Spare Wheel Vs TyreWeld

[garethsm]

My 98 Chimaera has a spacesaver spare wheel fixed to the centre/inside (ie towards the front of the car) the boot. I know spacesavers are a b*tch to drive on anyway, so I'm just wondering whether a couple of cans of TyreWeld and a cigar-lighter operated pump might be a more useful and economical 'space saver'.

Any verdicts on Spare Vs Weld from experience??

[Tiggsy]

good question! make getting the roof in easier as well.

T

[garethsm]

Tiggsy said: good question! make getting the roof in easier as well.

My thought exactly. And to head off the inevitable comments before they are attempted, it will allow extra golf-club space too...

[shnozz]

i threw out my spare and replaced it with an air compressor and tyre weld in my S3. Used it once, followed the instructions and didnt get on with it at all. I am not sure what went wrong cos i have read lots of reports of it being fine.

The main reason I have now reverted back to carrying the spare however is the fact that I couldnt find any tyre fitters locally that would remove the tyreweld and fix the old tyre to put it back on the car. The word from them (and i tried 5 companies) was that the tyre would have to be thrown away if tyreweld was applied. In view of the fact I renewed the tyres after the previous puncture (when I first tried using the tyreweld and failed miserably), I wasnt prepared to throw away £100 worth of tyre with about 1k on the tread, so I had the spare dropped off and used that.

If it is the case that the original tyre must be replaced if tyreweld is used, i am not that loaded! I know the can suggests tyre fitters may simply charge a surcharge to remove the tyreweld, I'll be damned if I could find anywhere that would offer this service. If anyone can tell me somewhere Hampshire region that does, be sure to let me know and I will think about throwing the spare out again....

[Big Al.]

Like the idea in principle, but only really useful for punctures IMO.
What if your tyre is slashed?

Tyre weld is not much cop then!

Nah, think I'll stick with the spare just in case.

[MikeyT]

Thing is, you CAN get the roof in the boot obviously with the space saver in so why NOT keep it in there? ANd puncture or shreaded tyre, the s/saver works whilst the Tyre-Weld won't ALWAYS work ...

[T88CAN]

Tyre welds(x2) standard on all later tivs(tuscs/tams T350)not used it yet and what do you do with the 15 or 16 inch alloy when you put spacesaver on????

[trefor]

Belt and braces for me. Tyreweld and a spare. Tyres are quite worn right now so I'd try tyreweld and the spare is in case it doesn't work. Also useful to keep the spare for long trips. Think about a puncture somewhere in rural France on a Sunday .... OK so 50mph is dangerous on a spacesaver, but it's better than sitting there/missing your ferry home.

[shpub]

T88CAN said: Tyre welds(x2) standard on all later tivs(tuscs/tams T350)not used it yet and what do you do with the 15 or 16 inch alloy when you put spacesaver on????

And Cerberas and last issue Chimpari and Griffi. Also standard on Aston Martins.

Vandalised tyres usually happen in pairs as the thugs reckon you will have a spare. If the tyre is shredded in a puncture, I wouldn't want to drive the car far as the chances are the suspension has been damaged. The AA or recovery will source a ttre for you or even take you home. Driving on space saver is anightmare and the tyre needs to be replaced after use and costs more than one of Bridgestone's best.

As stated in the tyre FAQ and in the bible.... best advice is dump it.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[Ribol]

My 2000 Chim did not come with a spacesaver, just the two cans of shaving foam. Have used these cans before on other cars with little success so have since acquired a spacesaver/jack/brace/strap. As far as I am concerned if it gets me out of a jam once it will have been worth the money and the inconvenience of having it in the boot all the time. Tried various places in boot to see which was easiest for roof storing - n/s/r seemed the easiest to get roof in and out without moving wheel.

Ivan

[garethsm]

Some conflicting views here, but nonetheless useful! My current feeling is to take it out and liberate the space - the roof fits fine when the boot is empty, but when full I think it'll probably be a challege, and the spacesaver is in a particularly awkward position as far as packing around it goes. A couple of cans of tyre weld in the boot should set me straight for minor punctures, shredded tyres or serious vandalism could just be a call to the AA, like Steve said.

Still, keep the opinions coming - it's great to know what other TVR owners are doing.

Many thanks,
Gareth

[richard sails]

I have a full size spare on a proper wheel, a thin space saver spare and two cans of foam.

What to take depends upon where I am going;

Sprints, track days etc I tend to take the full size spare, (a puncture could ruin your day).

On a run out; its the foam and often the space saver, either to get me home or to a garage, I once ripped a hole in a sidewall on a country road and even 100 cans of foam would not fix that, which one to use would depend upon the tyre damage.

Local running usually just the foam (I can always ring the other half and get her to bring out the full size spare).

Steve, Quote "If the tyre is shredded in a puncture, I wouldn't want to drive the car far as the chances are the suspension has been damaged." is modern TVR suspension that weak?, I have lost a wheel, torn two tyres off the rims and had two blowouts (one at high speed) and have never suffered suspension damage yet.

Edited due to excessive consumption of red wine (a very good bottle of Chateau la Tourette - so good I had to open another )

>> Edited by richard sails on Wednesday 30th April 02:27

[shpub]

I wouldn't say weak but it is designed to give so that geometries can go wildly out and need resetting. It is just being prudent because it can be a traumatic experience and better to be safe than sorry.