Dealing with no spare tire in 2021 Interstate 19 (tire sealants & air compressors)

[mikealevy]

Anyone have experience (or thoughts) on how to deal with the fact that the 2021 Interstate 19 does NOT come with a spare (to save room)?

Any experience with using tire repair sealants? Best brand? Best product?

Also, same question on air compressors, for inflating tires as well as blowing out water pipes during winterization? Best brand? Best product?

[BayouBiker]

My Saturn sky did not have a spare. The combo air compressor with sealant canister worked well for a conventional flat. Won’t help you with a blow out so watch your tire pressure don’t let them get low and overheat. You need an oil less compressor with a decent size tank to do a good and fast job of blowing out the water lines I use my cheap harbor freight contractors compressor but there are better ones

[Rocinante]

You may also want to consider a tire plug tool that can get you to the tire shop if it's a conventional leak caused in the tread by a screw, nail, etc. They are inexpensive and fairly simple to use, though they do require some elbow grease, as it were.

[Zach05855]

Slime tire sealant plus a small inflator

https://www.harborfreight.com/automo...ant-95576.html

https://tirereviewsandmore.com/top-1...ire-inflators/

[ROBERT CROSS]

Remember....ALL "squirt" inside the tire puncture 'repairs' are not, and must be cleaned out well when a permeant repair is done.
I carry a 'String Emergency Kit' in the Burb. In most cases it also requires more permanent inside patch.

Bob
🇺🇸

[Passin Thru]

I have a spare on my coach. I have a coach that weighs 11,000 lbs. I don’t envision jacking up the coach and changing a flat unless it really is an emergency. That is what AAA is for.

And before I am called a wimp I grew up on a farm in NE Montana and can fix darn near anything, but dealing with duallys and everything else that goes along with it just pushes the limits.

[pontzdav]

The 0.6 HO compressor from California Air Tools is small, light, and big enough to blow out water lines. Plus, it just might run on the 1000 watt inverter if you have one in your rig. I’ve not tried to run mine on my inverter. Yet. Always had shore power when I needed it.

https://www.aircompressorsdirect.com...CABEgITRfD_BwE

[DaveG]

Thought this one over and decided for us a cell phone is the best tool for getting a flat fixed.

Here is an article just to add to the conversation.

What these lawyers say:

Unsafe Tire Repair Methods Persist Despite Strong Evidence of Dangers

“…. a string plug repair a permanent solution. The tire manufacturing industry expressly disagrees.”

https://www.carabinshaw.com/unsafe-t...nce-of-da.html

[panamerican]

This is a growing trend among vehicle manufacturers (Airstream buys the chassis from them).

My car did not come with a spare either and I opted to buy one and let me tell you, I've used it 2x, and it's been in the dead of winter, bitterly cold out, where that foam stuff would have been a real adventure to try to use.

Do yourself a favor, see if you can find an emerg spare that will fit that rig and buy it. I know it's kind of unique compared to a car, but if you can do it and it would work, I would highly recommend it.

[Rocinante]

Agreed, if you have a good roadside service, such as AAA, a phone call is the safest and easiest way to get a roadside tire repair. Just get comfortable and be prepared to wait a while.

[SilverWind]

The lack of a spare tire would certainly challenge my comfort zone in terms of where I would feel safe to travel. There are many places in North America that lack tire changing and replacement services, ie AAA, tire stores. Self repair could be challenging given the size and weight of the tire/wheel.

Our 2016 RAM 2500 was equipped with a "temporary-limited range and smaller footprint spare". We carry a full size spare in the bed when traveling to Alaska and the Southwest. Unfortunately that doesn't seem an option with the space limited 2021 Interstate 19.

Our 2005 Interstate (24') had a full size spare behind the kitchen and accessible through the rear door. We felt comfortable traveling anywhere. Apparently Airstream envisions the current Interstate as an Interstates only traveler.

[SilverWind]

Owl Vans has a variety of tire carriers for Sprinter vans.

https://owlvans.com/collections/ladd...-sprinter-vs30

[Mollysdad]

My former motorhome did not have a spare.
It would have been too heavy for one person, and I just kept a good towing service, who I never called.
I wouldn't worry about it.

[stevegilmore]

I wonder if they sell run flat trailer tires? Would be an expensive option

[SYC2Vette]

Originally Posted by stevegilmore

I wonder if they sell run flat trailer tires? Would be an expensive option

I doubt there are any runflats that could carry that kind of load. FWIW my brother exceeded max drive mileage by 8 miles on a runflat on his BMW and it self destructed before he got home. I consider a runflat as something to get you to the next safe pullout and then call AAA.

[Toasterlife]

If you plan to stick to built up urban areas with good cellphone service and plenty of AAA or other repair people don't worry - but if you plan to camp out west where distances are great and remote parks have spotty cell phone service you will definitely want to carry a full size replacement in your tow vehicle. It depends on your camping style.

[Vlamgat]

You need to carry a spare tire at least because the so called "Emergency " services will always struggle to find an exact replacement for your blow out. They can and usually do but to do this you need to be willing to wait at least 2 and sometimes as much as 12 hours for attention. If you are that flexible you are more fortunate than most. I learned this lesson the hard way with a product as simple as a 16" LT tire.

[Rich W]

My wife and 2 of her friends had gone on a trip and were almost home when the car made noises and stopped. The driver had AAA and called them, told them there were 3 of them that needed to be taken back to the repair shop, hotel or car rental. My wife called me and said they should be okay, a tow truck was on the way.

They broke down between Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky's largest cities, closer to Lexington where we live. 2 hours later still no AAA service truck. The driver finally heard from the tow truck driver, said he could take only 2 passengers but would be there soon. He was coming from Louisville. (Apparently AAA couldn't find anyone in Lexington to help them.)

Another hour passes and still no tow truck. I told my wife I was coming to get them. It took me an hour to drive to them and still no tow truck, so that's 4 hours they're sitting on a busy interstate, at night, winter (so they were cold) and still no tow truck driver. The tow truck driver called and said he would be there soon but could take only 1 person.

I took 2 of them to the next exit so they could use the rest room, for which they were very grateful. While we were there the driver of the car called and said the tow truck was there (4 1/2 hours total wait time) and would take her back to the repair shop. (She didn't want to ride back with us, wanted to stay with her car as it was fairly new.)

You can't always expect good service. I would buy and carry my own spare tire. You can probably find a shop that can mount one somewhere on the Interstate. On the other hand, being in an Interstate you would have heat, lights and a bathroom, so there's that.

[Goin camping]

I would get a spare and put in a Michelin tire bag (Yes they are an actual thing.) and toss it in the tow vehicle.

Have had flats while traveling and the idea of no spare is kooky to me.

[DaveG]

I believe other threads have mention of this subject but here is a thought, put a spare tire carrier on the back which uses the receiver. A spare will be heavy and likely too much for a door hinge. Put a cover over the tire to improve the looks. The one at the link looks pretty heavy duty but swings away to allow the door to open. AAA can come out and put it on Maybe a better looking one exists? I could get interested if it fit well with the Sprinter Airstream Interstate 19. If anyone has a suggestion please post it.
https://www.jegs.com/i/Tiregate/393/...xoCZD0QAvD_BwE