Spare wheel strategies
Spare wheel strategies
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!
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!
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- Joined: Thu 10 Aug, 2006 19:51
- Posts: 391
- Location: Teesside
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
Always remember taking my spare wheel out of cars for MOT!
Hope this helps
Current: S50, black/Black. Becker HU, AP Racing BBK, Racelogic TC
Ex: S50 Coupe, Black with Kyalami Orange/Black Leather. ACS Suspension. HID's/Angel Eyes. Becker Bluetooth/Ipod HU.
Ex: S50 Coupe, Black with Kyalami Orange/Black Leather. ACS Suspension. HID's/Angel Eyes. Becker Bluetooth/Ipod HU.
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- Joined: Tue 08 Jul, 2008 14:15
- Posts: 66
- Location: bradford/birmingham
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
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
1998 2.8 M52TU, pre-facelift, hard top, montreal blue, tan interior, 91K
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 aimphb10186 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
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.
http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_420.htm
Please correct this myth if I'm wrong.
Pingu
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- Joined: Thu 10 Aug, 2006 19:51
- Posts: 391
- Location: Teesside
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.
Current: S50, black/Black. Becker HU, AP Racing BBK, Racelogic TC
Ex: S50 Coupe, Black with Kyalami Orange/Black Leather. ACS Suspension. HID's/Angel Eyes. Becker Bluetooth/Ipod HU.
Ex: S50 Coupe, Black with Kyalami Orange/Black Leather. ACS Suspension. HID's/Angel Eyes. Becker Bluetooth/Ipod HU.
The wheel should come unstuck from the hub with a good kicking !
I use Ultraseal
I use Ultraseal
Gazza
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
Z3 S54 M roadster , BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
Z3 S54 M roadster , BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
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.
Tim.
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.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??
Tim.
That's not what the link suggests. Does anyone have a link to an official MOT standards site?///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.
Pingu
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.
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.
Arctic Silver '99 Z3 1.9 & Black '59 Frogeye 1275cc
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.
Z3M with a few mods...and a little bit more power
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
Gazza
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
Z3 S54 M roadster , BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
Z3 S54 M roadster , BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe