Carry a spare?

[jctelling@juno.com]

My Excursion came with a place where a spare wheel would go if I had one. The dealer who sold me the coach said that tires are so reliable that most people get one from the service who comes to fix the blowout if needed. That now seems kind of dumb, since I could theorstically be stuck for a day or more in the middle of nowhere if the tire guys don't have the right tire.

I am now thinking that it would probably be a good idea to carry an unmounted spare tire, since the wheels are not all the same.

Is that seem reasonable? I think I have seem information on this before, but I can't remember the responses

[tbutler]

I did a quick search using the search function at the top of the page right next to the Help button...

Four listings came up for spare, and the same four for spare tire so we need a good discussion of this issue. The most pertinent comments I saw in a quick scanning were in a discussion of RV Tires vs. Truck Tires from several months ago. You can take a look at the discussion there.

Our motor home doesn't accommodate a spare tire and I have never carried one. I have seen people who mount them by various means but not often. If I were going into Mexico, I'd carry one. We made the trip to Alaska and back without incident. That would be the other place I'd consider carrying one though we didn't.

Part of my decision is the fact that we are full time so we aren't on a vacation schedule that requires us to be back home at a certain time and we aren't wasting time sitting and waiting for a tire. Being at home wherever we are, there is always something to do if we aren't interested in going to see something while work is being done. If you are on a schedule and have to keep moving then having a spare tire with you would be more advantageous.

In almost 9 years living in our motor home, I've had two flat tires. One took me the better part of a day to resolve and the other was only a minor inconvenience. With that kind of reliability, it isn't one of my big worries.

[garykd]

Hi johntelling,

I carry a mounted spare tire. It is in the most forward basement bay, in the center of the coach. My coach takes 275X70X22.5 tire size. This is not the most common size and can be difficult to find. For additional choices, I also carry the air wrench, torque wrench, compressor, pry bar, etc. so if needed, as a back up plan, I could change a tire myself. The primary plan is to call Coach-Net. For those wondering, I have changed two tires on this coach (different long story(s).

[wolfe10]

We carry a tire (unmounted) ONLY when traveling to areas where that size tire may be hard to find (such as Mexico). Most all road side assistance trucks (from tire companies) can mount a tire anywhere.

Brett

[kalynzoo]

I carry an unmounted spare. It is stuffed way back in the center well. It was purchased just before a Tracks Mexico trip, but it seemed like a good idea at the time, and I continue to carry this extra weight and rubber. The 22.5 tire, which was purchased used, is now way past a safe date, However: is I get a flat that damages my existing tire, I will be able to have roadside service get me on the road after maybe a day. Bet they won't mount a tire roadside, so I will still have to limp into the nearest town with only one duelly then have the tire mounted. Then off to the nearest big town or city where I can have a new tire shipped in and again mounted for travel. No matter what, a blowout or major flat will not be fun. As for carrying a full spare...I know I could not possibly change the tire myself. Once a friend and I tried to pull off a tire and couldn't break it free even with a breakerbar.

[bfi172@gmail.com]

To spare or not to spare is the question?? Some motorhomes come with a space for a spare and some don't. My coach came with that space for a spare and it did come with the tire and wheel ready to go. I have never had to use it "BUT" it makes me feel just alittle better known that it is there. However, it does add some weight to the coach. We are full-timers so the coach is loaded to the max at all times so, the weight of that spare adds to the total weight of the coach. We travel all over the country and I have noticed that there are truck stops all over the country that will come out to you to change out your flat/blow-out in a short time. It is best to remember that for the most part the spare was never intended to be on the ground forever. It is only a spare to be used to get you to the tire store to buy a new tire and put the spare back into the spare tire compartment and save it for the next time. OH, by the way if you have a blow-out pray that it is NOT on the front axle. Front axle blow-outs are sometimers KILLERS. If you have the money to buy two new tires always put them on the front axle first. Happy travels!

Cal206

[garykd]

Hi kalynzoo,

Why do you say the ERS would not mount your spare on the side of the road? Best I know, mounting a tire at the side of the road is standard operating procedure.