Spare wheel?

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Deleted member 4404

On our last trip out in the bus, I was talking to a chap who said he no longer carries a spare wheel. His reason was, because he is not able to change the wheel himself and he has to call his breakdown service, they will take the wheel away for tyre repair/renewal. This would free up a lot of space in smaller vans, does anyone else do this?
 

Millie Master

Forum Member
Neither of my cars have a spare wheel, instead they have a tin of gooo in a compartment in the boot.

In 'Millie', the width of the spare wheel dictated the depth of the rear garage/shed inside the backdoors as shown in the attached image, the garage/shed also allows me the luxury of carrying a decent heavy duty trolley jack and the tools to change a punctured tyre if the need ever arose wherever we happen to be throughout the remotest parts of the UK or mainland Europe.
As far as I am concerned, when you are driving a vehicle (any kind of vehicle) and you travel both far and wide, quite frequently well away from areas of inhabitation then only an absolute idiot would do so without the luxury of a spare wheel or the means of repairing it.

Mind you with a micro camper where both weight and space are very much at a premium, then I can understand people dumping the spare wheel and replacing it with a can of gooo.

Phil
 

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Squiffy

Forum Member
In many ways I agree with Phil, not sure about the idiot bit though 😁 ,especially if you travel to places where its very much out of the way, at home or abroad. As for not carrying a spare because they will take it away and get it sorted, it does mean that you are going to be static for at least 3 hours
May even be all night if its a Sunday afternoon when it happens, if you carry a spare you can be on your way as soon as you've changed the wheel or soon after the breakdown service arrives. This is always provided that the spare is not also flat after years of being hung under the chassis. Which reminds me tomorrow I'll go and check the winding mech and the spare tyre pressure.😃. Phil
 

Darcar

Forum Member
I wouldn’t leave home without a spare wheel, well in our camper anyway.

Although interestingly, I was chatting to a car designer down the pub, the other night. ( I know this sounds like a joke ! any way,) the space saving spare wheel came up in conversation. I was arguing that they are rubbish and all cars should have to have a full size spare,

He asked me “when was the last time I had had a puncture?” Well it at least a couple of years ago, and I wasn’t sure even of that! Then he said, “ when was the last time I was broken down at the side of the road? “ Again I couldn’t remember!

He reckoned that your just as likely to break down with a faulty water pump or coil pack, than you are to have a puncture, and no one carries a spare water pump!

I couldn’t really disagree with him....... but I’m still carrying my spare.
Darren.
 

Millie Master

Forum Member
I couldn’t really disagree with him....... but I’m still carrying my spare.
Darren.

Me too Darren, when you are in the wilds of Scotland with no mobile signal and you have just hit a rock with one of your front wheels and knackered the tyre, the last thing you want to do is sit around twiddling your thumbs wondering what the hell can you do!
 

StreetSleeper

Forum Member
I was thinking about this tonight. I used to be a keen motorcyclist and used to travelled up and down the country; a lot of my motorcycling was in Scotland as that's were I live and all I had as a tyre repair kit was a couple of self tappers and the bare bones of a 12 volt pump. I don't recommend this but it has got me out of trouble before.

Rae
 

Squiffy

Forum Member
I wouldn’t leave home without a spare wheel, well in our camper anyway.

Although interestingly, I was chatting to a car designer down the pub, the other night. ( I know this sounds like a joke ! any way,) the space saving spare wheel came up in conversation. I was arguing that they are rubbish and all cars should have to have a full size spare,

He asked me “when was the last time I had had a puncture?” Well it at least a couple of years ago, and I wasn’t sure even of that! Then he said, “ when was the last time I was broken down at the side of the road? “ Again I couldn’t remember!

L

He reckoned that your just as likely to break down with a faulty water pump or coil pack, than you are to have a puncture, and no one carries a spare water pump!

I couldn’t really disagree with him....... but I’m still carrying my spare.
Darren.


I personally think that suggestion is as idiotic as saying when was the last time you had scarlet fever, its all relevant, nobody knows when that discarded screw is going to infiltrate the integrity of your tyre, and you can bet your life its going to happen when you least expect it to, like on your way home from the pub tonight. Phil.
 

trevskoda

Forum Member
We get loads of flat tyres here in ulster and loads down in souther ireland with bad roads plus farmers cutting road side hedges and thorns all over the road,do they clean it up,yo ho.
Steel and rubbish seem to be laying all over roads these days which always get the side walls,so spare wheel for me,and yes i would love a cover but the she-its here would have it away in a flash.
 

wildebus

Forum Member
On our last trip out in the bus, I was talking to a chap who said he no longer carries a spare wheel. His reason was, because he is not able to change the wheel himself and he has to call his breakdown service, they will take the wheel away for tyre repair/renewal. This would free up a lot of space in smaller vans, does anyone else do this?
I don't like not having a spare and for that reason I have specifically bought spares for those cars I have had that came without.

The guys argument that there is no point in having a spare because he couldn't replace it himself is wrong IMO and makes little sense. Sure, the chances are that you won't get a puncture, but of all the bits that could suffer damage in normal driving, a tyre is right up there at the top.
And you may get some good Samaritan able to help out just as much as relying on a patrol van.

(I could actually get away without a spare for a limited time on my Van even with a puncture, it being a dually, anyway by redistributing the good wheels but still carry a 7th wheel ;) )
 

GEOFF

I too would normally call the AA nowadays to change a wheel as I am no longer able to crawl about under the van. I did discuss the puncture senario with the AA and was told that if no spare wheel was carried and there were no other means to repair a puncture (requires at least one of the spray can goo thingies) then they will not attend. I stated that we have a smart car which is equipped with that, but that in the case of a blowout it would not be of any use. The AA said in that situation they would attend and source a new tyre (I would of course have to pay for the tyre) provided that the car was equipped to deal with a flat tyre. Geoff.
 

trevskoda

Forum Member
Wher on earth will the aa any one else find a tyre at 3am when the side wall is cut,if you are unfit to change a whell its time to hand in licence,i will when i get that bad.
 

Millie Master

Forum Member
Wher on earth will the aa any one else find a tyre at 3am when the side wall is cut,if you are unfit to change a whell its time to hand in licence,i will when i get that bad.

Now hang on Trev, I know and no doubt you know countless dozens of the fairer sex who wouldn't be capable of changing a wheel at the side of the road so do you think they should all hand in their licences?
 

trevskoda

Forum Member
Now hang on Trev, I know and no doubt you know countless dozens of the fairer sex who wouldn't be capable of changing a wheel at the side of the road so do you think they should all hand in their licences?
First thing you should be taught before taking a test,i always did this when folk esp girls ask me to teach them to drive,my wife can change a wheel in under 2 mins,and she can strip a car down.
 

GEOFF

I am 75 years old, have driven well over a million miles so far and intend to continue driving for another 25 years so long as I am able and still here. I think that you will find that many new cars (and some vans) are in the same position as our Smart and do not have a spare wheel and often no place for one. I did speak to one of the AA patrol men about the situation and was told that they can nearly always source a tire at any time of the night, but it may sometimes involve a wait. Actually, if I really wanted too I could still change a wheel myself, but as I have paid for the full singing and dancing AA service why not let them do it (hopefully it will not happen as punctures are quite rare these days). Geoff.
 
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Darcar

Forum Member
When I was a delivery driver for Dawson’s ( newspaper magazine etc) the vans all had their spare wheels removed! Apparently there insurance didn’t allow for the driver to change a tyre! We had to ring the transport manager, who would send out a 24h tyre fitter.
Crazy world we live in....
Darcar
 

trevskoda

Forum Member
Some of the places i have been the services could never find me to change a wheel,i can do in ten mins easy and be on my way
 

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