Thank Goodness for Spare Wheel

Some here have wondered whether the cost of the spare wheel (£120, extra weight, no well in the boot) is worth it compared to the hit-and-miss can of gunk which pretty much guarantees a ruined tyre.

Stopped this afternoon after the steering felt strange, flat nearside tyre. I was able to change it in about 10 minutes, the jack isn't great but it works, bolt wrench is fine and the wheel - nail in the centre - is now waiting to go in to my tyre place to see if they can fix it.

Even if they can't - and I have to pay for a new tyre - the spare wheel paid for itself in terms of minimised inconvenience and at least the possibility of the tyre being fixed.

Pretty much an essential option IMHO.

If Land Rover had done a decent job of the TPMS and I had had earlier warning (I deleted the option because it doesn't show the actual tyre pressures in near real time, even though the sensors transmit them to the car), the odds of the tyre being repaired may have been greater.

I'm sure a spare is useful to have in those rare emergencies but I don't not have a spare wheel because of what it costs - I have no spare because my JL Audio amplifier and Cache COE6 line converter live there, among other things so prefer to have the space.

With the lack of TPMS info going on there, you have to consider yourself very lucky and at least you stopped to check things when the steering felt strange, many people would drive on regardless and at their peril.

I've know guys who used to drive works vehicles with the steering pump failing and not even reported it when they returned them to the car pool.

Hopefully, it can be repaired, incidentally, did you take out the tyre and alloy insurance.

Mark, like me, doesn't do extra insurance.

Of course you could say that had you had a can of goo, you could have squirted it in, attached the compressor let it inflate, and driven off.

Instead you had to change your wheel at the side of the road on a tin jack risking a lorry passing and shaking it off (I have one they are a bit chocolate!) and lift a heavy wheel, probably dirty, too big for the boot space into the boot, leaving the boot floor awkwardly located, shifting any contents in the boot somewhere else.

(I'm not knocking the spare, obviously in certain situations it's invaluable!)

I've had a Similar puncture with a nail in the tyre and just inflated the tyre using te compressor then drove a mile down the road (carefully) to get the tyre repaired. Tyre held all the air I put in it so to me it's the compressor that proved very valuable.

Phil is right, I don't do optional insurance, so if this tyre turns out to be irreparable, I will have lost this particular gamble. I do agree, the compressor route can get you home in many cases - I once drove back from Germany with such a puncture, stopping every 50 miles to top up. The TPMS provides early warning if it displays the pressures which is why I curse it for being so low-rent in the RRE.

Agree too it takes up space which can be put to other good uses.

Fingers crossed the tyre will be fixable.

Hope so mark, a nuisance when a decent tyre goes in the bin for a damn nail!

All fine, tyre repaired, wheel rebalanced, £20.

(01-08-2012 10:13am)mark_n Wrote:  All fine, tyre repaired, wheel rebalanced, £20.

Good news!

(01-08-2012 10:13am)mark_n Wrote:  All fine, tyre repaired, wheel rebalanced, £20.

Bargain!