No Spare Wheel On Many New Cars

force_ten

Iceweasel wrote: »

Thankyou very much for that link Neil - this is revised information in the last few months I would think.

Good to know, but a bit confusing because of this:

http://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/www/tyres_uk_en/themes/extended_mobility/ssr_runflat_en.html

I dont know how BMW can state the limits for run flats, surely it is the tyre manufacturer that sets the spec and running limits for the tyre and BMW should fall in with that

I am surprised that BMW are quoting figures beyond what the tyre manufacturer states on their website

LandyAndy

I had a rear puncture on my Mazda6 estate about a year ago at 7.30 am. The tyre was shredded by the time I realised what had happened and found a suitable place to stop.


Called the RAC at 7.30. Their patrol came out, took the wheel to a KwikFit about 15 miles away and had it back on the car and me on my way by 9.00. Good service, I thought, but a long time in comparison to the fifteen mins it would have taken me to change a spare.


Now I've bought a steel spare from my Mazda dealer although it does feel a bit like post escape stable bolting. Interestingly not only does the car have a full size wheel well but it also comes with all the wheel changing equipment too.

almillar

Tilt - if you have a blowout whilst driving, and are in a fit state to think 'Hey, where's my spare wheel?' you should be very grateful as you could have been in a very serious crash.
Vikingaero's post #16 is good - make your choice based on your circumstances - these new cars just change the default answer to 'no wheel'. Getting rid of the spare wheel, as well as not having to pay to put it there, and getting rid of weight etc, also allows the crash structure to be radically different. The spare wheel and the housing for it massively gets in the way of that.

colino

So "confident" in the spacesaver, stupidity of drivers likely to leave it on as a driving wheel for too long and the potential for litigation, Jaguar had a recall of a batch of cars. Reason? The speed and distance label on the spacesaver might have poor adhesion and fall off the tyre.

AdrianC

almillar wrote: »

Getting rid of the spare wheel, as well as not having to pay to put it there, and getting rid of weight etc, also allows the crash structure to be radically different. The spare wheel and the housing for it massively gets in the way of that.

There's also the small detail of finding enough space to house some of the very large wheel/tyre combinations available on even quite small cars. Even if there was a space-saver, the flat full-size could easily take up most of the boot.

Trebor16

Richard53 wrote: »

Can you let us know which one you have? I'd like to carry a compressor on longer trips, but I have had problems finding something small and light enough. The one I carry in my car is good, but way too big and heavy for bike use.

Sure, its the Best Rest Cycle Pump


http://www.bestrestproducts.com/c-10-cyclepump-and-gauge.aspx


It's available in the UK from:-


http://www.zenoverland.com/tools/cyclepump_adventure.html


http://www.metalmule.com/general-accessories/cycle-pump


It's not cheap but it is rugged and reliable. I have used it for tyre changes at home and also to help out friends whilst on tours.


I think there is another option called the Slime Pump


http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/17728?r=GS&gclid=CMz36Jm277wCFdShtAod0X8AJA

Richard53

Trebor16 wrote: »

Sure, its the Best Rest Cycle Pump

...

I think there is another option called the Slime Pump

Many thanks. I have investigated the Slime pump and reckoned it was marginal for size - I try to travel light, and even this would take up a significant part of the available space. The Best Rest pump is tiny - brilliant, but as you say not cheap. Perhaps I will put this on my birthday wishlist.

Thanks for the links.

Herzlos

Another vote for having a spare here. Burst a tire on a pothole last night (I can't see the damage but it was completely flat in about 100 yards) so doubt the gunk would have worked. But since I had a spare I was away again in 20 minutes (15 of which was waiting on police assistance as I was on a dual carriage way) even if I was capped at 80km/h for the rest of the journey.
Had I not had a spare I imagine I'd have wasted 20 minutes trying the gunk and then another hour plus for the AA.

Another thing to add; I bought and carry one of those 'spider' wheel wrenches (the crossed bars with different bolt sizes at the ends) and it makes removing the wheel much easier than with the supplied emergency one. £10 well spent

Arfa__

This debate keeps popping up with increased regularity. Ultimately it's swings and roundabouts and a series of compromise.

I've had an LPG Zaffy for about 5 years now, big donut gas tank underneath instead of a spare tyre. Vauxhall fitted an air pump in boot cubby hole and supplied a couple of cans of TyreWeld.

So far I've had 3 simple punctures/flats and 2 side wall tears. With the former punctures, the TyreWeld works admirable and got me to a local garage without hitch. The latter two tears required recovery and a bit of a wait. Once put on back of truck, once they removed wheel, took us to garage, then back to car to fit it.

Yes, TyreWeld won't help a blowout or tear.
Correct, TyreWeld is only good for 100miles and no more than 50mph. Pretty much same limitations as a space saver.

Sure a spare wheel would get us moving quicker, but I seriously can't see the wife scrabbling under car to remove the spare (assuming it hasn't been pinched), jacking up car, wrestling with locking bolts etc, then sticking puncture back under car. Especially if it's cold, wet, kids screaming and stuck on side of busy road. Probably still quicker to get recovery.

Fine, if you're driving across Gambia and the next tyre dealership is a bit of a trek, pack a spare. However if you're just driving round England, TyreWeld will get you by fine 99% of the time. On those rare cases you get a bad puncture just factor in an extra couple of hours for recovery, for the sake of more boot space, staying clean and more efficient and cheaper car to run.

And if your 12V air compressor is asthmatic and won't pump up a tyre, bin it and buy a new one for more than £5! They work fine, I use them all the time for keeping tyres up on car and two motorcycles. Beats buying a 50p token at the garage!

Iceweasel

Arfa__ wrote: »

This debate keeps popping up with increased regularity. Ultimately it's swings and roundabouts and a series of compromise.

I've had an LPG Zaffy for about 5 years now, big donut gas tank underneath instead of a spare tyre. Vauxhall fitted an air pump in boot cubby hole and supplied a couple of cans of TyreWeld.

So far I've had 3 simple punctures/flats and 2 side wall tears. With the former punctures, the TyreWeld works admirable and got me to a local garage without hitch. The latter two tears required recovery and a bit of a wait. Once put on back of truck, once they removed wheel, took us to garage, then back to car to fit it.

Yes, TyreWeld won't help a blowout or tear.
Correct, TyreWeld is only good for 100miles and no more than 50mph. Pretty much same limitations as a space saver.

Sure a spare wheel would get us moving quicker, but I seriously can't see the wife scrabbling under car to remove the spare (assuming it hasn't been pinched), jacking up car, wrestling with locking bolts etc, then sticking puncture back under car. Especially if it's cold, wet, kids screaming and stuck on side of busy road. Probably still quicker to get recovery.

Fine, if you're driving across Gambia and the next tyre dealership is a bit of a trek, pack a spare. However if you're just driving round England, TyreWeld will get you by fine 99% of the time. On those rare cases you get a bad puncture just factor in an extra couple of hours for recovery, for the sake of more boot space, staying clean and more efficient and cheaper car to run.

And if your 12V air compressor is asthmatic and won't pump up a tyre, bin it and buy a new one for more than £5! They work fine, I use them all the time for keeping tyres up on car and two motorcycles. Beats buying a 50p token at the garage!

There are a few points I would like to pick up on.

Spacesavers have no mileage limit only a speed limit - so NOT pretty much the same as Tyreweld stuff.

While I agree driving across the Gambia is different from driving around England, I would point out that the country we live in is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and there are many parts of it where one is far away from any tyre dealer and waiting for one of the recovery services might entail a very long wait indeed. Try finding a less common size like 255/40 17 in Wick or Thurso - they'll likely have one sent up on the train!

According to your experiences the tyreweld stuff has been successful on 3 out of 5 occasions - so that according to my Maths is 60% - that's too far off the 99% of the time you suggest that one would 'get by', for tyreweld aerosol cans to be a viable alternative on their own.

I would only chance having tyreweld alone if I lived within, and never ventured outside of, the area enclosed by the M25.

My solution for my summer tyres which are runflats with a 50 mile range at up to 50 mph, is to carry a spacesaver.

For my winter non-runflat tyres I do carry 2 aerosol repair cans in addition to the spacesaver, and a compressor.