Unmounted Spare - Worth The Space?

[Pairajays]

To all those who are concerned about sitting along side the freeway for an extended period of time. I believe you have the option of having your RV towed to the nearest repair facility.

Jim E

[CLIFFTALL]

Originally Posted by Pairajays

To all those who are concerned about sitting along side the freeway for an extended period of time. I believe you have the option of having your RV towed to the nearest repair facility.

Jim E

Put me in the category of being concerned about towing for a tire. I carry an unmounted spare.

[xctraveler]

Originally Posted by Pairajays

To all those who are concerned about sitting along side the freeway for an extended period of time. I believe you have the option of having your RV towed to the nearest repair facility.

Jim E

Assuming you can be towed, the wait for a tow truck capable of towing a motorhome may be non trivial depending on where you are and how busy the tow services are. Of course the wait for a road service truck to change the tire, if you have a spare, may be just as long.

[bldrbob]

I carried the spare that came with my motorhome for eight years. This fall I noticed bulges in the sidewall of the right rear while headed south.Pulled into a tire place and was back on the road in less than an hour for $30.Will I replace the spare ? Yes.

[Conquest102]

I carry unmounted tire. It's just like the insurance we HAVE to pay for hate to pay but glad to have it when you really need it. I have spent hours sitting on side of highway waiting for road service to come. Vehicles going by so fast all you see is a blurr 2 feet for RV. Did I mention it was 110 in the shade and it was a front blow out. So no option to limp away.

[ottffss]

Carry or not? It all depends.

First I'd call around to some random roadside tire services in various states and see if YOUR size tire is typically in stock. If it is common, roadside might be best option. If not, maybe you want an unmounted spare.

FYI - If it's not an inner dually flat, usually they change the tire without removing the wheel. They just work it off by hand using tire spoons.

Depending on your tire, a mounted spare can weigh a couple hundred pounds like my 315/22.5 do. You think you can move that around? Try it. Even unmounted mine weigh over 140lbs. Carrying that can be a little troublesome.

Need to pull a wheel? If you are running a Spartan K2 chassis the lug torque is 475ft-lbs. Not something that you'll enjoy dealing with. You want to carry a 3/4in impact wrench? I suggest trying one on for size before you do. I do carry a 6x torque multiplier and it is not fun in any way.

Me? I keep good tabs on my tires, run TPMS, and would rather sip cocktails on the side of the road waiting for roadside - even if it takes all day/night. My 315's are very hard to find in stock at roadside firms - sometimes meaning a day or two extra for shipping. So, if they don't have in stock I'll choose something they do have in my load range and swap that (new or used) odd size on the tag or steer (to keep all the same size on the drives) just to get me going to the next big town. It'll cost me a new-but-junk tire but I won't be dealing with the space and immobility of a spare in the basment (or elsewhere). And, I will be enjoying cocktails as the traffic flows by.

[Pairajays]

Originally Posted by ottffss

Carry or not? It all depends.

First I'd call around to some random roadside tire services in various states and see if YOUR size tire is typically in stock. If it is common, roadside might be best option. If not, maybe you want an unmounted spare.

FYI - If it's not an inner dually flat, usually they change the tire without removing the wheel. They just work it off by hand using tire spoons.

Depending on your tire, a mounted spare can weigh a couple hundred pounds like my 315/22.5 do. You think you can move that around? Try it. Even unmounted mine weigh over 140lbs. Carrying that can be a little troublesome.

Need to pull a wheel? If you are running a Spartan K2 chassis the lug torque is 475ft-lbs. Not something that you'll enjoy dealing with. You want to carry a 3/4in impact wrench? I suggest trying one on for size before you do. I do carry a 6x torque multiplier and it is not fun in any way.

Me? I keep good tabs on my tires, run TPMS, and would rather sip cocktails on the side of the road waiting for roadside - even if it takes all day/night. My 315's are very hard to find in stock at roadside firms - sometimes meaning a day or two extra for shipping. So, if they don't have in stock I'll choose something they do have in my load range and swap that (new or used) odd size on the tag or steer (to keep all the same size on the drives) just to get me going to the next big town. It'll cost me a new-but-junk tire but I won't be dealing with the space and immobility of a spare in the basment (or elsewhere). And, I will be enjoying cocktails as the traffic flows by.

Well said, I'm in agreement 100%,

[melvonnar]

Question?

How many times have I seen a large DP setting beside the road with a flat tire?
Answer: a lot.
Question?
how many times have I seen a smaller gasser setting beside the road with a flat tire?
Answer: not often.
Why? most of the smaller motorhomes carry a spare.
If you enjoy setting beside a busy highway as cars and trucks wize by so fast your motor home rocks; I say; go for it; --I can think of other things I"d rather be doing..
BTDT

[Pairajays]

Originally Posted by melvonnar

Question?

How many times have I seen a large DP setting beside the road with a flat tire?
Answer: a lot.
Question?
how many times have I seen a smaller gasser setting beside the road with a flat tire?
Answer: not often.
Why? most of the smaller motorhomes carry a spare.
If you enjoy setting beside a busy highway as cars and trucks wize by so fast your motor home rocks; I say; go for it; --I can think of other things I"d rather be doing..
BTDT

How many times have I seen a large DP setting beside the road with a flat tire?
Answer: Never

How many times have I seen a smaller gasser setting beside the road with a flat tire?
Answer: Never

Why? The chance of seeing a disabled MH along the road is miniscule because of the miles and miles of highways through out the country and the low frequency of breakdowns.

But, i've only been RVn for 15 years. Been to all four corners and every place in between including Alaska and Mexico. Never RV'd in Hawaii though.

Jim E

[Scooter]

Never had a flat in seven years. We carry a MOUNTED 22.5" tire shoehorned into an outside compartment.

I had quizzed various tire/roadside service outfits, such as Schwab, Tehema, GSam and CoachNet. Changing a MOUNTED spare......No Problema

Changing an UN-mounted spare could present some problems. They have been described above per other posters. Additionally, not all service trucks are equipped to dismount your flat, patch and plug and re-mount your tire. There are trucks who can do this......but, maybe not near your location. Maybe further away. Nights and weekends/holidays can further complicate things. If your sidewall is damaged........where is the nearest replacement and how does it get to you?

Being tilted 10 or more degrees on a road shoulder is OK for an hour or two. But a day or two.....

You can be towed, as previously mentioned. But now your search for a new tire begins, albeit at a better location.

Our mounted 245/75/22.5 tire weighs 125 lbs. Not a drain on our CCC.

[MegaRoadie]

Been there done that... 6 1/2 hour delay while several service centers tried to locate a matching replacement... not again ! Not to mention $700.00 for a 400.00 tire, etc...

I do NOT suffer from mental illness, but rather enjoy it daily !

[melvonnar]

Originally Posted by Pairajays

How many times have I seen a large DP setting beside the road with a flat tire?
Answer: Never

How many times have I seen a smaller gasser setting beside the road with a flat tire?
Answer: Never

Why? The chance of seeing a disabled MH along the road is miniscule because of the miles and miles of highways through out the country and the low frequency of breakdowns.

But, i've only been RVn for 15 years. Been to all four corners and every place in between including Alaska and Mexico. Never RV'd in Hawaii though.

Jim E

Never

[Gary RVRoamer]

We don't carry a spare, mounted or otherwise, in our DP. Last time I needed a spare was in 1999 in a gas chassis coach, and that was a common size anyway (16"). Have never needed a 22.5" on the road, and we have been all over the USA, Canada and Alaska, averaging around 10,000 miles annually.

Yes, there is some risk that we may have to spend some time on the roadside or towed to a tire shop. I have even changed my rear tires to a size that is commonly used by trucks, to reduce the chance of a long wait (plus the tire was $200 each cheaper). But we are seldom under any kind of time pressure, so a delay of several hours or even a day is not a huge thing to us.

I would get towed rather than waiting several hours on the roadside.

One thing not yet mentioned here is that buying a tire from a road service is EXPENSIVE! You are likely to pay MSRP for the tire when bought in those circumstances. But we carry a lot of gear and I couldn't find a place for a 295/80R22.5 anywhere. So we just accept the notion that there may be an expensive tire and some delay in our future. It seems a low risk for the reward we get.

[Pairajays]

Originally Posted by melvonnar

Never

Never