Puncture?, What do I do?

[Johnnynhl]

Ok Newbie here, so after some searching and referencing the manuals I can safely say there is no spare tyre on my camper van. Yes, you may say what was I thinking when I bought it. Doh!. So the question is as basic as what should I do to make preparations in case of a puncture?

 

[EssexBoy]

Do you have the tin of "gunge" to put in the tyre before re-inflating?

The idea is that you use the gunge as a temporary fix to get you to the tyre place and a new tyre

The thinking is that most people aren't able to change a light commercial wheel on their own at the side of the road, so why supply a spare

 

[M-J]

Breakdown cover

 

[Andacami]

Is there an option to fit a full size spare?

 

[Spanner]

There is no substitute for a spare wheel.
By the time you realise you have a puncture and pulled over the tyre is almost always beyond any repair and the can of gunge is not going to be of any help.
When the breakdown chap arrives he won’t be carrying a spare for your van either.
Best bet would be to buy the proper spare wheel carrier and a wheel with an identical make of tyre that’s already fitted on your van, at least then you can get on your way in the shortest time.

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[Bailey 15]

This had been on previous threads, think the general opinion was, if you want to carry a tyre and tyre carrier you need to think of the extra weight that would apply.
Also If breakdown cannot come with a tyre, it’s not a bad place to wait until they get a replacement to you is it? Just sit and wait in your full facility van

 

[Lenny HB]

We would never go anywhere without a spare it a weight & space penalty you have to suffer. Some say just carry a tyre but if the rim gets damaged you are .

Always worth making sure the spare is the same as your other tyres as in France & Spain if its not the breakdown services won't fit it and insist on selling you two new tyres. This is because they have to be the same on the same axle.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Why not check out these people.
www.puncturecontrol.co.uk.
I had all 4 brand new tyres fitted with this "gel" at the Lincoln Show just gone, and it is supposed to reseal a puncture if created within the tread area.
It would obviously not work on a full blowout, so for that I carry a full spare underslung in its own carrier, but for a slow puncture it should work.
The brand of gel used is OKO, and I believe was developed originally for the military.
The ride back home from the show to Nottinghamshire did seem much smoother also.
Just a thought, and the fitting is done through the tyre valve with the wheels in situ, and I believe they fit UK wide via a mobile fitting service.

 

[Spanner]

This had been on previous threads, think the general opinion was, if you want to carry a tyre and tyre carrier you need to think of the extra weight that would apply.

Also If breakdown cannot come with a tyre, it’s not a bad place to wait until they get a replacement to you is it? Just sit and wait in your full facility van

Unless you happen to be parked in a lay-by I certainly wouldn’t be sitting in a motorhome at the roadside waiting to be hit by another vehicle

 

[Bailey 15]

Unless you happen to be parked in a lay-by I certainly wouldn’t be sitting in a motorhome at the roadside waiting to be hit by another vehicle

Breakdown would tow to convenient safe place first

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[TerryL]

Breakdown would tow to convenient safe place first

With a flat tyre?

 

[Fontie]

Why not check out these people.
www.puncturecontrol.co.uk.
I had all 4 brand new tyres fitted with this "gel" at the Lincoln Show just gone, and it is supposed to reseal a puncture if created within the tread area.
It would obviously not work on a full blowout, so for that I carry a full spare underslung in its own carrier, but for a slow puncture it should work.
The brand of gel used is OKO, and I believe was developed originally for the military.
The ride back home from the show to Nottinghamshire did seem much smoother also.
Just a thought, and the fitting is done through the tyre valve with the wheels in situ, and I believe they fit UK wide via a mobile fitting service.

I can vouch for Gary he put the gunge in my MH tyres a couple of years ago whilst at one of the shows, I'll never know if it works because if I get a puncture it seals it instantly so I wont know. Only way I'd ever know is if I saw a screw or nail in the tyre which has sealed around it, but even pulling it out it would seal again instantly.

 

[makems]

I regularly post this picture when this topic comes up.
Pouring with rain on a Spanish motorway when theres a big bang from the back and the van starts to wobble. Gwen (who did all the driving) Quickly wrestled it over to the hard shoulder. The side wall has literally vapourized.
it would take more than a can of gunk to fix this:

 

[Gromett]

If you only tour in the UK then you could do what I do. Call out a mobile tyre company to sort you out.
I think pretty much all of the mainland UK has coverage by one.

I rarely go to a tyre place these days. I just get lazy and get them to come to me.

 

[Odd-no-more]

A friend was on a CL site and had a puncture, the site refused access to his breakdown service and insisted he paid their own people to change the wheel. He has now bought an impact driver as he was not able to remove the wheel nuts himself and had to pay.

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[nicholsong]

Unless you happen to be parked in a lay-by I certainly wouldn’t be sitting in a motorhome at the roadside waiting to be hit by another vehicle

And certainly not where we had a blowout on single-lane roadworks where there was no proper hard sholder, just some gravel to pull onto, no barrier for protection and the 'verge' was a slope of 1:4 on loose stones unclimbable.

We carry a spare wheel and tyre.

Geoff

 

[Steve and Soz]

Im another fan of the OKO product, Have had several punctures in France and this product kept enough air in to get me to a tyre shop.

 

[Stealaway]

I regularly post this picture when this topic comes up.
Pouring with rain on a Spanish motorway when theres a big bang from the back and the van starts to wobble. Gwen (who did all the driving) Quickly wrestled it over to the hard shoulder. The side wall has literally vapourized.
it would take more than a can of gunk to fix this:

View attachment 435644

Why did it happen, any ideas? How old was the tyre? When had you last checked the pressure?

 

[jdk62]

Depends on the puncture, but if say a nail or similar, when we had that problem, I called a mobile tyre fitter and as the nail was through the main tread they could repair it. Cost me £30.00.

 

[Johnnynhl]

Members thanks for all the replies I now have a fairly well balanced view on the pro's/cons and probable mobile fixes. Appreciated

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[Coolcats]

We would never go anywhere without a spare it a weight & space penalty you have to suffer. Some say just carry a tyre but if the rim gets damaged you are .

Always worth making sure the spare is the same as your other tyres as in France & Spain if its not the breakdown services won't fit it and insist on selling you two new tyres. This is because they have to be the same on the same axle.

Four of my vehicles including the MotorHome do not have a spare wheel. It really doesn’t matter just call the breakdown service.

I should add that even if people have a spare it’s normally under the van which is even less likely to have its pressure checked by an owner that the one than the one that used to be in the boot of a Car !

 

[Lenny HB]

Four of my vehicles including the MotorHome do not have a spare wheel. It really doesn’t matter just call the breakdown service.

I should add that even if people have a spare it’s normally under the van which is even less likely to have its pressure checked by an owner that the one than the one that used to be in the boot of a Car !

That can get jolly expensive in France or Spain as the breakdown service are unlikely to be able to get a matching tyre so you will have to buy two. And if you don't like the tyres they supply that's another two when you get home. If the rim is damaged even more delays.
Absolute madness not to carry a spare.

 

[Wizz]

Im another fan of the OKO product, Have had several punctures in France and this product kept enough air in to get me to a tyre shop.

Did you fill the tyres yourself or get the company to carry out the work ?

 

[Wizz]

That can get jolly expensive in France or Spain as the breakdown service are unlikely to be able to get a matching tyre so you will have to buy two. And if you don't like the tyres they supply that's another two when you get home. If the rim is damaged even more delays.
Absolute madness not to carry a spare.

I have to say my preference is definitely to carry a spare.
Unfortunately I don't have that available weight capacity.
My next best options are to carry a replacement matching tyre (no wheel).
I'm currently trying to find out the weight of tyre only.
OR
Alternatively I will likely go for the OKO product.

 

[Lenny HB]

15" rim & tyre 25kg
16" rim & tyre 30kg
15" tyre 15kg.
Not sure of the weight of a 16" tyre but probably no more than 3kg more.

If you can't afford 10 or 12 kg for a rim you must have to check everything in the van each time you go away. Far too much Hassle.

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[EzeeRider]

I would ask myself two questions, first and foremost, am I capable of changing a wheel even if I have the right tools (suitable torque wrench)? Secondly, do I have the weight and space to carry a spare wheel and tyre? If you can answer yes to both these questions by all means carry a spare wheel otherwise don't worry about it and rely on calling out a repair service.
ezee

 

[125BEER]

This had been on previous threads, think the general opinion was, if you want to carry a tyre and tyre carrier you need to think of the extra weight that would apply.
Also If breakdown cannot come with a tyre, it’s not a bad place to wait until they get a replacement to you is it? Just sit and wait in your full facility van

You can never choose where your tyre goes ie Motorway......you cannot stay in your vehicle...

 

[Lenny HB]

Even if calling the breakdown service its still better to carry a spare.
I would never travel without a spare just not worth the risk. Why would anyone buy a Motorhome without enough payload to carry a spare bonkers.

 

[WESTY66]

One of the first things I bought for my new to me Adria, a spare wheel!! It sits in the garage and tyre pressure gets checked everytime the moho ones do. If I was loaded I’d have self levellers and a DeWalt cordless impact wrench too, so I could press a button get it in the air, change wheel and be on my way in less than a few minutes

 

[Decker]

Depends on the puncture, but if say a nail or similar, when we had that problem, I called a mobile tyre fitter and as the nail was through the main tread they could repair it. Cost me £30.00.

Where was this?
Uk or continental Europe?
Did the £30 include a call out charge?