If you're thinking of NOT ordering a spare wheel, think again.....

[silver1011]

Do you really think the inconvenience of a puncture and waiting for a recovery truck is the same as losing your life or suffering severe head trauma due to not having an airbag? Really?

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The inconvenience of a puncture can very quickly turn into something worse when sat stationary waiting for your 'rescue'.

 

I was pointing out your "I've never needed one before so therefore won't need one in the future" attitude is flawed.

[Guest]

The inconvenience of a puncture can very quickly turn into something worse when sat stationary waiting for your 'rescue'.

I was pointing out your "I've never needed one before so therefore won't need one in the future" attitude is flawed.

Don't be silly. Nobody is carrying a spare tyre because they think it's a matter of life and death. That is utterly ridiculous.

My opinion isn't flawed at all. I'm driving with run flat tyres and three year European wide recovery. Why on earth would I carry a spare?

In case I die!

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[silver1011]

Only now you decide to share with us you have run flats, tyres not fitted to any Skoda models.

 

Choosing not to carry a spare is fine, it is your choice. Not carrying one because you think think you'll never need one is short sighted.

 

Feel free to spend a few hours at the side of the road waiting for your "European wide recovery". I'll stick on my £75 spare wheel and remove myself, wife and kids from danger in less than 10 minutes.

 

I suspect a large proportion of those who choose not to carry a spare do so as they aren't able to change their own wheels themselves.

[nick74]

No, I'd be busy on the phone to my recovery company!

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There's plenty of areas round here where there's no mobile phone signal, and to compound the problem BT have removed a lot of the phone boxes.

Even using a recovery service doesn't always solve the problem as there are so many different tyre sizes fitted to cars now that it can take a while to obtain a suitable replacement. A friend of ours was unable to use her car for 4 days after getting a puncture as no one had the correct tyre in stock.

[donovan]

Just a quick one. The guys who have used the gunk repair did you guys drive a small distance to even out the gunk before trying to inflate tyre?

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[Can]

Surely driving with the tyre flat is going to damage it. From what I remember the instructions were along the lines of remove wheel from the vehicle. Then insert gunk with the damage at the lowest point of the tyre. Inflate tyre after gunk has dried. It also has a list of situations it is not suitable for. Sidewall damage, delamination and cuts over an inch long sounds about right for the will not fix list.

[donovan]

You don't drive far. Just a meter or two to circulate the gunk. This is what the Honda civic gunk instructions say

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[ruffday]

Don't be silly. Nobody is carrying a spare tyre because they think it's a matter of life and death. That is utterly ridiculous.

My opinion isn't flawed at all. I'm driving with run flat tyres and three year European wide recovery. Why on earth would I carry a spare?

In case I die!

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Well due to the fact you have runflats and dont need a spare is the main reason your opinion is flawed as it is not relevant to the thread.

[fabiamk2SE]

Run flats do just that... Run flat.

So its not as crucial to carry a spare IMO.

[Coops]

First lot of costs came through (via lease company) this week:

 

£101.32 for the new tyre repair kit; wheel balancing (mobile van didn't do it properly) and wheel alignment tracking

 

Not seen the recovery costs yet :think:

[Guest]

Well due to the fact you have runflats and dont need a spare is the main reason your opinion is flawed as it is not relevant to the thread.

My opinion is completely relevant. It's just that people like you don't like to hear opposing views!

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[Guest]

There's plenty of areas round here where there's no mobile phone signal, and to compound the problem BT have removed a lot of the phone boxes.

Even using a recovery service doesn't always solve the problem as there are so many different tyre sizes fitted to cars now that it can take a while to obtain a suitable replacement. A friend of ours was unable to use her car for 4 days after getting a puncture as no one had the correct tyre in stock.

For us city / suburb dwellers, I don't thinking it's worth spending hundreds of pounds on a wheel just in case you find yourself in a mobile phone black spot. For somebody who frequently does long journeys in that sort of environment then clearly there is an increased risk.

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[Guest]

Only now you decide to share with us you have run flats, tyres not fitted to any Skoda models.

Choosing not to carry a spare is fine, it is your choice. Not carrying one because you think think you'll never need one is short sighted.

Feel free to spend a few hours at the side of the road waiting for your "European wide recovery". I'll stick on my £75 spare wheel and remove myself, wife and kids from danger in less than 10 minutes.

I suspect a large proportion of those who choose not to carry a spare do so as they aren't able to change their own wheels themselves.

My tyres are irrelevant to the main discussion tbh. They only came up because the suggestion seemed to be that I'm going to die or get stranded because I haven't got a spare wheel.

My opinion is that it isn't worth buying a spare wheel for the majority of road users. I can't see that one op of somebody having to wait a couple of hours for a recovery truck proves otherwise. And claims that you might die if you don't carry a spare wheel are nothing short of Daily Mail-esque hysteria.

All you need to do to prove how useful a spare wheel actually is is to survey one hundred drivers on how often they have suffered a catastrophic puncture that would have required an immediate wheel change. The result will inevitably prove how much of a waste of time spare wheels actually are.

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[silver1011]

Only you have mentioned dying so when it comes to 'hysteria' the only evidence of this is in your own posts.

 

Hundreds of pounds for a spare wheel? Try £75 which includes a full size spare wheel, tyre, jack and wheel brace.

 

Just because someone may have never suffered a puncture before does not mean that they'll never get one. You only need to be stranded once (as with the OP) to appreciate the benefit of being able to help yourself and your family get out of trouble by simply swapping a wheel.

 

You only need to see the costs associated with the higher prices for runflats, the replacement foam kit and recovery costs to appreciate why anyone with a sound mind would simply tick the £75 spare wheel option box.

 

As I've said, your choice not to carry a spare is entirely yours and I respect that. It will continue to amaze me when I see fully grown men sat on the hard shoulder with a flat looking rather bored and annoyed waiting for a man in a hi-viz vest to rescue them. I'll change my own wheel thanks and get on my way.

[BJM]

All you need to do to prove how useful a spare wheel actually is is to survey one hundred drivers on how often they have suffered a catastrophic puncture that would have required an immediate wheel change. The result will inevitably prove how much of a waste of time spare wheels actually are.

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4 times in the last 5 years, including twice in 1 week in this February from pot hole damage.

Plus from memory 3 or 4 times before that in the last 45 years of driving.

[skinnyman]

All you need to do to prove how useful a spare wheel actually is is to survey one hundred drivers on how often they have suffered a catastrophic puncture that would have required an immediate wheel change. The result will inevitably prove how much of a waste of time spare wheels actually are.

 

I appreciate that you're not buying into this spare wheel business.  I've only ever had two punctures in all the time I've been driving, so I agree it's pretty rare.  Both times though were when I had the family in the car, both times were what you'd call inconvenient.  We live in North Yorkshire, for the most part it's big & empty with bugger all at the side of the road other than fields and the occasional sheep.  They use the roads round here now & then in Evo mag & Top Gear to show the majesty of our green and pleasant land and to experience isolation and to be at one with their cars.  Great for grown men with a camera crew, less so for a dad with three children under seven years old. 

 

If you're offering to come and entertain our two year old at the side of the road while we wait two or three hours to be rescued then feel free.  He might not agree with you on the life & death thing as to him ten minutes is an eternity and to be honest after five minutes of screaming you'd probably be wondering if a spare wheel might have been a good idea.  Luckily, five minutes was all we had to endure as I could change the wheel and continue our journey home.  I have just shelled out on a wheel & jack for the Vectra as to me & the Mrs it's worth every penny, just in case we end up at the side of another deserted, dark, rain soaked A road. 

[Toxicvrs]

A spare wheel is more than worth it as I learnt earlier when a pair of scissors left on a road presumably come out of a bin bag (bin day) went straight through the main tread block and out the sidewall in my van lucky the tyre shop was only the other side of town!

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[Robjon]

I fully respect your opinion Sotonjoe, although I do not necessarily agree with it.

 

As with BJM, I have driven for 45 years on our dreadful Midland's roads.  During that time, I have potholed enough tyres to consider a spare wheel essential.

 

In my opinion, a spare wheel is a form of insurance.  I chose to buy one (a £50 option on my Roomster) and carry it with me in the knowledge I may never need it.  But just two months into ownership, I hit another of Birmingham's potholes causing irreparable damage to the side-wall.  Since I carried a spare wheel, I was able to get on my way again in ten minutes.

[Llanigraham]

None in the last 10+ years!

And that isn't because I don't go anywhere, as my monthly mileage exceeds 1500 miles, plus I regularly drive off-road on rough forestry tracks on rallies.

 

Before that I drove for Vauxhall demo Fleet doing easily over 50k a year for 7 years and can only remember having 2 punctures in that time.

[Robjon]

And that isn't because I don't go anywhere...

 

It's because you don't drive in Birmingham 

[Llanigraham]

Actually Rob, i do sometimes, and the roads there are certainly no worse than around here, and a lot better than the forestry tracks I go on.

I shall be in the Brum area on Wednesday!

[preston334]

Do you really think the inconvenience of a puncture and waiting for a recovery truck is the same as losing your life or suffering severe head trauma due to not having an airbag? Really?

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Unless you are traveling towards an airport and catching a flight. At least I can change the tyre and be on my way within 20 to 30 mins without waiting for recovery and risk missing my flight.

[Mr Ree]

Actually Rob, i do sometimes, and the roads there are certainly no worse than around here, and a lot better than the forestry tracks I go on.

I shall be in the Brum area on Wednesday!

Was in Keilder last weekend and it had recently been regraded.

Horrendous. Did 10 miles in 50 minutes.

[Coops]

OK, some more costs have come through to add to that already received:

 

 

£101.32 for the new tyre repair kit; wheel balancing (mobile van didn't do it properly) and wheel alignment tracking

£298.70 for 2x new front tyres fitted with Sunday call out charge

 

£400.02 so far - recovery costs to add to this

 

I hasten to add that these are our corporate/company rates which could be slightly cheaper than public (but not necessarily)

[Mr Ree]

OK, some more costs have come through to add to that already received:

 

 

£101.32 for the new tyre repair kit; wheel balancing (mobile van didn't do it properly) and wheel alignment tracking

£298.70 for 2x new front tyres fitted with Sunday call out charge

 

£400.02 so far - recovery costs to add to this

 

I hasten to add that these are our corporate/company rates which could be slightly cheaper than public (but not necessarily)

Bargain...plus your wasted time hanging around when you could have been doing something more constructive and interesting. :think:

Edited 14 May, 2014 by Mr Ree