No spare wheel?

facade

Buzby wrote: »

Also on the negative side the T&C's of the RAC/AA both state that it is a requirement to have a 'serviceable spare'. An inflation kit is not a spare. If you a relayed home, the added cost for this is billed, not included if you have no spare.

I would not dream of not having a spare.

My sister in law had a puncture on a Rangerover. The Nice Man turned up, and asked where the spare was (don't have one, there is an LPG tank fitted) then he asked where the sealant/inflation kit was (don't have one), so basically tough, you don't get recovered.

As he was a Very Nice Man and she was on her own, he blew it up with his compressor, and followed her the 3 miles home, giving it a top up half way. (but he didn't have to)

Richard53

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

I was reading a discussion on these repair kits on another car forum and one of the other major issues is that apparently it may not be possible once the sealant has been used so the tyre would have to be replaced.

That's already been mentioned above. I didn't mean repairing the tyre after an inflation kit repair. What I meant was that if I had a puncture with a conventional spare tyre, I would be visiting a tyre repairer immediately anyway (rather than carry on for another 1000 miles), so the 50 mph/50 miles limit wouldn't be an issue for me. Sorry, wasn't clear enough.

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

I'm not keen on the idea of a the repair kits so I have a full spare wheel, if my car didn't come with one and there was a spare wheel well I'd probably look at just getting a cheap standard steel wheel (that's all I have at the moment) and then see if there were any cheap options for the jack and other parts.

I have several jacks and wheelbraces that would fit the bill, but as said above it is the space in the boot that is limited. A full-size spare wheel, plus jack and wheelbrace, would encroach too much on the luggage space. And also, it's the wife's car. I don't think I need to explain that further

happybiker

Ultrasonic wrote: »

You've probably already read it but there's another thread here that suggests it's harder to find somewhere to get a tyres repaired following one type of emergency repair spray.

The other thread is not about emergency repair sprays,Many garages will indeed refuse to repair a tyre that has been treated in such a way. The use of emergency sprays is usually unsuccessful anyway. Personally, I consider them to be useless

The other thread concerns a totally different product that can be put into tyres from new and helps prevent punctures from leaving you stranded. Do a google search on 'slime tyres' or 'oko tyres' . These products do what it says on the tin and can improve driver safety and security . I would especially recommend them for vehicles without spare wheels. All my cars and motorcycles have run without problems for years using these products.

Tilt

Most manufacturers now offer a space saver spare wheel as an optional extra and the emergency inflation kit is standard equipment.

My current car is just over 13 years old which I have owned from new and the space saver spare has never been on.

My personal opinion is that all cars should come with a spare wheel (at least a space saver) and I would not buy a new car without one.

Joe_Horner

tberry6686 wrote: »

buying a new car that comes with a spare wheel of any sort is now becoming unusual.
The reasons cited by car manufacturers are
1. Cost - modern alloys cost a small fortune £500 per rim is not uncommon.
2. weight - all to do with the fuel economy figures when people are looking more and more closely at the costs of car ownership.
3. accident damage ratings - most spares are in the boot in a wheel well. This makes it harder to build in crumple zones etc for rear end protection,
4. Allows a bigger boot - important when you consider the size of the boots in some modern cars. You would struggle to get a couple of bags of shopping and a spare wheel in some.

Whether no spare is a good idea or not (for me it makes sense as my cars have different sized tyres on the front and back) is down to personal circumstances.

To answer the manufacturer's arguments:

(1) They may cost that at retail, but the manufacturing cost is very little more than the raw alloy cost - which will be maybe £50 on a good day.

(2) The whole point of modern alloys (supposedly) is that they're light. The maybe 15Kg that aproper spare weighs will make no difference. Besides, given that they often do the tests with the alternator removed, all they have to do is remove the spare for the test!

(3) Debateable, I'm sure I could design a "break-away" wheel carrier but I guess they're the experts

(4) That might be an argument if they dropped the boot floor to the levekl that used to be the bottom of the spare wheel well, but I've never seen one where they do!

Basically, it saves them a few £ per car (which adds up) and they make extra selling the optional kits at silly prices. As long as the customer accepts that, so it'll continue!

scotsbob

happybiker wrote: »

The other thread is not about emergency repair sprays,Many garages will indeed refuse to repair a tyre that has been treated in such a way. The use of emergency sprays is usually unsuccessful anyway. Personally, I consider them to be useless

The other thread concerns a totally different product that can be put into tyres from new and helps prevent punctures from leaving you stranded. Do a google search on 'slime tyres' or 'oko tyres' . These products do what it says on the tin and can improve driver safety and security . I would especially recommend them for vehicles without spare wheels. All my cars and motorcycles have run without problems for years using these products.

I am confused.

What is the difference between the "Slime" product that you put into your tyres when new compared to the "Slime" puncture repair sealant.

The manufacturer claims on the company website that it is the same composition.

MrsPBikerChick

I would opt for the spare - full size if possible - every time. I used to have a rover which came with sealant spray. Hubby accidentally drove over a piece of spikey mental which slit the type and the sealant was useless - it just sorayed out over the wheel and the road. New tyre required PDQ!

Fortunately both our cars now have full size spares, unusual considering mine is an 08 plate (sensible previous owner bought one) but rather fortuitous when I realised 20 miles into a 320 mile journey that I had a slow puncture on one of my front wheels. One quick change later and I was on my merry way but if all I'd had was sealant it would have put the kibosh on my weekend. I'm more than happy changing my own tyre but not sure I'd like to change one of the monster off-road tyres on hubby's defender. Not sure I could even lift it!

facade

Slime is a water based liquid that you squirt into the tyre, then blow the tyre up with a compressor, drive off quickly and hope that it seals. (Or you put it into an unpunctured tyre and hope it seals any punctures as they occur)
How it works is the heat generated when the tyre flexes at the puncture makes the polymer set (I still think it is latex) try rubbing a small amount between finger and thumb, it dries and sets.
It has never worked for me, however, it does lubricate the inside of the tyre, so when you finally notice you have a flat, the tyre isn't red hot, and the inside all full of little balls of burnt rubber.

The spare in a can foam stuff is what they reckon ruins the tyre.

londonTiger

most people cant fit a spare whell, and manufacturers have to get as much weight saving as they can in line with eu emissions regulations. less baggage the more performance or fuel economy.

cant fault the dealer, spare wheel isnt something buyers look for these days, long gone in the 80s.

just buy a used one if ou can afford a new. these bicycle wheel spares can save you money over its lifetime. a lot lighter than a proper wheel

vikingaero

londonTiger wrote: »

cant fault the dealer, spare wheel isnt something buyers look for these days, long gone in the 80s.

LT,

I presume you live in London where you can get a tyre on any day of the week - you may have to drive across London to get one but at the end of the day it's available somewhere.

For other people who might live an hour or two from the nearest Kwik-Fit type place and have hometown garages which aren't open at weekends or bank holidays a spare is more critical. Most London drivers only drive 4-6k a year, I drive around 45k a year so am more likely to suffer from a puncture, pothole or road debris damage.

The first thing I look for in a new car is a spare tyre. I used to dismiss cars on the basis that they didn't have a full sized spare. Then I realised my choices were narrowing rapidly and I'd have to accept a spacesaver spare as a minimum.

The other problem is availability of certain tyre sizes, makes of tyres and runflats. Whilst supply is improving it used to be appalling - I waited one month for a runflat for a MINI and my Dad waited 2 weeks for a runflat on a BMW. The only guaranteed place for a runflat is the BMW dealers who will charge a good 50-80% above an internet tyre provider.

I would rather be mobile 300 miles from home with a spare tyre or spacesaver than rely on a can of gunk which may or may not seal properly.