four-wheel-drive Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Some thoughts about spare wheels when I first got my jeep I put a set of 5 new BFG ATs on it and for the whole ten years that I had it I never once had a puncture mind you I did not use it that much about 3000 miles a year and did not punish them to much just the odd green lane and going across fields and going to work etc. But it made me think the next time I put some tyres on a proper 4x4 ( I have an X-trail at present ) I will think that I will only bother to get 4 as the spare on my jeep was still as new when I sold the jeep is it really even worth having a spare wheel at all as these BFG tyres seem to be so strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bornfree Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 You know what's going to happen the very first time you go out without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 You know what's going to happen the very first time you go out without one. second that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Fate lol. What do you reckon to the X-trail and what age is it please? More importantly is there much rust underneath it? I looked at a couple but the rust worries me having had to scrap a 14 year old Pinin with rust issues. My CRV was factory undersealed with not even a hint of rust at 16 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 If you don't have a spare, make sure you've got breakdown cover that includes cover for what we in the business refer to as 'Puncture No Spare' It's all to common nowadays as lots of cars/4x4 do not carry a spare as standard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 (edited) Wouldnt be without one,peice of mind if anything.The wifes new car came without a spare,just a silly arosol thingy.Wasnt comfortable knowing thats all we had so ordered a spare.As for my 4x4 when your carrying firearms @ 3am the last thing id want is to be stranded with a puncture. Edited July 15, 2016 by Davyo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted July 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 (edited) I have seen that some new cars do not have spare wheels just the arosol thing also some cars have those narrow space saver wheels. But the question that I was really asking was how many people that have 4x4s fitted with good quality AT tyres not remoulds or cheepo one have had punctures in the past say five years as I had non in ten years. Also I am not talking about people who do big milage if I was going all over the country then I would have one if only for peace of mind. Edited July 15, 2016 by four-wheel-drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSpredder Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 I'd hate to go very far without a spare, though I do see the sense in buying just four of the ATs, and keeping one of the OEM tyres as a spare. Those under-sized pram wheels (space saver) are not wonderful, but they do work. Anybody who relies on an aerosol can should pray that they do not suffer a blow-out, a cut sidewall, a badly bent rim, or a failed valve. I'm trying to imagine having a puncture in the less populated areas where I often drive (Cheviots) if you don't carry a spare. Half hour stiff climb to a place where there is a mobile phone signal, wait another hour or two for a garage to come out with a 4x4 (no use sending a Transit van if your vehicle is up a "4x4 only" track). Pray that the garage man can either fix it on the spot, or has brought a spare wheel and tyre that fit your vehicle. Probably wiser not to go shooting anytime later than mid-afternoon (because the garage man might be busy doing something else) and certainly not at weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Can't say I have many punctures on anything these days apart from my tractors. Last road going puncture i had was on my Terrano with good tyres at 2am. I shan't be going without a spare but nor would I buy a new tyre to be my spare. If I was buying a new set of tyres the best of the old ones would be good enough as a spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Doesn't matter what the condition of the spare is but you have got to have one if you are off roading. Can't call the AA to a field 2 miles off a road. I have a very old, but servicable, tyre on my spare. Enough to get me home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 The spare for my defender is the best of the four I took off when I changed them. It will get me home if it happens, as already said, if I am in a field half a mile from any road at silly o'clock not sure the Rac would want to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Two schools of thought regarding carrying a spare, 1. Carry a brand new tyre on a matching wheel that you can fit in an emergency and carry on and not have to worry about changing off again asap. 2. Carry an old but serviceable spare possibly on a steel rim that doesn't match your nice alloys, Or a 'Space saver' spare that will get you out of trouble but isn't designed for prolonged use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scutt Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 spare for my defender yes cos it fits my trailer ..just a thought when you buy a set of off road tyres or chuncky one's and keeping the best of the original tyres it might be the case that the difference in circumference of the tyres could be enough to wind the diff up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Doesn't matter what the condition of the spare is but you have got to have one if you are off roading. Can't call the AA to a field 2 miles off a road. I have a very old, but servicable, tyre on my spare. Enough to get me home. I do not now where in the west country I would or could be 2 miles from a public highway in my part of the world I would find it hard to find a place that I could not see a house. the consensus would seem to be have an old one if going long distances regularly have 5 new ones on alloys so no rush to change it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I do not now where in the west country I would or could be 2 miles from a public highway in my part of the world I would find it hard to find a place that I could not see a house. the consensus would seem to be have an old one if going long distances regularly have 5 new ones on alloys so no rush to change it. I have one field on my patch that is 1.5 miles long by .5 miles wide. Then another that is an old WW2 bomber base with no hedges, ditches or other boundaries within it. Flat as a pancake and no cover. Different world to your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 If the police say pulled up behind you because you'd had a flat,say on a very busy road or motorway.Would they not see it as irresposable not to carry a spare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 (edited) If the police say pulled up behind you because you'd had a flat,say on a very busy road or motorway.Would they not see it as irresposable not to carry a spare? I would just tell them that it has a puncture and I have not had a chance to get it back from the menders I once had a little car and it did just that it had a puncture and I put it in to be mended and a short time later I had another puncture but I was able to pump it up and drive home ok. But that car had normal light road tyres on it not sturdy AT ones with about 10mm of tread before it gets to the strong banding for a nail to get though but even that would not be enough if you hit a large stone or in the road but that could well damage the suspension anyway. Edited July 16, 2016 by four-wheel-drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Fate lol. What do you reckon to the X-trail and what age is it please? More importantly is there much rust underneath it? I looked at a couple but the rust worries me having had to scrap a 14 year old Pinin with rust issues. My CRV was factory undersealed with not even a hint of rust at 16 years old. Hi I have a 2003 diesel 2.2 X-Trail what can I say about it after driving my jeep cherokee for many years it feels like driving a car more than a 4x4 the 4 wheel drive is very good no low range but it is very good in the mud good for driving across fields etc. It has loads of room in the back it is good on fuel on the MOT advisory thing it says that it has some surface rust underneath but my garage chap says that it is nothing to worry about I am getting a bit long in the tooth to get under it and have a good look myself. I would recommend them to anyone ticks all of the boxes ground clearance is adequate for most fields there is nothing bad that I can think of to say about it although I am thinking of changing it as I do miss my auto gearbox not a big fan of changing gear after having my auto Jeep for so long. I was thinking about getting a Pinin before I got the Nissan as I do like the look of them but could not find a good rust free one so gave up and got the Nissan X-Trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I think its all down to personal choice and the comfort knowing if the unthinkable happens your covered.I run AT's on my 4x4 and only cover 5k as its a second car but still like having a spare.It not law in the Uk to carryone but a lot of European countries it is a requirement along with full set of bulbs/fire extingisher,first aid kit & triangle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord O War Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I'm not keen on these tubes of monkey spunk they give you as a spare now. I've had a couple of tyres taken out by potholes and I wouldn't get anywhere with one of those aerosol cans. The "best" one was when I was just leaving Sheffield late at night and I was about a mile away from the street lights when what appeared to be a patch in the road was in fact a tyre destroying pot hole! Balls! there I was crouched in the dark swapping wheels in the pitch black all the time thinking "and he was never seen again" lol I think that pot hole also damaged the rear one because a few weeks later it went flat on the M6, it didn't handle any different but it was the smell from the tyre that gave it away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stimo22 Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I had an old mk2 Suzuki Grand Vitara for 11 years that still had the original brand new spare wheel on it when I traded it at 16 years old, the replacement grand vitara 2010 vintage does not have a spare or a place to put one so hoping that the tyres are as good as the old ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted July 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 (edited) I'm not keen on these tubes of monkey spunk they give you as a spare now. I've had a couple of tyres taken out by potholes and I wouldn't get anywhere with one of those aerosol cans. The "best" one was when I was just leaving Sheffield late at night and I was about a mile away from the street lights when what appeared to be a patch in the road was in fact a tyre destroying pot hole! Balls! there I was crouched in the dark swapping wheels in the pitch black all the time thinking "and he was never seen again" lol I think that pot hole also damaged the rear one because a few weeks later it went flat on the M6, it didn't handle any different but it was the smell from the tyre that gave it away. You do not say what type of car/truck you was driving some of these cars today have the very low profile tyres that would damage simply whereas a big fat AT tyre would have a lot of give in it there is a reason why people fit big tyres on offroad trucks as well as giving extra ground clearance big fat tyres go over large stones much better without being damaged. Edited July 17, 2016 by four-wheel-drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovercoupe Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 A 4x4 tyre normally requires 2 cans of spray stuff, i have a spare and one of those augers and stick repair kits and used it once and didnt die as most people think thats what will happen, did another few thousand on the repair and was fine! Also carry a electric pump as hand pumping a flat off road tyre is knackering. Oh and a good 1ft square of ply incase the ground is soft and have to jack it where it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 I had a car pass me on the M1 the other day on one of those wheels about the size I have on my wheelbarrow. I was cruising happily at 'around' 70 in fifth with the old Landies 4 litre V8 burbling along and this guy goes by me as if I am standing still !!!!!!!!!!!!! Force of habit, I check the pressures on the spare before the other wheels and would feel insecure without one. The Jag has one of those numptie wheels and I suppose used sensibly they do reduce the weight and space requirements in a car. It is about time our insurance companies offered legal assistance to sue councils for the appalling state of our roads but to be honest the 'fashion' of having these absolutely stupid low profile tyres, then what can you expect. I saw a Range Rover the other day, 18 or 19 inch wheels and at most an inch and a half of tyre. Pathetic. Just to look 'COOL' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 It's not just punctures. I confess that I don't bother now as I drive an XTrail (with a spare and wouldn't go anywhere without one) and a mud plugger it ain't. However, I once got in a tangle with the Defender and managed to separate the tyre from the rim momentarily. A flat. With or without a spare, inner tubes on a mud plugger can save a lot of heartache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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