Spare motor home wheel and tyre

" A Mayday job,  methinks.  "

And  with  Age  comes  Wisdom ( sometimes  anyway   !!  )

I am definitely in the 'have a spare wheel and tyre' brigade especially on the continent.  From memory I think ATS will fit steel valves but you have to supply them yourself.

I was able to have an Alko spare wheel carrier fitted to the Bailey Alko chassis. Fits at the rear. I need to feed the water boiler drain pipe through the holes in the rim so I can drain the boiler. I just don’t want to rely on the fix and go kit, which can only repair a very small puncture and one is not supposed to drive long distances after the inflation.

The other problem with a fix n go kit is (I am reliably told by a KwikFit guy) the tyre can’t then be repaired and needs replacing. So your back to all the sourcing problems, and you need to get another fix n go kit for the next puncture.

Other things to consider though, I bought a breaker bar with the correct nut size socket otherwise it’s difficult to get the wheel nuts off. I have a better jack and a cordless compressor as my tyre inflator using the 12v plug won’t reach the rear tyres! Or 

For those that don't have a spare wheel, in the U.K. the RAC offer a puncture call out service, free to members, £30 otherwise last time I checked.

peedee

in 2009 I had a rapid tyre deflation (due to a valve failure) on a Hymer Van 522 at a particularly busy section of the M6. We had a spare and a green flag operative fitted it within about an hour. 

Three lessons learned :-

Mark 5 transits have/had a valve/tyre issue.

It was a very dangerous procedure to change the tyre due to the heavy traffic even though we were well onto the hard shoulder and the rescue truck had beacons etc so. 

We would never be without a spare tyre. The time to factor this in is a the time of purchase not afterwards !

If you have a puncture in France the best way to get on your way again is to change it yourself.

A few years ago we were on an Aire in France and a fellow Brit pointed out that my front tyre looked 'a bit low'.

It had a slow puncture, a nail was in it, and between us we changed the wheel in a few minutes.

I took the tyre to a local garage and they repaired the tyre, charged €10, and we were on our way in no time.

If we hadn't had a spare wheel we could have been standing around for hours waiting for a recovery vehicle.

If you are going abroad then calling the recovery people should be your last thought not your first as they are very thin on the ground especially at weekends and the frequent public holidays.

My, and possible your, lack of foreign language skills to summon the recovery may also delay their response.

In thirty years I have needed breakdown assistance 4 times and I have never waited more than 2 hours for help. Once was on a Sunday and once was on a public holiday.

peedee