Spare, spare tire?

[jondrew55]

While Globetrotter hunting this weekend we were down in Ft Meyers and just as we drove out of the dealer's lot in our Durango I heard a little chime from the dashboard. My Tire pressure display came up showing my driver's side rear tire at 24 PSI as opposed the the 38s on my other tires. I pulled into parking lot and put the spare on (thank god it was a full size spare since I was over 100 miles from home. Nice big screw in the tire. The kind dealers use to fasten license plates to cars and RVs with. Middle of the tread, so it was a simple patch. I probably could have plugged it if necessary. But it made me think, what if I were way far from home and got a flat with my Globetrotter? The tire change is easy (I have one of those ramps you can pull the good tire up on and have used it before), but then you need a another spare potentially. Whether you change the tire yourself or call Coachnet or whoever, they still need a tire if you cannot plug the bad one. I wonder how hard it would be to find another acceptable replacement if you're far from home? Just wondering if it is worth investing in an unmounted tire to carry along in the bed of the truck? Only downside I see is it chews up valuable storage space.

[Dennis C]

This very thing happened to me last fall. I had a double blowout on the curb side of the trailer. I put the spare on one axle and limped to a safe location on three wheels. I wasn’t able to get another wheel and tire until the next morning, so we camped in a field! A second spare would have been nice.

[PB_NB]

Another option is to carry a flat kit and sealant. We have a Mini and when it came, we got a little kit with jug of sealant and a little compressor that plugs into the lighter 12V DC. No spare tire included!

If the tire hasn’t disintegrated, perhaps a little kit like this would work.

I know that the sealant works as I have some bikes that run tubeless tires and sealant goes in them all the time. Running higher pressures like around 100 psi, when you get a hole in the tire, the sealant will just seal it up without significant air loss and you keep on going.

Some new cars will come with a kit like this or a space saver spare. The kit would typically be in cars that use Run Flat Tires. These kits could be purchased at a local auto parts shop.

[jondrew55]

Originally Posted by PB_NB

Another option is to carry a flat kit and sealant. We have a Mini and when it came, we got a little kit with jug of sealant and a little compressor that plugs into the lighter 12V DC. No spare tire included!

If the tire hasn’t disintegrated, perhaps a little kit like this would work.

I know that the sealant works as I have some bikes that run tubeless tires and sealant goes in them all the time. Running higher pressures like around 100 psi, when you get a hole in the tire, the sealant will just seal it up without significant air loss and you keep on going.

Some new cars will come with a kit like this or a space saver spare. The kit would typically be in cars that use Run Flat Tires. These kits could be purchased at a local auto parts shop.

In my case a plug would have been fine. I think that sealant stuff gums up the tire and the inside of the wheel, so it would really be for a last resort. Getting a nail in or near the sidewall makes the tire unsafe to repair. I think I recall reading a few months ago on the forum these tires were not abundant.

[PB_NB]

Originally Posted by jondrew55

In my case a plug would have been fine. I think that sealant stuff gums up the tire and the inside of the wheel, so it would really be for a last resort. Getting a nail in or near the sidewall makes the tire unsafe to repair. I think I recall reading a few months ago on the forum these tires were not abundant.

I know from having to clean up my bike wheels every so often, that there is sealant that is sort of stringy and partially set. I think an internal TPMS could get gummed up, otherwise the sealant as a spare tire replacement could work. If the tire has a screw or puncture in it, the sealant will seal it so you can get it fixed. Then the sealant can be removed at the shop when the tire gets repaired.

I see it as a back-up to the spare tire. In my case, I only have 2 tires on the ground. If I ran over a bunch of nails then this could help me with out carrying a second spare tire.

With my bike wheels, sealant is part of running tubeless tires so I am used to using it in that application.

With this application, I could see the benefit of having the sealant if my tire picked up a slow leak. If it burst than another tire will be required. I would want to deal with the slow leak as soon as possible. If I saw lowering pressure through my TPMS or my pretrip inspection prior to departure from the campsite. I could inject some sealant and this could help me get to a shop to repair the leak.

[nitzo]

I love this thing. I've had it for 20 or so years and used on everything, cars, trucks, trailers, motorcycles, sxs's, everything.

[Kevin245]

Originally Posted by nitzo

I love this thing. I've had it for 20 or so years and used on everything, cars, trucks, trailers, motorcycles, sxs's, everything.



Attachment 410074

I carried one of these in my saddlebags at all times in my motorcycle touring days. Indispensable for me.