Spare wheel & tyre

ayjay · Post by **ayjay** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:26 pm

It seems I haven't got one, it would have been where the ramp is now at the back of my bus.

Do I buy a *Space Saver* for £40, or a s/h wheel and tyre for £70, (best I've found on eBay so far) or should i just go the whole hog and buy a new wheel and tyre?

I'm drawn to the space saver cos it will save space (who'd a thunk it?), I'll have to find somewhere inside to lash it up and stop it from rolling around, but I'll have to do that with a full size jobby anyway.

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:30 pm

Do they do a rear door mount so you can hang a full size wheel on like you see on the back of a jeep? A space-saver might not be adequate for the rear wheel as it is a bigger vehicle?

DWD

kellys_eye · Post by **kellys_eye** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:37 pm

Bus?? Can you change a tire on a bus without roadside assistance? If it's a euphemism then nearly all new cars are sold without spares (certainly not full sized spares) and even I, with a full sized spare, carry a can of inflating/puncture seal rather than do it at the roadside!

If it is a bus tire than take half a dozen cans!

arco_iris · Post by **arco_iris** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:43 pm

Many modern cars over the last five-ten years do not have any sort of spare, space saver or otherwise, they don't even have a space to put one. I used to have a 2013 BMW 1 series, case in point.

They have an aerosol of sealant to inject through the valve, and a small compressor that works off the battery terminals or the power supply socket (what we used to call the fag lighter).

Alternatively, are you not, in your circumstances, already a member of a breakdown service? I wouldn't worry about it Ayjay.

ayjay · Post by **ayjay** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:10 pm

My Bus, I just call it a bus, cos it's not a car and nor is it a van.

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The rear door opens upwards and extra weight may bugger up the lifting thingys on the door. The space saver says it fits that vehicle, it would only get used for a short time, I'd just treat it like the run-flats on the BMW. The aerosol doodads don't get very good reviews, so I'm not sure of those, and would much rather have the ability to just change the wheel.

I'm with the RAC at the moment, (a years free membership) but changing to Green Flag soon.

arco_iris · Post by **arco_iris** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:20 pm

ayjay wrote: ↑Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:10 pm
I'd just treat it like the run-flats on the BMW.

The aerosol doodads don't get very good reviews, so I'm not sure of those, and would much rather have the ability to just change the wheel.

Meaning you've also got a BMW with runflats? Not what I was referring to, my M135i had conventional Michelins. The aerosol & compressor were factory fitment, not the rubbish you get in Halfords.

ayjay · Post by **ayjay** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:32 pm

arco_iris wrote: ↑Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:20 pm
Meaning you've also got a BMW with runflats? Not what I was referring to, my M135i had conventional Michelins. The aerosol & compressor were factory fitment, not the rubbish you get in Halfords.

No, (I can only drive one at a time) I had to sell that, it was pita getting the wife's scooter in the back, and once that was in along with the ramps, I could barely fit a week's shopping in: the funny thing was, about a month after I sold it, the buyer phoned me and asked where the Jack was, I couldn't remember ever seeing one but did remember it had runflats, so that may have been why no Jack, either that or it was in a compartment in the back, (there were a couple), and he hadn't looked properly.

I'll look a bit further into the repair thingys, once I discovered that I had no spare I was expecting to find one in the toolbox under the drivers seat, but it's just a Jack, (in a box).

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arco_iris · Post by **arco_iris** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:49 pm

I also had an E91 with runflats, no they don't come with a jack - no spare, no point!

Ha ha, just clicked!

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:52 pm

I suppose the question really is, are you capable of changing the wheel if needed? If not, are you willing to wait for RAC etc to turn up and do it?

If the answer to both is no, buy yourself a leak seal kit and expect to have to buy a new rim later on (they tend to ruin the rims after being used). That sounds bad but if you carry a spare you would need to buy one anyway.

If the answer to the above is yes, then get a space saver, it's not just space, it's weight as well, the added weight of a tyre over several years will equate to a fair bit of extra fuel cost. Also get yourself a good portable inflator. The majority of punctures these days are slow punctures as tyres are very well built, an inflator will keep you going plenty long enough to complete your journey and get the tyre repaired/replaced at a garage.

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:36 pm

And you can never plan for the unexpected. Years ago a mate of mine was going up the motorway, hit something like some scrap which he didn't see until too late. and blew two tyres. RAC job.
I like to carry a spare from force of habit, but then I pay a breakdown service every year. . .

ayjay · Post by **ayjay** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:11 pm

Rorschach wrote: ↑Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:52 pm I suppose the question really is, are you capable of changing the wheel if needed?

Under normal circumstances, yes, although I've had a couple of problematical ones over the years - I hired a largish van to help my mother move house once, double wheels at the rear, the outer one got a puncture and I couldn't shift the nuts - her local garage had a private sideline in large ex-army stuff and it took him quite a while even with his windy guns - he virtually gave up but they went at the last attempt.

My worst experience was with my old HA van - I'd been fishing - it was late, dark and really hissing down with rain - the spare is under the back - I couldn't get the jack underneath cos of:- a) the puncture, and b) the weight of all my tools in the back - I had to empty a large portion of my tools out into the rain just to get the jack under the damn thing, I was thoroughly drenched by the time I'd finished.

Just remembered another jacking nightmare - my brake pads expired on the way to work one morning, really grinding quite badly - I phoned the wife and she went and got me a set of pads and delivered them - when I jacked up the front wheel to change the pads, I just happened to be almost on top of a wasp nest - they were not happy, but by then the wheel was off and the old pads were out - I just had to grin and bear it and fit the new pads and re-fit the wheel with the damn things buzzing around my head the whole time, I don't know how I didn't get stung, but I didn't.

ayjay · Post by **ayjay** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 6:27 pm

After some further research today, the space savers are apparently not pleasant to drive with, I'm not too trusting of an aerosol repair, they don't seem to work for a major problem, the tyre is basically goosed afterwards and the cans need replacing every couple of years, so I think I'm just going to get a full sized spare, there's plenty of room to store it, I'll probably strap it to the rear seat, can't see that getting used for anything else. This would have had a spare originally, underneath where the ramp is now.

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aeromech3 · Post by **aeromech3** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 6:48 pm

My 2020 mini came with non run flats but a repair cannister pump kit, wheel spanner but no jack; bought a second hand wheel for £85 and had a new tyre fitted and TPS, had to buy a super low trolley jack and hard rubber pad, I have lost some space as it would only fit strapped to the back of the rear seats, the jack does go under the 2 level boot floor. I have been lucky over the years with only a few punctures but the present state of our roads makes me uncomfortable, especially with a lower profile tyre 205 45 R17. Two of my neighbours have had tyres torn and not much the road assist can do but transport to a tyre centre. Bought another 2nd hand wheel and had winter tyres fitted, a slightly softer ride is the bonus.