Take a spare wheel?

[pincher]

To Le Mans, I mean. I know it's only a space saver but it does take up rather a lot of room in the boot that could be used for much more vital stuff (like a chair and some Chilean Malbec).
I've got a can of tyre weld (not sure how old it is though - does it go off??) and breakdown cover, so what's the worst that could happen?!?

[TheRainMaker]

Space saver every time

[pincher]

That's what my head says but there must be hundreds, if not thousands, of cars that go down without a spare these days, no?

[cjb44]

pincher said:

To Le Mans, I mean. I know it's only a space saver but it does take up rather a lot of room in the boot that could be used for much more vital stuff (like a chair and some Chilean Malbec).
I've got a can of tyre weld (not sure how old it is though - does it go off??) and breakdown cover, so what's the worst that could happen?!?

It will be a big regret if you get a puncture and you did not take your spacesaver, generally the tyre weld stuff is not the best of solutions. If you have a Griff there is plenty of space behind the seats let alone in the boot, the only drawback will be if you want to remove the centre section of the roof; I would take the spare every time and buy your booze locally cheap enough in France provided you do not actually buy at Le Mans.

[glenrobbo]

Definitely take your spare!

I would have been stranded & missed a trip to the Spa Classic in 2012 if I had left my spacesaver at home. A can of tyre weld is absolutely useless when you're faced with a burst sidewall and a buckled wheel ( bly pothole! ).

On another occasion, a fellow S Clubber from Sweden* had a tyre valve failure on our Alps trip in 2013. Once again, his spacesaver enabled him to get to a garage for repair.

* Yes, he drove his S3 all the way from Umea in Northern Sweden, not that far from the Arctic Circle, to join the tour. And then all the way back afterwards.

Take your spare to Le Mans, don't risk missing out on a great event.
You can always get wine & beer from the supermarket in Arnage at reasonable cost.
The attached restaurant is very good too, popular with the locals, and they serve some of the best coffee I've ever tasted.
Surely much better than being stuck at the roadside miles from anywhere kicking yourself?

Edited by glenrobbo on Monday 8th June 09:49

[phillpot]

Space saver without question, and how about one of these?

I'd also take a decent 12volt compressor, a slow puncture can be pumped up every few miles as a last resort.



I'd far rather be able to get myself to a tyre centre, hotel, home etc. rather than wait however long for a recovery truck.

[glenrobbo]

Funny how the posted advice is 100% in favour of taking the spare, but the poll results so far are 62% against?

I'd like to hear a valid reason for ignoring the consequences of suffering a blowout in the middle of nowhere.

[pincher]

I suspect I will err on the side of caution and keep it in the boot, even if it means leaving something else at home or packing the shelf behind the seats.

[The Surveyor]

glenrobbo said:

Funny how the posted advice is 100% in favour of taking the spare, but the poll results so far are 62% against?

I'd like to hear a valid reason for ignoring the consequences of suffering a blowout in the middle of nowhere.

Because in over 30 years of driving, it has never happened to me so I personally see the risk as being very remote. My Tuscan (just like all the later T cars, and just like my Volvo V60) doesn't have a spare, so I carry 2 cans of repair foam to cover 'normal' punctures, and breakdown cover in the event of a larger failure. It's about assessment of risk against the inconvenience of compromising your luggage space with a spare and jack.

There, now I've said that i'll be stranded at the roadside with 4 shredded tyres.....

[beancaker]

I've often wondered where one would stow the knackered wheel without evicting passenger and/or luggage?

[beancaker]

I've often wondered where one would stow the knackered wheel without evicting passenger and/or luggage?

[mk1fan]

Targa panel stowage? Surrey Roof takes up very little space.

[pincher]

Taking a split roof

[sgrimshaw]

beancaker said:

I've often wondered where one would stow the knackered wheel without evicting passenger and/or luggage?

Exactly.

I done plenty of trips to Spain and never taken my spare, two cans of tyreweld only. I do renew the cans every few years though, it has an expiry date on the can from memory.

[Longers]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that some euro recovery/breakdown services or insurance policies insist you carry a spare if one was originally supplied with the car. Not sure how they'd but check but equally not sure I'd want to risk finding out

[TUS 2 CON]

I know that this has been discussed in the past (but without a definitive answer AFAIR), but does anyone know where you can get a spacesaver that fits the Tuscan?

[thefrog]

Take the spare, buy the wine in France Cheaper too (particularly with the strength of £ vs € at the moment).

[Brummmie]

MAZDA RX7 space saver, its alloy so very light, but you will have to bore out the centre/studs to fit the spigot.

[so called]

Why? You can get a local fix fairly quickly (assuming recovery purchased).
(OK Sunday etc etc).
From 1998 to date, my Tuscan's, Chimaera's and my Tasmin spent more time on the continent than in the UK. Tyres were never on the very short list of issues I've deal with over the years.

Just saying like ;-)

Edited by so called on Wednesday 10th June 19:22

[KKson]

Space saver for my Wedge. I've had a previous blow out in another car in the middle of no where so for peace of mind I'd rather have a replacement, no matter how small it is!