Advice on whether i should carry a spare wheel

[kevinbolton260362]

Can anyone please advise me on whether they carry a spare wheel for their motorhome. We have a 2016 Rapido 9094DF motorhome. As usual our boot is always full when going on a long trip. If we should be unlucky enough to get a flat tyre the tyre repair kit does not fill us with confidence. As I see it we have
4 options. We can sacrifice things in the boot to make space for a wheel. Maybe put the fold up mountain bikes on the rear bike rack ( by buying wider rails to allow the tyres to fit on ) to allow more space in the boot . Take off the bike rack to fix a spare wheel on the back of the van. Last of all maybe get someone to fit a cradle underneath to hold a spare wheel. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[the darkside]

I always carry spare wheel and good safe jack aswell as the supplied jack, also carry spare fuel filter, and aux belts along with few other essentials like nuts n bolts, cable ties, fuses and bulbs,ex European truck driver who’s changed truck and trailer wheels aswel as many other repairs to keep going,if you have the payload and space it can save a lot of expense and lost time even if you can’t change your own wheel.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Motorhomes to heavy 3500kg plus for the skinny tyres not sure

I was wondering about the weight.
However pick up trucks and larger 4x4 can go up to 3500kg GVW so if you can get a skinny spare for them then you should be able to for a 3500kg MH.
Our VW Touareg has a space saver tyre which is under the boot floor and stored deflated.
I have no idea how much weight (if any) it saves.
It may just save space.

 

[olley]

€1600 to supply and fit a 19" tyre for the RV on french toll motorway.
If they fit only your looking at €800 but AA refunded that.

 

[Lenny HB]

I’d just get two new tyres what’s the issue here?

Expensive and unlikely to be able to get matching tyres to what is on your van.

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[olley]

To be fair they did fit a top quality all weather tyre, as the other 3 were also 10 years old I had them replaced to match the one they fitted back here in the UK, another £1600 Inc fitting.

 

[SpeedyDux]

I wouldn't buy a MH that didn't have a spare wheel and tyre as standard. The previous van had a blowout on an Autoroute, and the spare allowed us to catch the Channel crossing on time as well as getting us safely all the way home without more problems.

I sometimes worry about the car getting a puncture. Because it is a hybrid, the HV battery takes up the space below the boot floor that the previous model made available for a spacesaver emergency wheel and tyre. I am having to take a chance on a puncture repair and inflator kit. Which in the real world might be useless.

 

[Lenny HB]

I wouldn't buy a MH that didn't have a spare wheel and tyre as standard.

That will limit you to less than 5% of new Motorhomes that are available.

 

[Folkranger]

Last puncture I had 2005 (caravan) had a spare. Not had a vehicle with a spare since then and wouldn't carry one unless it came with the vehicle.

 

[Coolcats]

Expensive and unlikely to be able to get matching tyres to what is on your van.

You mean I can’t buy Michelin in France?

That’s weird

Michelin (/ˈmɪʃəlɪn, -læ̃/; French: [miʃlɛ̃]; full name: Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin SCA) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and larger than both Goodyearand Continental.[2] In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the Kléber tyres company, Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire Company, SASCAR, Bookatable and Camso brands.

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[SpeedyDux]

That will limit you to less than 5% of new Motorhomes that are available.

All rather moot for now because the list prices are excessive.

When the recession hits and dealers are hungry again, I will demand that the dealer supplies a spare wheel. Maybe also a second remote key. At the dealer's own expense. Time to become assertive!

 

[Lenny HB]

You mean I can’t buy Michelin in France?

That’s weird

You can get Mitchelins in France but the CP versions are a rare beast I know of a couple of people who have been caught out by that in France.

 

[enark]

That will limit you to less than 5% of new Motorhomes that are available.

But sure many dealers would add one if you expressly asked?

 

[Lenny HB]

But sure many dealers would add one if you expressly asked?

He did say he wouldn't buy one unless it came with a spare as standard.

 

[DaveS]

This might seem like a silly question but our new Knaus Van Ti based on the MAN TGE chassis didn't come with a spare and I'm looking to get hold of one.
Ours is a 61/2Jx17 alloy rim. So is it a case of getting an alloy rim that size and the same tyre we have currently?

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[Lenny HB]

This might seem like a silly question but our new Knaus Van Ti based on the MAN TGE chassis didn't come with a spare and I'm looking to get hold of one.
Ours is a 61/2Jx17 alloy rim. So is it a case of getting an alloy rim that size and the same tyre we have currently?

Check the load rating of any wheel you buy as a lot of aftermarket rims are lower than OEM ones.

 

[Coolcats]

You can get Mitchelins in France but the CP versions are a rare beast I know of a couple of people who have been caught out by that in France.

Do they sell Motorhomes in france if so how do they obtain a CP I assume they are fitted to french Motorhomes

 

[gus-lopez]

Some cars have a skinny "get you home" tyre with a limit on the speed that you can drive.

It is also restricted to the distance you can travel it is 50mph /50miles or in eu 80kph/80kms.
personally having seen how they are abused,especially here, i would make them self detonate at the 50mile/80km distance.

To be fair they did fit a top quality all weather tyre, as the other 3 were also 10 years old I had them replaced to match the one they fitted back here in the UK, another £1600 Inc fitting.

so one for 1600€ against 3 for 1600£'s . carrying a spare tyre is worthwhile

 

[G7UXG]

Wouldn’t be without a spare in the motorhome, especially when abroad. Can be back on the road in 15 minutes.

Just swapped the motorhome. This one is a Mercedes chassis so the old Fiat spare is no good because the Mercedes has six studs. Cost me £450 for a new Mercedes alloy wheel and Continental tyre to match the other six. Alloy was about £225, not bad for a genuine Mercedes one. That is probably cheaper and more convenient than having to get recovered and source a new tyre just about anywhere, including the UK.

And yes, I am a puncture magnet in most vehicles.

 

[Lenny HB]

Do they sell Motorhomes in france if so how do they obtain a CP I assume they are fitted to french Motorhomes

CP tyres are only made in limited batches and are often difficult to get hold of in any country so the chance of getting a matching one when you have a blowout is limited.
Far more sensible to carry a spare.

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[the1andonly]

I'm in the fit a spare, in fACt had to design a spare wheel holder and get it fabricated. No way would i concider not being prepare asto gunk in wheels no thank you. No luck in 70s with motorbike tubes and recently replaced 4 tubes in Mirders with gunk already in. 4 punctures in a week no thanks ill carry a spare and put a tyrepal sensor on it.

 

[David and Sally]

I'm in the fit a spare, in fACt had to design a spare wheel holder and get it fabricated. No way would i concider not being prepare asto gunk in wheels no thank you. No luck in 70s with motorbike tubes and recently replaced 4 tubes in Mirders with gunk already in. 4 punctures in a week no thanks ill carry a spare and put a tyrepal sensor on it.

What’s a Mirder?

 

[nicholsong]

Having had 2 blowouts in 14 years I am glad that I have a spare wheel. Even waiting for a recovery vehicle to fit the spare we were away in about an hour.

I have just changed all 4 running tyres plus spare, so all match and no requirement to fit a new pair of matching tyres on same axle.

I bought all-weather, but checked that they had 3 mountain and snowflake symbol and the build date was recent, before I let them fit them. They were not at all surprised that I did this.

Our spare is in the garage, but is on a plinth on the forward garage wall, so is not very intrusive and with not much moment from back axle. I doubt whether I would store much there anyway as it is way back from the garage door.

 

[kevinbolton260362]

My memory is shocking but I think olley had a shock (and a bit of luck) in France with the tyre on his RV
If it was olley you could ask him

Thanks everyone for all your replies. I'm of the opinion that a full spare wheel in a cradle attached to the chassis is the favourable option. We're off to Italy in 2 weeks for a 10 week trip so maybe won't be able to sort it before we leave but it is on our radar. We just need to find out the wheel size and off we go.

 

[enark]

Thanks everyone for all your replies. I'm of the opinion that a full spare wheel in a cradle attached to the chassis is the favourable option. We're off to Italy in 2 weeks for a 10 week trip so maybe won't be able to sort it before we leave but it is on our radar. We just need to find out the wheel size and off we go.

Coastal MOTORHOMES in Ringwood dispatched by assembly on the day of order, it arrived before lunch the following day and was fitted by tea time.

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[cyberyacht]

In the interests of saving payload, I carry a matching tyre and a 'Green Flag/Mayday' card.

 

[VXman]

Nope you really don’t need one, most cars and vans are not supplied with them these days and the breakdown services know this and are geared up for it.

They won't have a spare for you. If you carry one they might fit it. If you don't you have all thy hassle of being recovered to a garage and hoping they have a suitable tyre available, which is unlikely. Not much fun when you are on holiday.

All rather moot for now because the list prices are excessive.

When the recession hits and dealers are hungry again, I will demand that the dealer supplies a spare wheel. Maybe also a second remote key. At the dealer's own expense. Time to become assertive!

I wouldn't cit off my nose to spit my face if I had th option to buy a nice van but it had no spare. Easy enough to buy one yourself after.

 

[Coolcats]

They won't have a spare for you. If you carry one they might fit it. If you don't you have all thy hassle of being recovered to a garage and hoping they have a suitable tyre available, which is unlikely. Not much fun when you are on holiday.

All the breakdown services do this https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/ra...versal-spare-wheel-fixes-no-spare-breakdowns/

I wouldn't cit off my nose to spit my face if I had th option to buy a nice van but it had no spare. Easy enough to buy one yourself after.

Times change if vans are not supplied with spares then the breakdown services know this

If its a straight forward puncture use the Goo kit provided with the van, if its a blow out or shredded tyre call the breakdown service

or something like Slime Assist Car Tyre Sealant

 

[haganap]

I never ever needed a spare wheel in all of my years of motorhoming.
until
I needed a spare wheel in all my years of motorhoming.

Luckily for me, I had one.

re tyre inflators- I hit a pot hole in my Volvo, destroyed the rim and the tyre. No amount of that ghastly stuff would ever resolve the issue. I went for the spare wheel, It never had one. I went for the tyre space saver, it never had one, I went for the tyre sealant and just watched it pour out over the road.
result, 6.5 hours to get recovered home in a freezing cold Friday night in December.

takes your chance you pay's ya money.

 

[Coolcats]

I never ever needed a spare wheel in all of my years of motorhoming.
until
I needed a spare wheel in all my years of motorhoming.

Luckily for me, I had one.

re tyre inflators- I hit a pot hole in my Volvo, destroyed the rim and the tyre. No amount of that ghastly stuff would ever resolve the issue. I went for the spare wheel, It never had one. I went for the tyre space saver, it never had one, I went for the tyre sealant and just watched it pour out over the road.
result, 6.5 hours to get recovered home in a freezing cold Friday night in December.

takes your chance you pay's ya money.

indeed you pay your money and you take your choice

​

Which Cars Get A Spare Wheel As Standard?​

One of the sad truths of modern car design is the phase out of the traditional spare wheel, with just a handful of cars on sale today fitted with one as standard.
The decision to kill off the spare wheel is inextricably linked to emissions, with the EU test-cycle for CO2 rating using a car’s weight to calibrate the rolling road for the test. Hence, the lighter the car, the less the owner will have to pay in tax.
As a result, car manufacturers’ fight to save every gram and the spare wheel has been seen as an easy route to cut weight. Indeed, a typical 17-inch alloy wheel weighs about 20kg, which can add up to nine grams of CO2 to an average vehicle’s emissions.
Spacesavers are the most likely spare wheel fitted as standard. However, the spacesaver is not designed to be driven for long distances, with most having a maximum recommended speed of around 50mph (80 km/h) restricting drivers to short distances.
The majority of new cars are sold with a tyre repair kit as standard, while a smaller proportion get runflats, which use reinforced sidewalls and rubber to prevent a puncture and allow the driver to continue for a limited time. The remainder are fitted with either a compressor or a self-sealing tyre.
See also: Full guide to choosing a tyre - and making it last

Manufacturer	Has a full size spare	Has a space saver spare	Has a repair kit	Has run-flat tyres
Alfa Romeo	-	Mito Super, Speciale and Veloce, £100 on other trims; Stelvio: £275	4C, Giulia, Mito, Stelvio	Giulia Speciale and Veloce, £250 other trims
Audi	-	A £199 option	A1, A3 e-tron, Q2, Q5, Q7, R8, TT	-
BMW	-	On 2 Series for £75	1 Series, i3	£180 on 1 Series, 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6
Citroen	On Space Tourer	Berlingo Multispace, C1, C3, C3 Aircross (£75 on Touch), C4 Cactus, C4 / Grand C4 Picasso	Berlingo Multispace Touch, C1 Touch, C3 Touch, C3 Aircross Touch, C4 Cactus Touch, C4 / Grand C4 Picasso with Blue HDI 150 engine, Space Tourer Touch	-
Dacia	-	Duster £150, Logan and Sandero £100	Duster, Logan, Sandero	-
Fiat	500X £175, Doblo £170, Qubo £100	Tipo, 500 £100, 500L £125, 500X £100, Panda £60	124 Spider, 500, 500L, 500X, Doblo, Panda, Punto, Qubo	-
Ford	Fiesta £100 (not Style), Focus £100 (Zetec and Titanium), Ka+ £100, Mondeo £100	Edge, Focus, Galaxy, Kuga, Mondeo, S-Max,	Ecosport, Fiesta, Ka+, Mustang	-
Honda	-	CR-V	Civic, HR-V, Jazz, NSX	-
Hyundai	i800, Santa Fe, Tucson	i10, i20, i30, ix20, i40, Ioniq Hybrid, Kona	i10 (S/SE Blue), i20 S, S Air, SE and Prem Nav 1.0 TDGi, i30 S, Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid and electric, Kona S, Tucson S	-
Infiniti	-	Q70, QX70	Q30, QX30	Q30 Sport, QX30 with 19-inch alloys, Q50, Q60
Jaguar	F-Pace £370	XE £160, XF £190, XJ £140 Luxury/Premium, sandard on Portfolio, Autobiography and R-Sport, E-Pace £272, F-Pace £160, F-Type £377	XE, XF, XJ Luxury and Premium, E-Pace, F-Pace, F-Type	-
Jeep	Wrangler, Renegade £200	Grand Cherokee, Cherokee Trailhawk £120, Compass £120, Renegade £150	Cherokee, Compass, Renegade	-
Kia	Niro, Sorento	Std on Carens, Ceed, Optima, Soul, Sportage, Venga, Picanto £30, Rio £42, Stinger £41, Stonic £38	Ceed GT, Optima 3, GT Line S, SW and PHEV, Picanto, Rio, Soul Sport and EV, Stinger, Stonic,	-
Land Rover	-	Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Velar, Evoque £165	Discovery Sport (seven-seater), Evoque, Range Rover Hybrid, Range Rover Sport Hybrid	Discovery, Discovery Sport (five-seater)
Mazda	-	-	2, 3, 6, CX3, CX5, MX5	-
Mercedes-Benz	-	-	A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, GLA, GLC, GLE 500e	S-Class, E-Class, GLE, GLS, GLA AMG Line, C-Class £595 with AMG alloys
MG	-	-	GS, MG3, ZS	-
MINI	-	£100 on Clubman, £100 on Countryman	Three-door, five-door, Convertible, Clubman, Countryman	-
Mitsubishi	Shogun	Outlander (diesel)	ASX, Eclipse Cross, Mirage, Outlander PHEV	-
Nissan	-	Juke Y N-Connecta and Tekna DIG-T 4WD CVT and X-Trail, Leaf £170, Qashqai £215	Juke, Leaf, Micra, Qashqai	-
Peugeot	208 GTI Prestige, 2008 petrols, Traveller, 308 £98, 3008 £98	108, 208, 308, 2008 diesel, 3008, 5008, 508	108 Access/Active, 5008 2.0 HDI	-
Porsche	-	£270 on Cayenne	718 Boxster, 718 Cayman, 911, Panamera, Macan, Cayenne	-
Renault	-	Captur £110, Clio £110, Kadjar £110, Koleos £110, Megane £110, Scenic / Grand Scenic £110, Twingo £110	Captur, Clio, Kadjar, Koleos, Megane, Scenic / Grand Scenic, Twingo, Twizy, Zoe	-
SEAT	-	Arona, Ateca, Ibiza, Leon, Toledo	Mii	-
Skoda	Karoq (£250)	Citigo £55, Fabia £90, Karoq £150, Kodiaq £105, Octavia £105, Rapid £85, Superb £105	Citigo, Fabia, Karoq, Kodiaq, Octavia, Rapid, Superb	-
Subaru	Forester, Levorg, Outback, WRX STI	-	BRZ, Impreza, XV	-
Suzuki	Jimny	Baleno £219, Celerio £219, Ignis £219 (4WD £249), S-Cross £219, Swift £219 (4WD £249), Vitara £219	Baleno, Celerio, Ignis, S-Cross, Swift, Vitara	-
Toyota	Land Cruiser	Auris, Avensis, Prius Active and Bus Ed, Prius+, Rav-4	Aygo, Avensis Touring Sports, C-HR, GT86, Prius Excel and Bus Ed+, Verso, Prius plug-in	-
Vauxhall	-	Adam £110, Astra £110, Cascada £110, Corsa £110, Crossland X £110, Grandland X £110, GTC £110, Insignia £110, Mokka X £110, Viva £110, Zafira Tourer £110	Adam, Astra, Cascada, Corsa, Crossland X, Grandland X, GTX, Insignia, Mokka X, Viva, Zafira Tourer	-
Volkswagen	Arteon, Passat GT & Alltrack, other Passat models £165	Beetle, Golf, Golf SV, Passat, Polo, Tiguan, T-Roc, Touareg, Up £50 take Up, Up beats and Up GTI	Golf GTE and e-Golf, Passat GTE and GTE Advance, Polo beats, Sharan, Tiguan 2.0 BiTDI DSG, Tiguan Allspace, Touran, Up.	-
Volvo	-	S60 £150, S90 £150 (not Twin Engine), V40 petrols £150, V60 £150, V90 £150 (not Twin Engine), XC60 £150 (not Twin Engine), XC90 £150 (not Twin Engine)	S60, S90, V40, V60, V90, XC60, XC90	-

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[G1969]

Wouldn’t be without a spare in the motorhome, especially when abroad. Can be back on the road in 15 minutes.

Just swapped the motorhome. This one is a Mercedes chassis so the old Fiat spare is no good because the Mercedes has six studs. Cost me £450 for a new Mercedes alloy wheel and Continental tyre to match the other six. Alloy was about £225, not bad for a genuine Mercedes one. That is probably cheaper and more convenient than having to get recovered and source a new tyre just about anywhere, including the UK.

And yes, I am a puncture magnet in most vehicles.

Could I ask where you got this from please?, as I will probably purchase one when I get my new MH