you Fiat CCS chassis the cost of the carrier and a new wheel and camper tyre was £200 very simple to fit no ramps required.

 

[SeanF1]

There are sellers on ebay selling the correct spare wheel carrier for £65 - £95. I bought one for £65. Motorhome builders have them removed from the new chassis for payload reasons and the removers resell them on ebay. New as in never used in anger but have been fitted and removed from a chassis. Mine works perfectly. Bought a spare wheel with decent tyre also from ebay for £30. Needed a sand and a lick of paint but now have a spare fitted to my MH for less than £100. I would recommend this route

 

[SeanF1]

There are sellers on ebay selling the correct spare wheel carrier for £65 - £95. I bought one for £65. Motorhome builders have them removed from the new chassis for payload reasons and the removers resell them on ebay. New as in never used in anger but have been fitted and removed from a chassis. Mine works perfectly. Bought a spare wheel with decent tyre also from ebay for £30. Needed a sand and a lick of paint but now have a spare fitted to my MH for less than £100. I would

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[Catpirate]

Would never be without a spare wheel. Mine is under slung and is a bit of a heavy duty job to remove, and even harder to get back in the holder. I carry a 5 tonne bottle jack and all the tools to change. I would recommend calling a breakdown service to assist (ie do the job) as it can be hard work. Also be sure to check the spare regularly for correct pressure or carry a good pump to inflate.

 

[Stealaway]

Had a leak at the tunnel having travelled from Scotland, turns out that the wheel was cracked and had a leak. Changed the wheel and still travelling. Wouldn't tavel without one.

 

[SpeedyDux]

I've see a BMW with run-flat tyres in trouble after a blow out. Even run-flats are not infallible. I have had one MH tyre blow out on a motorway, and on another occasion a failed valve core that caused the front tyre to deflate in less than a mile. If you carry a spare wheel and tyre this sort of bad luck doesn't hold you up or put you in danger for long. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. Fingers crossed it won't happen when you are driving on one of those All Lanes Running smart motorways and you can't reach a refuge. Nightmare scenario.

If your MH doesn't come with a spare it might not be supplied with a jack and wheelbrace either. Check the supplied tool kit. As has been suggested by Catpirate a bottle jack could be handy. Next, some trusty tool to loosen the wheel bolts ...

 

[makems]

I always post this pic when this topic crops up. Get a spare - gunk in the tyre won’t help if this happens to you. Tyre blew on a motorway in Spain. Had to get recovered to a garage to change the tyre. Having a spare prevented me from getting ripped off by the high price quoted by the garage and having an odd tyre because the garage didn’t have a matching one.

 

[Brains]

As a minimum I'd suggest a spare tyre, and ideally a spare wheel to go with it.
I bought both off ebay, The tyre was brand new the wheel was an unused spare from a breakers.

Having had two punctures in my car in the last 3 years (both caused by screws) and one kerb damaged tyre, I think a spare tyre on a motorhome is essential.
I simply carry mine in the garage, it makes a neat nest for the BBQ.

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[xsparks]

Techno, did a post about a spare wheel carrier. If you put that in search there's a lot of info.

 

[poppycamper]

Spare for me... no point calling out for help if you don't have something to replace the punctured tyre with.
Some say no need as they will take tyre away to replace or call out mobile tyre fitter.... middle of night or middle of nowhere.... how long could that possibly take... ????

 

[Lenny HB]

Also France & Spain if they can't get a tyre to match you will have to buy 2 as they need to be the same on the same axle, and they will probably not be the tyres you want.
I've had too many punctures to risk traveling without a spare.

 

[Spriddler]

Having had two punctures in my car in the last 3 years (both caused by screws)

I've also had two fairly recently - strangely both were after trips to B&Q and Wickes, so I'm careful when I go there now as having looked carefully at the parking bays quite a few have screws and nails laying around that (I assume) had fallen out of tradesmen's vans.

 

[poppycamper]

Don't overload the vehicle and take good care of your tyres and they will take care of you.

Very sound advice... if you ALWAYS ALWAYS follow a road sweeper to clear the brand new tyre damaging/destroying debris away before you drive over them...

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[EzeeRider]

Spare for me... no point calling out for help if you don't have something to replace the punctured tyre with.
Some say no need as they will take tyre away to replace or call out mobile tyre fitter.... middle of night or middle of nowhere.... how long could that possibly take... ????

I don't travel in the middle of the night and as for being in the middle of nowhere, that is very few places and in any case with over 300 ft lbs of torque required to undo and tighten up my wheel nuts, it is not something I can manage. I am fortunate, with retirement, on my travels I have no deadlines to meet of any consquence and can afford unforeseen delays.
ezee

 

[poppycamper]

I am not advocating changing wheel oneself... but carrying a spare so that the person attending can do it for you.
Also you may not travel at night and have all the time in the world... but does the OP.?

I don't travel in the middle of the night and as for being in the middle of nowhere, that is very few places and in any case with over 300 ft lbs of torque required to undo and tighten up my wheel nuts, it is not something I can manage. I am fortunate, with retirement, on my travels I have no deadlines to meet of any consquence and can afford unforeseen delays.
ezee

 

[POH]

Just seen this , would it be OK to use as a spare even though I have alloys https://www.thewheelshop.co.uk/ o ly £134 with tyre.

 

[Lenny HB]

Just seen this , would it be OK to use as a spare even though I have alloys https://www.thewheelshop.co.uk/ o ly £134 with tyre.

Yes you can use a steel spare but you will need a set of wheel bolts for it as the ones for alloys are longer and can foul.
Also check the load rating aftermarket wheels often have a lower load rating than OEM wheels.

 

[POH]

Thanks Lenny I will check it out