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

[silver1011]

£400+ with the recovery on top versus £75 for a spare wheel and jack/brace.

 

Great thread, well done for keeping it updated Coops!

[Mr Ree]

I feel all sort of strangely warm and cosy inside now having a full size spare and jack in the boot. 

[skinnyman]

Same here.

[luckyeddie]

£400+ with the recovery on top versus £75 for a spare wheel and jack/brace.

Great thread, well done for keeping it updated Coops!

You'd still have cost of the replacement tyres even with a spare so not totally accurate... ;-)

[skinnyman]

Unless it could be repaired for less than £20 as happened with my last puncture.  I get your point though.

[KenONeill]

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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Exactly once, but I'd have had to wait several hours for recovery, and my car would have been immobilised for FIVE days by the time a replacement rim had been sourced.

[silver1011]

You'd still have cost of the replacement tyres even with a spare so not totally accurate... ;-)

 

I was figuring that once the foam is inserted into the tyre the tyre is toast. A lot of garages refuse to clean it out.

 

Unless the tyre is trashed then a puncture repair could be possible if you use a spare to get you home rather than the foam...

[seaweasel]

Another, though admittedly unusual, reason - was woken up by police early this morning, someone had crashed a motorbike into the Octavia and abandoned it. Luckily the only damage was to a tyre - they must have come off it and it slid into side/rear of the car. Must have been the bike's brake disc that took a chuck out of the sidewall.

No other damage that I could see luckily other than a small mark at the edge of the alloy (don't think it's chipped).

I only picked up a spare from the breakers a couple of weeks ago - gunk wouldn't have done any good!

[Mr Ree]

It's much the same as car insurance really.

Expense, and does absolutely nothing UNTIL you need it.

 

 

Young Ree has just got one for his Fiesta now too, only his didn't come with a tyre, leaving him to buy a budget one instead, which is all you need to get you home really.

Edited 9 June, 2014 by Mr Ree

[silver1011]

Another, though admittedly unusual, reason - was woken up by police early this morning, someone had crashed a motorbike into the Octavia and abandoned it. Luckily the only damage was to a tyre - they must have come off it and it slid into side/rear of the car. Must have been the bike's brake disc that took a chuck out of the sidewall.

 

I'd be having an alignment check. Don't underestimate the effects of an unusual force exerted onto a cars wheel can do.

 

We aren't talking about the usual up and down here, a good clout against the face of a wheel can throw things out.

[seaweasel]

I'd be having an alignment check. Don't underestimate the effects of an unusual force exerted onto a cars wheel can do.

 

We aren't talking about the usual up and down here, a good clout against the face of a wheel can throw things out.

 

Thanks silver, didn't think of that.

[Coops]

I was figuring that once the foam is inserted into the tyre the tyre is toast. A lot of garages refuse to clean it out.

Unless the tyre is trashed then a puncture repair could be possible if you use a spare to get you home rather than the foam...

The tyre fitter who did mine said that - they wont clean it out and will replace. Whether that's because we are a business I'm not sure.

When my tyre was removed, the gunk wasn't solid but was still liquid and went all over the back of his van!

[Lady Elanore]

I punctured a few weeks ago, a couple of miles outside of Kirkby Stephen. I checked the tyre still had some air in it and limped into KS before it had run totally flat. The trouble was it was late on a Sunday night and everywhere was shut. I rang the Mercedes help line and they said it would be at least a couple of hours before anyone could find me, possibly longer, given my remote location. I was super tired from a long stint working away from home and desperate to get home.....

 

So I emptied the boot all over the local Co-op car park and pulled out the space saver. It looked silly compared to the 255/35 tyre it was replacing, and set about trying to get the wheel nuts off. Thankfully MB hadn't tightened them on with the Thugotron Truckblaster MkIII and I managed to undo them relatively easily (swearing helped though). Once I had finished a trucker wandered over to see what on earth I was doing, spreading stuff all over a car park and swearing under my breath He kindly volunteered to check the nuts were on tight enough (I would have taken offense, but was past caring).

 

The result was I wasted 30 mins sorting it out myself, saved myself a couple of hours of further waiting and felt I could hold my head up a little for changing the wheel myself (although it was a bugger to find anywhere to put it afterwards, as the car was full. Women can change wheels! Who'd have thunk it (I'm no delicate shrinking violet though, as several Brisky peeps can testify)

 

Spare wheel? yes please every time

[KenONeill]

I punctured a few weeks ago, a couple of miles outside of Kirkby Stephen. I checked the tyre still had some air in it and limped into KS before it had run totally flat. The trouble was it was late on a Sunday night and everywhere was shut. I rang the Mercedes help line and they said it would be at least a couple of hours before anyone could find me, possibly longer, given my remote location. I was super tired from a long stint working away from home and desperate to get home.....

 

So I emptied the boot all over the local Co-op car park and pulled out the space saver. It looked silly compared to the 255/35 tyre it was replacing, and set about trying to get the wheel nuts off. Thankfully MB hadn't tightened them on with the Thugotron Truckblaster MkIII and I managed to undo them relatively easily (swearing helped though). Once I had finished a trucker wandered over to see what on earth I was doing, spreading stuff all over a car park and swearing under my breath He kindly volunteered to check the nuts were on tight enough (I would have taken offense, but was past caring).

 

The result was I wasted 30 mins sorting it out myself, saved myself a couple of hours of further waiting and felt I could hold my head up a little for changing the wheel myself (although it was a bugger to find anywhere to put it afterwards, as the car was full. Women can change wheels! Who'd have thunk it (I'm no delicate shrinking violet though, as several Brisky peeps can testify)

 

Spare wheel? yes please every time

    :cocktail:

[seaweasel]

I'd be having an alignment check. Don't underestimate the effects of an unusual force exerted onto a cars wheel can do.

We aren't talking about the usual up and down here, a good clout against the face of a wheel can throw things out.

My wife got the tyre changed today - seemingly the alignment was a fair bit out.

[bealine]

It doesn't make any sense carrying the weight of a spare wheel around all the time for the rare occasion on which a total blowout occurs. That is what recovery / breakdown cover is for.

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I don't think the breakdown organisations would agree with you.   If so many people have this attitude, then no wonder my breakdown cover is so expensive!

 

Breakdown assistance is ONLY to be used when you can't fix a problem yourself.   Changing a wheel is certainly within the capabilities of most able-bodied drivers.

 

An RAC patrolman once told me that he was called to to sales reps on the same shift.   The male sales rep with a flat tyre was reclined in the driver's seat, music playing, eyes closed and deeply relaxed.   When he attended the female sales rep, she had the boot emptied, the spare wheel and the tools were neatly lined up ready - she only needed help because she lacked the strength to get the wheel nuts undone.   Whether this is true, or urban myth, I know not but it does sound kind of plausible.

[Llanigraham]

I worked for Vauxhall Demo Fleet for quite a few years and we were specifically banned from changing wheels if we had a puncture, especially on the motorway. 

[Ootohere]

Is everyone not banned from changing wheels on motorways or hard shoulders?

[gadgetman]

The breakdown services all carry a spare wheel for cars that don't carry a spare.

The majority of mpv have never carried spares and there is no room for one.

[gadgetman]

The breakdown services all carry a spare wheel for cars that don't carry a spare.

The majority of mpv have never carried spares and there is no room for one.

[Mr Ree]

It's much the same as car insurance really.

Expense, and does absolutely nothing UNTIL you need it.

 

 

Young Ree has just got one for his Fiesta now too, only his didn't come with a tyre, leaving him to buy a budget one instead, which is all you need to get you home really.

 

 

10 days on, and guess what!?

 

He's running on his new spare wheel and tyre!

 

Just collected his puncture repaired tyre from Halfords service center 'round the corner.......

 

....."just lob a couple of quid in the tea fund box mate" 

 

Most excellent on ALL counts. 

Edited 19 June, 2014 by Mr Ree

[Llanigraham]

Is everyone not banned from changing wheels on motorways or hard shoulders?

 

No.

[mannyo]

Is everyone not banned from changing wheels on motorways or hard shoulders?

 

No, anyone can change the wheel on a motorway, did it myself a few years ago and was on my way again in less than 20 mins. If I had to call out a recovery company would have been there a lot longer.

 

No gunk would have fixed the tyre that was removed, the tread had a big hole caused by glass or something in the carriageway.

[Guest]

I don't think the breakdown organisations would agree with you. If so many people have this attitude, then no wonder my breakdown cover is so expensive!

Breakdown assistance is ONLY to be used when you can't fix a problem yourself. Changing a wheel is certainly within the capabilities of most able-bodied drivers.

An RAC patrolman once told me that he was called to to sales reps on the same shift. The male sales rep with a flat tyre was reclined in the driver's seat, music playing, eyes closed and deeply relaxed. When he attended the female sales rep, she had the boot emptied, the spare wheel and the tools were neatly lined up ready - she only needed help because she lacked the strength to get the wheel nuts undone. Whether this is true, or urban myth, I know not but it does sound kind of plausible.

I'm talking about motorists who have cars which aren't designed to carry spares.

Equally though, I see no harm in people calling breakdown if they try to change a wheel and find it's seized up.

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[justinlok]

Interesting thread...........

 

I'm in the 'must have a spare in the car' camp as I would rather get going again, than have to mess about.

 

When I had my Octi, I'd forgotten to order a spare, so as others have said, off to the parts department and all the bits ordered.......... Saved me once, late on a Saturday night, in the middle of nowhere......

 

Current car - a spare wheel was the first thing I said that it must have (then the discussion about other things came in)......... This car has a "collapsible spare", the rim is an 18" bit of black painted steel, and is very easy to use. Takes up less space and a normal 18" spare wheel, and is easier to get out of the boot, but it does take a few minutes extra to inflate the tyre with the supplied compressor. A sub-woofer still sits nicely in the spare wheel rim, so I get a spare wheel and space well used with a small sub......... This spare has actually been used 4 times in the last 18 months, and 3 of the times, a late night at the weekend change of wheel has saved me loads of hassle.

 

Personally, I think it is lazy design not to include space for a spare wheel. Gunk and run-flats are only good if you have a small nail in the middle of the tyre - sidewall damage, on the edges, or a decent sized bit of debris mean that a spare is the only way forwards.

 

I suppose a comment in a previous post rings true - it's an insurance policy. You don't want to have to use it, but you are glad you have it when it is needed. Sotonjoe - Why carry anything in the boot of your car? I suppose you don't have an ice scraper in your car, as where you live it never gets frosty??????

 

J