Spare Tyre/wheel or Sealant kit?

[ShaKen]

Having just read NorthernSands very entertaining tale regarding having a problem with one of his tyres it has got me thinking around whether I really can travel round Europe with no spare wheel/tyre?

My Chausson (on Ford chassis) just came with a tyre sealant kit, meaning that if I have a significant puncture / tear or other wheel issue then I may be stuck with out a paddle.

But, do I really want to carry the extra weight around of another wheel / tyre? How likely is it that I’ll have a puncture (bearing in mind I haven’t had one in years!

Will my breakdown cover not be good enough to fix any tyre/ wheel related issues?

 

[tacr2man]

To a degree it depends on how much time you have to spare , if you get a non sealant type occurrence
also you will be paying a premium price for the tyre and/or a rim . If you have the payload , as Clint said "are you feeling lucky ?" There have been several threads on just this question

 

[MR. FUSION]

Having just read NorthernSands very entertaining tale regarding having a problem with one of his tyres it has got me thinking around whether I really can travel round Europe with no spare wheel/tyre?

My Chausson (on Ford chassis) just came with a tyre sealant kit, meaning that if I have a significant puncture / tear or other wheel issue then I may be stuck with out a paddle.

But, do I really want to carry the extra weight around of another wheel / tyre? How likely is it that I’ll have a puncture (bearing in mind I haven’t had one in years!

Will my breakdown cover not be good enough to fix any tyre/ wheel related issues?

It's not just a puncture, you could damage the rim of a wheel, then with no proper spare it's all down to luck and how big your wallet is......I always carry a spare and recently ended up using it on the eve of a trip. A lot of tyre places also don't regularly carry camping tyres in stock (if you have them) so there is another can of worms if you end up having to wait for a special order, where with a possibly immobilised van are you and the van going to stay ???

 

[Stealaway]

I'm happy to take the gamble. I'm not sure I would want to change a big heavy wheel these days. I can't remember the last time I had a pumpture in any vehicle I've had.

 

[Stealaway]

Just read Northernsands saga. Still not a pumpture- faulty valve. It seems I need to carry spare valves now.

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[Reallyretired]

After many years without a puncture I had two on the motorhome last year. I now carry a spare on the towbar. It has to be removed on the rare occasions we use the toad, but then can go in the back of the toad. Fortunately I have spare weight allowance on the back axle (Mercedes) though I gather this is often not the case on Fiat.

 

[Carolyn and Kev]

We have got a kit with the chemical for a puncture or leak. My argument was with the dealer ...what would happen if the side wall went on the tyre? To be told .."It is an option , should you require one , we can supply you one at cost " ?
I purchased a new wheel and tyre from one of the Funsters on here and although our pay load is quite large compared to others..I would still rather have a tyre than a kit to be honest.
It would be 'sods law' if we had not got one!

Kev

 

[Two on Tour]

Bare in mind that if you have need to use a sealant as a "get me home repair" then it is likely to cost you the price of a new tyre and wheel as I found out some years ago when I used a tyre sealant which incidentally failed to work and was the told by National Tyres that it was the company policy that they would not work on any wheel/tyre that had had sealant used on it due to the mess it makes of their equipment.
I would imagine that other tyre fitters would have the same feeling about tyres with sealant repairs.

 

[Gellyneck]

We've got a standard fit spare on our motorhome but after around 35 years of no punctures I was thinking along the lines of the standard gunk option in a Volvo car we were getting but, after a bit of deliberation, went with the optional skinny spare. On the way home from the dealer after collecting guess what I got? Yip, a puncture!
You just never know the minute.
ps dealer replaced the tyre foc as good will.

 

[wiljoy]

After experiencing problems without a spare it's really a no brainer. If payload was a BIG issue I'd rather leave the wife at home than travel without a spare wheel/tyre again.
If you'd stood in a layby near Tongue (northern Scotland) for 4 days waiting for a tyre then you to would need to carry a spare.

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[BILL 875]

Spare every time as for reasons above also do the blow job kits have a to be replaced after so many years?
Bill

 

[tuscancouple]

On our RV we carried a spare which after eleven years, when we sold the RV, the spare wheel still had the original stickers on. Never been used. The trailer we tow behind is now on it's third replacement tyre! Thankfully we carry a spare for the trailer, on the trailer, as whilst travelling through France one year, one of the tyres disintegrated and NO amount of canned resealer was going to put it back together!

With our new PVC there is no spare and I'm really uncomfortable about it. Have two cans of sealer but no confidence in them. Looking to fit a spare wheel asap and live with the reduced payload.

Mick

 

[busby]

I'm happy to take the gamble. I'm not sure I would want to change a big heavy wheel these days. I can't remember the last time I had a pumpture in any vehicle I've had.

You must be due ONE now you have said that,,sods law,,BUSBY.

 

[busby]

Just read Northernsands saga. Still not a pumpture- faulty valve. It seems I need to carry spare valves now.

All tyre companies can supply valves immediately,,Some tyre sizes are not always stocked..Would not travel personally without a spare..Can change it myself if need be.BUSBY..

 

[Lenny HB]

I would never travel without a spare, had punctures in both of my last 2 vans. Could get expensive in France or Spain if you need a new tyre. Unlikely to be able to get the same as on your van and they will insist on tyres on the same axle being identical. Could mean having to buy 2 tyres you don't want & might replace when you get home.

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[Mickthemove]

I have a Chausson with the same kit, i read my Nationwide recovery gumpff and it stated i must carry a spare to make recovery valid(if involves a wheel), so i brought a spare wheel...the peace of mind far outweighs the extra kilos esp on my Eurotrip

 

[Zigisla]

I have just had all four replaced on the MH. The best one of the lot was kept as a spare, to illiminate the problems Lenny HB mentions above. We carry the "Gunk kit" and now a tyre. Still very heavy, but should have the load for it, but very tight for space. If a 16" wheel, steel or alloy comes up, I may get one of those, but for now, feel all bases covered by just the tyre and gunk.

 

[Clickem]

I have a Chausson with the same kit, i read my Nationwide recovery gumpff and it stated i must carry a spare to make recovery valid(if involves a wheel), so i brought a spare wheel...the peace of mind far outweighs the extra kilos esp on my Eurotrip

My Nationwide reads:
"For all vehicles, caravans or trailers and motorhomes, if appropriate you must always carry a legal and serviceable spare wheel or a manufacturer supplied or approved emergency tyre inflation kit or equipment and keys for any tyre security devices"

 

[MR. FUSION]

After experiencing problems without a spare it's really a no brainer. If payload was a BIG issue I'd rather leave the wife at home than travel without a spare wheel/tyre again.
If you'd stood in a layby near Tongue (northern Scotland) for 4 days waiting for a tyre then you to would need to carry a spare.

Could be much worse in Europe, language difficulty, nobody else to assist, supply chain issues etc etc. you are just a big fat cheque waiting to be cashed !!

 

[Regdel Fun Bus]

Hello all, I have been gleaming some really useful information from this Funster community for a few year now but have never posted, so here goes.....
I debated this 3 years ago with our first new Fiat based Motorhome, we felt torn with the cost of the wheel and tyre, so considered just a tyre which any tyre fitter could fit in an emergency situation, as mentioned beforehand supply can be tricky especially in remote areas at difficult out of hours times and at weekends etc.
In the end we decided on a new tyre and a genuine Fiat steel wheel, and we think of it like any insurance policy really, you hope you never need it but if / when you do, you are glad you have it.
I would hope our breakdown company would come and assist if we had an issue, as I do not carry a trolley jack or axle stand which I use at home if I take a wheel off etc on the Car, and wouldn't want to trust the scissor jack supplied, so would still prefer / need assistance, but the biggest issue seems to be getting the correct tyre supplied.
The load capacity was really tight as the vehicle was rated at 3500, but after looking at what was in the Moho that we rarely used that I would consider non essential, we took these things out to make the necessary weight capacity needed.
We have just upgraded to a slightly longer Moho on a heavy chassis and had the vehicle upgraded to the maximum 4250 allowed, the wheel had a different stud pattern, so we changed the unused 2016 16" Michelin Agila tyre and bought a new genuine wheel from fiat.
This should give us piece of mind for the next 7 years or so, although I will rotate the new spare and use the best of our used but still legal tyre's on the spare when we wear a tyre out and change a pair, so you do get the tyre cost and use of the tyre back in the long run, and can keep the wheel and tyre when you switch Motorhomes if it fits, or just sell it.
If you carry just a used but good tyre any tyre fitter could help you out at any time of day or night in an emergency situation, and move you to a safer position, and finally the mains cable, water pipes and a collapsible bucket fit nicely in the centre of the tyre to save storage space if you have a garage?
I hope this helps other Funsters to make an informed decision?

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[MR. FUSION]

I know some people advocate carrying just a tyre, with no hub, to get fitted by a roadside repair agent. This IMHO is also a strategy that can go wrong quite easily, especially if a hub gets damaged, you then need to source a hub !!!

 

[treetops1]

I think travelling with a spare wheel ,fully inflated and some additional spares ,brake and hydraulic fluid,fuses, bulbs ect ready for action gives piece of mind .I would not want to be stressed out every time I went over a bump on remote roads in Uk,France or Spain.

 

[Mickthemove]

My Nationwide reads:
"For all vehicles, caravans or trailers and motorhomes, if appropriate you must always carry a legal and serviceable spare wheel or a manufacturer supplied or approved emergency tyre inflation kit or equipment and keys for any tyre security devices"

Must read more thoroughly in future! a bad trait i have..... even though, as i now have spent the dosh i like the "peace of mind" it gives me

 

[MR. FUSION]

Must read more thoroughly in future! a bad trait i have..... even though, as i now have spent the dosh i like the "peace of mind" it gives me

Right decision anyway

 

[mike mcglynn]

I know a funster who had a puncture in France and it was a Sunday so double time for the autoroute breakdown crews x 3 as they blocked off the lane , all in all he had to pay out over £600 for their services.

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[ambulancekidd]

I carry a spare wheel & the moose stuff could be handy on a motorway & get mobile to safety quickly.
I also carry an airbag jack which can get the vehicle in the air in seconds.

The trouble is that an awful lot of drivers don't recognise a puncture when it happens, then they claim they've had a blowout, yes blowouts happen but an ordinary puncture is way more common.
Perhaps the good sound insulation of modern vehicles makes recognising a puncture more difficult?

 

[PhilandMena]

If you get a puncture whilst travelling at normal road speed, your tyre is more than likely going to be shredded. (plenty of posts on here to confirm that). Also, the fix and go gunk is to the best of my knowledge worse than useless. Finally, it may be a requirement of your insurance policy to carry a spare wheel. There are plenty of fixes available to carry a spare wheel if you choose to go down this route.

 

[ambulancekidd]

Hello all, I have been gleaming some really useful information from this Funster community for a few year now but have never posted, so here goes.....

 

[Podney]

Spare wheel for me. The last puncture I had (not in a motorhome but that doesn’t really alter anything),the tyre wall was ripped due to going in a pothole at edge of road.

 

[Podney]

Spare every time as for reasons above also do the blow job kits have a to be replaced after so many years?
Bill

Please tell me where I can get one if these “blow job kits” to which you refer.
Thanks.

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