new laws in europe regarding spare wheels
Discussion
Bearing in mind all new cars come with either a spare wheel, run flats or a pump and gunk then I would imagine getting a pump and gunk will be fine.
Word of warning though, pump and gunk is crap IMHO. Had a flat a few weeks ago in the middle of nowhere in Ireland. My car came with pump and gunk as standard and I opted for a physical spare wheel and I'm glad I did. I carried the pump and gunk anyway, thought it would be worth a try before changing the wheel. It did not work at all, absolute rubbish.
Word of warning though, pump and gunk is crap IMHO. Had a flat a few weeks ago in the middle of nowhere in Ireland. My car came with pump and gunk as standard and I opted for a physical spare wheel and I'm glad I did. I carried the pump and gunk anyway, thought it would be worth a try before changing the wheel. It did not work at all, absolute rubbish.
Thanks for that i know what you mean i bought one of those general kits (compressor & Gunk) and agree it was ***p, didnt work at all, but researched and since got a better one a SOS puncture kit which i have had the misfortune to use, and that was brill worked a treat and i could get a refill bottle easily!, but is that suitable, didnt want the hassle of getting a spare and reducing luggage space!
My missus had a slightly flat tyre so rather than drive to the garage not that far away, ring me to come out with a footpump or something sensible, she unloaded the gunk and screwed the tyre, £120 and needed a new can of gunk, £20. Why cant she be like a lot of the population and just drive round on a flat tyre for a bit ?
J4CKO said:
My missus had a slightly flat tyre so rather than drive to the garage not that far away, ring me to come out with a footpump or something sensible, she unloaded the gunk and screwed the tyre, £120 and needed a new can of gunk, £20. Why cant she be like a lot of the population and just drive round on a flat tyre for a bit ?
OMG she must of used one of those ones i had originally, the new one i have used was brill as it was just rinsed out at the garage when they repaired my puncture! the one i have you put the liguid through the valve and then use compressor to pump up worked a treat and yes can be used by a female as i am one!!I would never have a car without a proper spare wheel : there are lots of punctures which can't be fixed ( get a cut in your tyre from a pothole or some piece of debris on the road , or suffer a blow out and nothing's going to fix it ) . Why risk being stranded miles from anywhere for the want of carrying a spare ?
I also don't like these space saver wheels , which anyway are limited in speed and distance they can be used over - nothing less than a full size spare will do . First thing I did when I got my current C Class was to ditch the space saver and get a proper spare , I haven't needed it but I wouldn't want to have to drive back from the North of Scotland on a dark rainy night with a silly , half size wheel . No way would I risk going abroad with one .
One of my cars carries two spare wheels , and I once could have needed them after running through a load of nails someone had dumped along the side of the A9 , resulting in both nearside wheels being punctured . Sadly the car I was in only had one spare and I had to walk to a phone box to call home for another wheel . There were several others with punctures that night so the culprit caused a lot of damage and inconvenience .
I also don't like these space saver wheels , which anyway are limited in speed and distance they can be used over - nothing less than a full size spare will do . First thing I did when I got my current C Class was to ditch the space saver and get a proper spare , I haven't needed it but I wouldn't want to have to drive back from the North of Scotland on a dark rainy night with a silly , half size wheel . No way would I risk going abroad with one .
One of my cars carries two spare wheels , and I once could have needed them after running through a load of nails someone had dumped along the side of the A9 , resulting in both nearside wheels being punctured . Sadly the car I was in only had one spare and I had to walk to a phone box to call home for another wheel . There were several others with punctures that night so the culprit caused a lot of damage and inconvenience .
Pontoneer said:
I would never have a car without a proper spare wheel : there are lots of punctures which can't be fixed ( get a cut in your tyre from a pothole or some piece of debris on the road , or suffer a blow out and nothing's going to fix it ) . Why risk being stranded miles from anywhere for the want of carrying a spare ?
Because in 25 yrs of driving I've only changed one wheel and I could have used a tyre weld instead.I have suffered 2 breakdowns because of split / blown water pipes in the same period so in my case it would seem more prudent to carry hoses - but how many spare parts should you carry ?
If only someone started some kind of service for when you broke down...
V8RX7 said:
Because in 25 yrs of driving I've only changed one wheel and I could have used a tyre weld instead.
I have suffered 2 breakdowns because of split / blown water pipes in the same period so in my case it would seem more prudent to carry hoses - but how many spare parts should you carry ?
If only someone started some kind of service for when you broke down...
Well , in almost 40 years and over a million miles I have had a fair few punctures , and I know that Sod's law holds true that they will happen in the worst places and at the most inconvenient times possible . Since I travel all over Scotland , often in remote areas , I have to be self sufficient , and not every puncture will seal with tyre weld or the like , so a proper spare is the only solution .I have suffered 2 breakdowns because of split / blown water pipes in the same period so in my case it would seem more prudent to carry hoses - but how many spare parts should you carry ?
If only someone started some kind of service for when you broke down...
Yes , I do carry a reasonable tool kit and spare parts , based on my experience of what might be needed , hence items such as - bulb kit , fuses , drive belts , tie wraps , amalgamating tape , dizzy cap and rotor arm , can of fuel , water , jump leads , tow rope , torch , fire extinguisher and other miscellaneous items . All of these fit into various nooks and crannies without intruding on boot space .
I end up using these items more often to help others than to help myself .
simon1987 said:
why bother wasting money carrying around a bunch of crap you will never use or maybe only use once every 5 years or something.
I'd rather have the extra £50 knocked off my annual petrol bill with the weight reduction
Depends on your driving habits and lifestyle. If you drive a few miles to work, near civilisation, and just go to the supermarket at the weekend then fine.I'd rather have the extra £50 knocked off my annual petrol bill with the weight reduction
If you travel widely for business or leisure then I'd rather be in a position to change the wheel in 15 minutes and be on my merry way. When you have to buy a tyre from a national chain as a distress purchase you get rogered - National Tyres think that their Fort William branch is my local branch because I've bought 3 tyres from their in 3 years (I live in Kent).
simon1987 said:
why bother wasting money carrying around a bunch of crap you will never use or maybe only use once every 5 years or something.
I'd rather have the extra £50 knocked off my annual petrol bill with the weight reduction
It may seem like a waste of money to you - until you find yourself stranded somewhere , miles from help , in the middle of the night .I'd rather have the extra £50 knocked off my annual petrol bill with the weight reduction
The weight of the items I carry is negligible , and they don't intrude on luggage space , so there is no penalty and everything to gain .
As already stated , I end up using what I carry more to help people like yourself who go out ill prepared and end up stranded somewhere , than for my own use .
Pontoneer said:
I would never have a car without a proper spare wheel : there are lots of punctures which can't be fixed ( get a cut in your tyre from a pothole or some piece of debris on the road , or suffer a blow out and nothing's going to fix it ) . Why risk being stranded miles from anywhere for the want of carrying a spare ?
I also don't like these space saver wheels , which anyway are limited in speed and distance they can be used over - nothing less than a full size spare will do . First thing I did when I got my current C Class was to ditch the space saver and get a proper spare , I haven't needed it but I wouldn't want to have to drive back from the North of Scotland on a dark rainy night with a silly , half size wheel . No way would I risk going abroad with one .
One of my cars carries two spare wheels , and I once could have needed them after running through a load of nails someone had dumped along the side of the A9 , resulting in both nearside wheels being punctured . Sadly the car I was in only had one spare and I had to walk to a phone box to call home for another wheel . There were several others with punctures that night so the culprit caused a lot of damage and inconvenience .
And where would you suggest putting the spare on a noble? Or any sports car?I also don't like these space saver wheels , which anyway are limited in speed and distance they can be used over - nothing less than a full size spare will do . First thing I did when I got my current C Class was to ditch the space saver and get a proper spare , I haven't needed it but I wouldn't want to have to drive back from the North of Scotland on a dark rainy night with a silly , half size wheel . No way would I risk going abroad with one .
One of my cars carries two spare wheels , and I once could have needed them after running through a load of nails someone had dumped along the side of the A9 , resulting in both nearside wheels being punctured . Sadly the car I was in only had one spare and I had to walk to a phone box to call home for another wheel . There were several others with punctures that night so the culprit caused a lot of damage and inconvenience .
Have you settled onto the fact you will never drive anything sporty that's not a luxory saloon?
Pontoneer said:
simon1987 said:
why bother wasting money carrying around a bunch of crap you will never use or maybe only use once every 5 years or something.
I'd rather have the extra £50 knocked off my annual petrol bill with the weight reduction
It may seem like a waste of money to you - until you find yourself stranded somewhere , miles from help , in the middle of the night .I'd rather have the extra £50 knocked off my annual petrol bill with the weight reduction
The weight of the items I carry is negligible , and they don't intrude on luggage space , so there is no penalty and everything to gain .
As already stated , I end up using what I carry more to help people like yourself who go out ill prepared and end up stranded somewhere , than for my own use .
At some point people have to draw the line. You've decided what yours is, and everyone else has decided what theirs is.
You may have an unusual job/hobby that takes you to all these far flung places (I'm not convinced there's much of the Great Britain that is particularly remote anyway (as in hundreds of miles from civilisation), nor roads less travelled (lucky to have one a day). Due to that, most people aren't in that situation and therefore don't need to worry about it. The AA/RAC membership card is all that's needed.
If you're in the middle of Australia, or similar, then fair enough. In the UK, you could get by with a sat phone.
Sixpackpert said:
Word of warning though, pump and gunk is crap IMHO. Had a flat a few weeks ago in the middle of nowhere in Ireland. My car came with pump and gunk as standard and I opted for a physical spare wheel and I'm glad I did. I carried the pump and gunk anyway, thought it would be worth a try before changing the wheel. It did not work at all, absolute rubbish.
If your tyre deflates at motorway speeds, it's dead. So nothing but a spare will do.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff