# Spare Tyre



## colian (May 11, 2005)

We own a fiat, with their silly fix and go kit (no Spare wheel). 

I am considering buying just a spare tyre to save on weight, and ease of storage. Then at least if I do have problems I just need a tyre fitter knowing I have the correct tyre size so one does not have to be sourced. 

Has anyone else gone down this route or am I being silly. does anyone have thoughts on the idea?

Ian


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

The weight of a wheel should not give you a problem. 

Storing the tyre will need as much space as the wheel and tyre.

Personally, I would get the wheel and tyre and then you do not have to rely on anyone but your self.

Regards

Steve


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Ian the best option will allways be a spare tyre on a wheel.

Dave p


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## batchpatch (Mar 29, 2009)

Hi
I have no spare tyre and the fix and go are useless so I have had my tyres injected with a solution that has fibres that fill any hole/ puncture when the van is in motion I had this done at the newark show last year the manufacturers also claim that there is no loss of pressure from the tyre as it wears down due to the solution inside the tyre unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the company that filled the tyres but I think the product is seal-a -wheel.


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## UncleNorm (May 1, 2005)

Hi Ian!



> Has anyone else gone down this route or am I being silly. does anyone have thoughts on the idea?


I know that others on MHF have gone down this route; you are not being silly. The fact that you acknowledge having to keep an eye on your MH's weight/payload is NOT silly! :roll: :wink:

And YES, I have thoughts on the idea...

Our Coral has the shaving foam and compressor. It's a useful compressor but the shaving foam is a non-starter for me. So when we picked up our MH, a spare wheel, with tyre, was included. It cost around £200 which is quite expensive but I couldn't be bothered to source the rim and tyre myself. :roll: 

The spare weighs around 35kg but it's a price I'm prepared to pay for convenience.

Have a nice day! :wink:


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## macone48 (Mar 14, 2006)

:?: How do owners with M/Homes which have no spare wheels stand when selecting recovery companies ??

I've usually read that the stipulation on recovery, with a flat tyre, was that you had to carry a spare ??

Seems a good idea (not silly) therefore to actually have one available?? :roll: 

Trev


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## cbt (Dec 3, 2009)

*spare wheel*

I may just be a clown but I offer this up after my experience at the weekend.
Off Isle of Man ferry
Puncture at most dangerous possible point on M62 in my Rapido 962, having decelarated across 4 lanes to get to hard shoulder and shredded tyre call out Green flag in the quiet confidence of my spare wheel (even checked the pressure last week).

Recovery arrives to give protection (no jack with him but what the heck) says these are alloy wheels- he was right- spare is steel - 100% so far - have you got the short bolts to attach the spare- errrr no  .

Four hours later low loadered to Burtonwood services for overnight stay. Saturday morning called out Ashton Tyres (brilliant- thanks) on my way in under ninety minutes from making the call first stop Mercedes dealer to buy 5 standard Sprinter wheel bolts.

Now I am probably a numpty I know I am a mechanical moron but if you are relying on a spare you carry just check.

Keith

Keith


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## lafree (Dec 31, 2007)

We just carry a tyre as we have no jack or wheel spanner ,could you change the wheel yourself and re torque the wheel bolts ? a jack all adds extra weight to the vehicle.
Lafree


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## Bubblehead (Mar 5, 2007)

Hi

We have alloys on our van and carry a steel spare complete with new tyre and bolts. You can get a steel rim on Ebay or MHF for around £10-15 (I sold 5 last year).

Now there is a weight penalty for carrying a spare but I cant see the tyre filling gloop being much use if you have a blow out on the motorway, other than to cover your van.

For me its weight verses wait and safety.

Andy


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## rogerandveronica (Aug 11, 2008)

IMHO it has to be a proper spare to give peace of mind.....and for further peace of mind practice changing a wheel where you have friends to help and no road danger. If the FIAT jack does not work for you, buy a cheap hydraulic bottle jack (£15.00) and leave the FIAT jack at home. Sorry to go on, but remember to try the bottle jack on front and back and allow for the flat tyre making the jacking point lower. Carry a piece of wood to rest the Jack on to spread the load on warm tarmac etc.).

When buying and fitting the tyre, do not have a rubber valve body fitted if your other valve bodies are metal. I got caught that way and had to have it changed later.

Good luck, rogerandveronica


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## rogerandveronica (Aug 11, 2008)

In reply to Lafree, wheel nuts/bolts do not have to be torqued, just do them up as tight as you can and check them in 75 miles.

I have a torque wrench but do not carry it with me. I have found that the correct torque is roughly that produced when a 13 stone man tightens the nuts/bolts as much as he can without jumping on the spanner using the standard spanner supplied by FIAT. When the correct torque is reached usually a "graunching" noise is made by the nut/bolt against the wheel (but do not rely on this noise as a guide).

rogerandveronica


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

rogerandveronica said:


> IMHO it has to be a proper spare to give peace of mind.....and for further peace of mind practice changing a wheel where you have friends to help and no road danger. If the FIAT jack does not work for you, buy a cheap hydraulic bottle jack (£15.00) and leave the FIAT jack at home. Sorry to go on, but remember to try the bottle jack on front and back and allow for the flat tyre making the jacking point power. Carry a piece of wood to rest the Jack on to spread the load on warm tarmac etc.).
> 
> When buying and fitting the tyre, do not have a rubber valve body fitted if your other valve bodies are metal. I got caught that way and had to have it changed later.
> 
> Good luck, rogerandveronica


Good tip re bottle jack, I'd go for the screw type though not hydraulic, just keep it greased in thick paper and a cloth bag, (not plastic) and it'll always work, Wood is also a good idea.

I don't understand the valve issue though, could you illuminate me.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

rogerandveronica said:


> In reply to Lafree, wheel nuts/bolts do not have to be torqued, just do them up as tight as you can and check them in 75 miles.
> 
> I have a torque wrench but do not carry it with me. I have found that the correct torque is roughly that produced when a 13 stone man tightens the nuts/bolts as much as he can without jumping on the spanner using the standard spanner supplied by FIAT. When the correct torque is reached usually a "graunching" noise is made by the nut/bolt against the wheel (but do not rely on this noise as a guide).
> 
> rogerandveronica


Wouldn't the torque wrench weigh a bit less than the 13 stone man :lol: :lol:


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

lafree said:


> We just carry a tyre as we have no jack or wheel spanner ,could you change the wheel yourself and re torque the wheel bolts ? a jack all adds extra weight to the vehicle.
> Lafree


Yes I can and have done (Suggestion earlier or maybe on another thread) this should be practised, better to be able to do it, than wait for a tow or a low loader to take you onwards. (IMO)

Steve


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Silly kit*

we have a silly kit and you should see the instructions for sealing the inner rear wheel on our Mercedes, it is about 7 pages long.

I did find a wheel and tyre to suit on ebay and the seller refused my offer, then sold it for a lower offer!.

™


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## colian (May 11, 2005)

Thanks for all your opinions everyone. Its interesting hearing everyones experiences.

I should have mentioned I have already had Ultra Seal inserted in each tyre. My mate who is a tyre dealer will brain me when I get them changed and he gets covered in the stuff.

I think after the Peterborough show where we are having a solar panel fitted I will load it with everything I can think of that we would normally take and then nip to the weighbridge and see where I stand - tyre or wheel and tyre.

Ian


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## twinky (Aug 11, 2008)

No spare wheel was supplied with our tranny either so I got one off ebay for £cheap. Our van was delivered with a full jacking kit and a compressor and squirty stuff.

Last time I checked the tyre pressures they needed inflating so I thought rather than going to the garage I'd use the compressor in the van.

Problem is it wouldnt inflate above about 50psi because apparently you dont run the tyres above this pressure when youve used the sealant. So its just a waste of space at the moment.

I think its worth the extra load for the piece of mind though.


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## DustyR (Jan 26, 2009)

when I last saw this topic on this forum someone mentioned Tyron Assist who for a one off payment of £60 ish cover you for 3 yrs. They will come with tyre and fit at the roadside.

You just pay for tyre, seems like a good idea as I dont have spare wheel and I dont want to rely on the foam kit.


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## rogerandveronica (Aug 11, 2008)

In reply to Kev-n-Liz, as far as I remember, the metal bodied valve should be fitted to any wheel where the tyre is inflated to or the pressure likely to rise to 60 psi. The problem of valves blowing out is also speed related. There have been a number of posts about this in the past but I seem to be lost with the new search system. One post is "Swift tyre valves - A heads up." also " SAFETY ALERT Tyre Valves". The latter thread was started by Gaspode.

Another post last year or the year before was by a member with a Hymer who had two rubber bodied valves blow out on separate occasions when travelling at speed.

My Rapido 9066DF (x2/50 + ALKO base) was supplied with metal valves as original equipment.

Sorry that I am unable to find the best original posts.

I hope this helps, rogerandveronica 

ps - is your Avatar a deltic? I was standing beside a Deltic loco once when it was started.....I though that it was going to roll over on top of me!


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## MikeCo (Jan 26, 2008)

I also carry a tin spare wheel and trolly jack as the Fiat jack nor a bottle jack would fit under anywhere suitable on the rear end.
I did a practice run at home and took the alloy wheel off and fitted the tin one and the same bolts worked.
I also have Ultraseal in the tyres.

Mike


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## GuitaristDave (Apr 14, 2010)

*No spare*

This is appalling that Fiat dont supply a proper spare. I have a Bolero on a Fiat chassis which does have a proper spare. I wonder if you have the carrier underneath at the rear or has that been left off as well.
I think you are doing the right thing by carrying a spare tyre. That could be fitted at the roadside.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Spare*

Annoyingly,

I have travelled 1,000's of miles in all sorts of vehicles and only ever had troubles with one tyre. We even did 36,000 miles in the previous MH and had no troubles.

Since having a silly kit, no end of problems and no spare to help us out!

™


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## Spooky_b329 (Jan 24, 2009)

Surely its the motorhome converters removing the spare wheel from the options list due to the silly low payloads of their vans?

I'm pretty sure last time I looked, the AA will charge if you don't have a serviceable spare wheel, however, if the car was supplied with a repair kit that is unable to fix the puncture, they will still recover you, either via flatbed or using a 'universal spare wheel' and following you to a tyre place. I'm guessing their universal wheel will only be suitable for normal cars and not 3.5t vans so I'd guess in most cases it would be a recovery job.

I wouldn't be happy if I was dropped off outside a tyre fitters as even in opening hours, its unlikely they'll have the tyres you want unless you are happy with a normal road tyre (as opposed to a M&S)


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

*Re: Spare*



teemyob said:


> Annoyingly,
> 
> I have travelled 1,000's of miles in all sorts of vehicles and only ever had troubles with one tyre. We even did 36,000 miles in the previous MH and had no troubles.
> 
> ...


 That is always the way it is, I got a spare wheel for our van and have carried it around unused in the garage for 6,000 miles.

I bet if I did not get a spare I would have needed a one. :wink:


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