Spare wheel strategies

benelvin · Post by **benelvin** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 07:58

My nail incident got me thinking...

Given that I was a) unable to get the flat off the hub and b) that if I was not at home, there is sweet FA that you can do with the wheel anyway

would it be a stupid idea to ditch the spare, jack and wrench to save a huge amount of weight, increase performance and fuel economy and instead just carry a can of magic foam stuff?

Or would you run the risk of not being road legal if you're supposed to have a spare and you don't? And if you use the foam, can you still repair and continue using the tyre or do you have to bin it?

Just wondering

Losing the spare might offset the weight gain of my towbar!

///M Breadvan · Post by **///M Breadvan** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 09:02

I dont think there is any legal issue of not carrying a spare although if you do carry a spare, that has to be road legal.

Always remember taking my spare wheel out of cars for MOT!

Hope this helps

phb10186 · Post by **phb10186** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 09:34

I don't think the M roadster has a spare at all, it just has an air compressor supplied, because the double exhausts take up all the room of the spare.

adam666999 · Post by **adam666999** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 09:35

yep u dont have to have a spare its not a legal requirement,

phb10186 · Post by **phb10186** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 09:35

I don't think the M roadster has a spare at all, it just has an air compressor supplied, because the double exhausts take up all the room of the spare.

There are lots of cars supplied without spare wheels now. I guess for cost saving and improved co2 output.

Long gone are the days of a full size spare.

Why couldn't you get the wheel off the hub? I carry some WD40 in the car as well for that type of occurence. If you have a flat ever, you will wish that you had the spare probably

benelvin · Post by **benelvin** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 10:05

phb10186 wrote:I don't think the M roadster has a spare at all, it just has an air compressor supplied, because the double exhausts take up all the room of the spare.

There are lots of cars supplied without spare wheels now. I guess for cost saving and improved co2 output.

Long gone are the days of a full size spare.

Why couldn't you get the wheel off the hub? I carry some WD40 in the car as well for that type of occurence. If you have a flat ever, you will wish that you had the spare probably

I guess the last time that wheel was removed and then fitted the hub wasn't greased. Large mallet would do the trick, but why would you be carrying one of those around!! I'm a little wary of spraying wd40 anywhere around my wheels and brakes though... that stuff strips oil in a glorious fashion - but then I'm not confident of my aim

pingu · Post by **pingu** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 11:17

Spare wheel legality is a grey issue. I think it doesn't have to be legal until it's fitted and used on the public highway

.

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_420.htm

Please correct this myth if I'm wrong.

///M Breadvan · Post by **///M Breadvan** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 17:02

pingu wrote:Spare wheel legality is a grey issue. I think it doesn't have to be legal until it's fitted and used on the public highway .

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_420.htm

Please correct this myth if I'm wrong.

The spare (if present) must be legal to pass an MOT. It wont fail if no spare is there to check.

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 17:24

The wheel should come unstuck from the hub with a good kicking !

I use Ultraseal

TitanTim · Post by **TitanTim** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 20:02

I just carry a can of tyre foam and a small compressor, which I would probably use intead of fitting the spare, you should inform the repairer that you have used a tyre foam which they should clean out before carrying out the repair. The Corsa has a built in compressor with a bottle of sealant and a long tube to reach the tyre. Think I prefer this than having runflats.

Tim.

AntMan · Post by **AntMan** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 20:18

I thought i tyre once filled with foam was scrap and couldn't be repaired.
I'm looking at having a duplex exhaust fitted ,meaning that i need to loose the spare, is it possible then to still repair after having used foam??

TitanTim · Post by **TitanTim** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 20:24

F99ANT wrote:I thought i tyre once filled with foam was scrap and couldn't be repaired.
I'm looking at having a duplex exhaust fitted ,meaning that i need to loose the spare, is it possible then to still repair after having used foam??

Yes it should be possible, the tyre fitters should use a solution not sure what to wash the foam out but I bet alot of them tell you that it can't be repaired so you buy a new tyre. Thankfully I have only ever had one puncture in 26 years, maybe just lucky lol.

Tim.

AntMan · Post by **AntMan** » Wed 26 Nov, 2008 20:28

Thats good to know then,i'll get a can of foam and put the compressor in the car

pingu · Post by **pingu** » Fri 28 Nov, 2008 19:59

///M Breadvan wrote:
pingu wrote:Spare wheel legality is a grey issue. I think it doesn't have to be legal until it's fitted and used on the public highway .

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_420.htm

Please correct this myth if I'm wrong.

The spare (if present) must be legal to pass an MOT. It wont fail if no spare is there to check.

That's not what the link suggests. Does anyone have a link to an official MOT standards site?

Post by **Robert T** » Fri 28 Nov, 2008 20:23

Another link:

http://www.ukmot.com/4-1.asp#Text_top

Seems to imply exactly the same thing - only the wheels fitted to the vehicle need to be legal - if the spare is defective, the owner should be informed.

Cheers R.

Deano1712 · Post by **Deano1712** » Fri 28 Nov, 2008 20:52

I think if I had a puncture I would call the AA for a tow home rather than spray the foam into the tyre. Im not sure if I would trust it to hold, and what a mess inside too. I have been driving 24 years covering perhaps 400000 miles and have only ever had one puncture. Chance of puncture in the MR - close to zero methinks.

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Fri 28 Nov, 2008 21:03

I have used the foam, it does work and is supposed to be used only to get you to the repair garage. I used it for 10 days whilst waiting for a new tyre. It does make a mess when the tyre is removed so please warn the fitter

.........I didn't