# Help spare wheel



## DAVID32 (Feb 17, 2008)

I have a Rapido 9048df i had a passenger front wheel go flat on me the 
other night coming home from a camp site . It was about 19.00 hours
Fiat can of chimical would not repair it so i used Safegard AA breakdown
cover. In 18 years of notorhoming this night was a living hell but my motorhome is back in my drive and that is where it will stay till i fine a place to put a spare wheel this is where i need your help.
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I have looked inside and out and under and there is nowhere i can fit a spare wheel
so i through of fitting a on the outside back wall before i do this has anyone out their owning this model on the new Fiat Rapido 9048df bought and fitted a new spare wheel if so please reply A.S.A.P as i go on holidays in to weeks and i dont want to cancel them. Thankyou. PS new tyre+rim+storage overnight in all £270+ vat


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

Have you had a good look underneath as some MHs retain there spare wheel fittings.

That was an expensive puncture.

Johnny F


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

It may sound a crazy idea but would it be possible to mount it on the front?
It may not add much to the frontal appearance but there's usually some good potential mounting positions and most of us have a bit of spare payload up front.
Outside of Europe it's quite normal to see the spare wheel there.


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## DAVID32 (Feb 17, 2008)

mangothemadmonk said:


> Have you had a good look underneath as some MHs retain there spare wheel fittings.
> 
> That was an expensive puncture.
> 
> Johnny F


 Thahkyou but i have looked under the motorhome and there is nowhere i could fit the new spare wheel wnen i ger one.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Can't say this without sounding like a smart-arse   but Ultraseal in the tyres may well have saved the day (or evening in your unfortunate case.)  

If it had been installed you may even now, not be aware that you had picked up a nail, or whatever caused the deflation.

Worth looking into in case you really can't find anywhere to stow a wheel.


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## DAVID32 (Feb 17, 2008)

tonyt said:


> It may sound a crazy idea but would it be possible to mount it on the front?
> It may not add much to the frontal appearance but there's usually some good potential mounting positions and most of us have a bit of spare payload up front.
> Outside of Europe it's quite normal to see the spare wheel there.


Thankyou but i my have to do this as a end result i thought i would have got someone on the forum with a rapido the same as mine who had found a way
round this.


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## DAVID32 (Feb 17, 2008)

Zebedee said:


> Can't say this without sounding like a smart-arse   but Ultraseal in the tyres may well have saved the day (or evening in your unfortunate case.)
> 
> If it had been installed you may even now, not be aware that you had picked up a nail, or whatever caused the deflation.
> 
> Worth looking into in case you really can't find anywhere to stow a wheel.


 Sorry to tel you this but had had Ultraseal put into all four tyres at the motorhome show this year at £65. I also hab it in my last motorhome.
But as i now know it dose not work.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

DAVID32 said:


> Sorry to tel you this but had had Ultraseal put into all four tyres at the motorhome show this year at £65. I also hab it in my last motorhome.
> But as i now know it dose not work.


I'd be interested to know more details David - for obvious reasons.

Was it a big slash or sidewall damage that caused the problem?

Ultraseal could not be expected to prevent a major breach in the tyre structure, but I shall be concerned if it was simply a nail or similar.

Thanks in advance


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## EJB (Aug 25, 2007)

Quote:- "If it had been installed you may even now, not be aware that you had picked up a nail, or whatever caused the deflation."

How far and at what speed would you like to travel with a 6" nail in a tyre....."without knowing"

Sorry, but I'm a an extreme 'spare wheel only' person :wink: 
Even if I had to carry it inside....or on the roof??????


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## DAVID32 (Feb 17, 2008)

Zebedee said:


> DAVID32 said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry to tel you this but had had Ultraseal put into all four tyres at the motorhome show this year at £65. I also hab it in my last motorhome.
> ...


IT was a small nail about 2inches from the edge of tyre by the time we had the motorhome on the low loader the tyre had left the rim and you could see the ultraseal inside the tyre .


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

EJB said:


> Quote:- "If it had been installed you may even now, not be aware that you had picked up a nail, or whatever caused the deflation."
> 
> How far and at what speed would you like to travel with a 6" nail in a tyre....."without knowing"
> 
> ...


Point taken, but by far the most likely way of finding out that you have the nail is when the tyre deflates. 8O :roll: This could happen catastrophically if the pressure has dropped slowly and the tyre has overheated, and is reckoned to be the most common cause of a blow-out. 8O

I think I would rather drive on in ignorance than do a cartwheel into the ditch, or worse still into the fast lane on the other side of the motorway. 8O 8O

Please note I never said don't carry a spare, and I do have one. I would never be able to change it though, as I couldn't even get it out from under the centre of the van. 8O :roll:

At least if the Ultraseal works it might prevent a catastrophe, and would hopefully allow me to get the wheel changed at my convenience, rather than at Mr Sod's choice of 2.00am in a horizontal downpour - on a motorway hard shoulder.

My preference is to use both, but not to rely totally upon either.  

Cheers


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

DAVID32 said:


> IT was a small nail about 2inches from the edge of tyre by the time we had the motorhome on the low loader the tyre had left the rim and you could see the ultraseal inside the tyre .


Thanks David . . . . I think. 8O 8O

I don't like the sound of that at all.  

I presume it was genuine Ultraseal - there have been a number of references on here recently about a similar but far less effective alternative that has been in use since Ultraseal went scarce in this country.

I believe it was also being sold as Ultraseal, which is a bit naughty to say the least!!


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## DAVID32 (Feb 17, 2008)

EJB said:


> Quote:- "If it had been installed you may even now, not be aware that you had picked up a nail, or whatever caused the deflation."
> 
> How far and at what speed would you like to travel with a 6" nail in a tyre....."without knowing"
> 
> ...


Sorry to say i dont have a ladder at the back of my motorhome to get up to the roof are i would have put the spare on the roof but i am not going to pay Ropido man £1,ooo to fit a ladder. And yes spare wheels only for motorhomes
Thankyou David32


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## PIEDODGER (Aug 22, 2008)

Hi I have UltraSeal and I carry a spare, I have picked up a few punctures now the worst one being some kids (I presume) angled a Stanley blade under the front wheel of my car when I drove of the blade went through it, I could hear the tyre rumbling as I drove off what I then did was to drive forward putting the damage area over the tarmac to help reduce the loss of air and sealant after about 10 minutes drove off to the nearest garage and topped with air it got me home but because the damage was the lenght of the blade and it had cut through the steel belt (concern about long term corrosion) inside I replaced the tyre with a new one, I also like Ultraseal because on motorway driving it pulls the heat away from the rim helping reduce the chances of a blowout, reason for carring a spare filled with Ultraseal (some people forget about getting this tyre done), because I can and just incase I badly kerb and damage a wheel , a classic example mini roundabouts thinking their painted when they are really half a brick high, it happens!!!  Thats Just Me!!!


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## DAVID32 (Feb 17, 2008)

Zebedee said:


> DAVID32 said:
> 
> 
> > IT was a small nail about 2inches from the edge of tyre by the time we had the motorhome on the low loader the tyre had left the rim and you could see the ultraseal inside the tyre .
> ...


 It said ultraseal on the drum and the man said he was a ultraseal agent if i had ultraseal phone No i could give them a call but i dont.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

DAVID32 said:


> It said ultraseal on the drum and the man said he was a ultraseal agent if i had ultraseal phone No i could give them a call but i dont.


Help!!

I'm doooooomed. Dooooomed I tell ye!! 8O


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

Zebedee said:


> I'm doooooomed. Dooooomed I tell ye!! 8O


 :lol: :lol: :lol:

Johnny F


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

I've read this post with a growing sense of panic, as I have a truck with no spare wheel, and no means of lifting the thing safetly mesen anyway, I decided to look at the vehicle, and apparently the wheels are fitted with some form of device that prevents the tyre coming off the rim if the tyre is punctured.

Now, I dont know how efficient or effective this is, and frankly I dont want to find out, but, I thought I'd just mention the tyres for mine are about 200 quid each .

So, back to topic, if a spare wheel is fitted retrospectively, that would mean that the payload of the vehicle must be ajusted, as otherwise, surely the vehicle would potentially be overweight. ( like me).


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## DAVID32 (Feb 17, 2008)

bandaid said:


> I've read this post with a growing sense of panic, as I have a truck with no spare wheel, and no means of lifting the thing safetly mesen anyway, I decided to look at the vehicle, and apparently the wheels are fitted with some form of device that prevents the tyre coming off the rim if the tyre is punctured.
> 
> Now, I dont know how efficient or effective this is, and frankly I dont want to find out, but, I thought I'd just mention the tyres for mine are about 200 quid each .
> 
> So, back to topic, if a spare wheel is fitted retrospectively, that would mean that the payload of the vehicle must be ajusted, as otherwise, surely the vehicle would potentially be overweight. ( like me).


 It sounds to me like you have tyre ron fitted around your inside rims this keeps the tyre on the rim if you are driving along and have a blowout. But and but again not all tyre garages can fix a flat tyre if tyre ron is round the inside rim. I had them on a van 2 years ago got a flat tyre was told by tyre ron dealer A>T>S would repair it they just looked at it said no. It took me 2 day to get it fixed and it was a small garage that fixed it and it took hin 2 hours i did not put it back on again. So get a spare wheel and get it now the breakdown boys only give you i lift to a tyre depot they dont look for one that can fix your tyre that has tyre ron on the inside rim.Look at me i relyed on ultraseal but got a flat and ended up paying £270+vat for new tyre+rim+overnight storage+motorhome back to the tyre depot next morning the breakdown boy told me if it had been the weekend it would have cost me £200 a night for storage. This is why my motorhome is sitting in my driveway and it will stay there untill i get somewhere to put a spare wheel onto the motorhome one night of hell enough


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## 108125 (Nov 6, 2007)

I, too, have a 9048DF and have been concerned for some time about not having a spare wheel. I have looked at Ultraseal but the evidence, for and against, is far from clear. Also, the UK/USA parts of the business seem to be locked in all-out war. not good for us MHers. I considered putting a spare in the rear wardrobe but this is taken up with chairs, table and clothes dryer etc. Having swapped PMs with a couple of other 9048DF owners, I plumped for carrying just a tyre (I carry it in the double floor). The thinking was that I should be able to get the wheel/tyre fixed but in the event the tyre was wrecked I would have a spare with me, since they are not a common tyre to source.
Lately, still worried, I contacted Green Flag and asked the question "what would happen in the event I had a puncture?" The answer was far from glib, he had not been asked before. Anyway, they finally said they would respond to a callout and the problem would be fixed. I then asked CC Red Pennant the same question. "No problem", they said, they would fix it but I would have to pay £100 excess.
In over 4 years MHing and 30+ years caravanning (aargh) I have never had a puncture, so I figure the risk is low (so do Green Flag and Red pennant it would seem)
Having said all that, my mind is still restless and I am considering seeing if I can fit a complete wheel, not just the tyre, in the double floor. Failing that, there is a huge space under the rear floor in front of the battery box. It might be possible to get frame made to fit here
I hope some of this may help
Terry


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## sideways (Jun 2, 2008)

Make or get made a light weight Towbar type bar, i have one simply for carrying the tow ball type bike rack, bolt it to the end of your chassis and, fabricate an upright on it to carry spare wheel,have it powdercoated , put a cover on your wheel and away you go, you wont have to drill your back wall. it will cost a few quid and you will have to take into account its overslung,BUT youll never be stuck on a foreign motorway trying to source a tyre in the middle of the night,


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