Spare or No Spare Tire?

[Wayfinder 1]

Purchased a 2018 Redhawk 26xl and doesn't have a spare tire? Read that due to safety concerns with jacking up the vehicle. Members should contact Good Sam? Or should I just purchase a wheel and mount it on my rig and only call when need assistance.

[Mustang65]

Last year on our way up to Hiawassee Ga, We had a blow-out on the TT, with no near by towns. Called the Good Sam road service, in less than a half hour the contracted party had my spare mounted on the TT and we were on our way within the hour, drove another hour to the Walmart, purchased a new tire, they mounted it and replaced the spare and put it back under the TT.

Without the spare, who knows how long it would have taken and being unsafe at the side of the high-speed traffic.

If you travel with long distances between cities or major towns, I would go with a spare... actually I would not travel without one.

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[WeRJuliian]

Originally Posted by Wayfinder 1

Purchased a 2018 Redhawk 26xl and doesn't have a spare tire?

Seriously? They're now shipping without a spare?

Is it even a pay-more option?

(Jeep did that... we looked at a new one about a year back, and were told that, if we buy the "towing kit", they'd throw in a spare wheel, for free (Golly!). Otherwise, the spare would cost you an extra few hundred, as an "option". Not even a doughnut. The salesman looked quite upset when I burst out laughing...)

[NC Roamer]

Our 2014 Greyhawk did not come with a spare. A year or so ago I bought an extra rim from a JOF member who was changing his to aluminum rims. Had a Michelin mounted and carried it in the cargo bin. Glad I did. In May we had a blowout on an inner dually on I-95. Coach-Net got a guy there quickly and we were back on the road in about 90 minutes.

[MikeUSNRet]

We also recently brought a new Redhawk. Ours is a 26XD. No spare available. I will not travel without one. I bought a used wheel off ebay, cleaned it up and painted it. Got a matching Hankook tire from Wal-Mart.com. They mounted and balanced it for me.

Be aware that our 26 floorplan does not have a compartment that will accommodate a spare tire. CURT, as in trailer hitches, sells a decent spare carrier that mounts in the hitch receiver. I am installing a front mount receiver for the spare in hopes of helping weight distribution.

BTW, we bought a new Camaro in 2013. The spare was an extra cost option.

[Lillys Pop]

r

I have a 2017 26xd and when purchased a year ago I took the spare from my trade in and had dealer mount on rear bumper over close to ladder. I purchased a Curt 8 in extension for hitch so on tight turn tow bar does not hit tire. use 2 of the quiet hitch things to tighten up. Has worked well for over a year. I have had 2 flats over the years so always want a spare.

[cabinetmaker]

I'm in the no spare crowd..ours didn't come with a spare but that's fine with me. The added weight is the issue with class C's and I'm not willing to give up valuable CCC for a heavy wheel and tire.

Remember, all six tires and wheels are available and can be mounted anywhere on the vehicle...swapped around so to speak to get you going if needed as a last resort and only at slow speeds for short distance would I even mention this but it has been used.

Also, you have your toad. In my case it's a Jeep 4 door with plenty of room in the back for a tire and wheel If I wanted to carry it that's where it would go.

The toad vehicle can also be used to go to town and get a tire replaced if needed. You can unhook and throw the flat in the back and off to town for repair or replacement.

There are many options available. Find one that your comfortable with and that works for you and go with it. Remember that flats are few and far between. Not saying I won't get one tomorrow but all the motorhomes we have had over the years...Class C's and Class A's...we have never had a flat.

Most of the tire trouble people have is blowouts caused by either running over 5 year old tires or incorrect pressures or both.

Buy good name brand tires that meet or exceed the manufacturers specs, exercise them monthly by driving the motorhome to keep the belts form separating, check your tire pressures daily, and replace them when the date code on the tire shows it's 5 years old. Don't just go by how much tread is left. Age is the biggest cause of tire failure on motorhomes.

[tom463219]

I bought a used rim on ebay and had Discount Tire install a new matching Goodyear. Had 2 flats on my RV in the last 2 years. We have a rear full pass thru storage in our 31DS, and the extra 75 lbs in weight was not a game changer for us. I also carry an electric impact wrench, so if need be, I can change the tire myself.

[Love To Travel 2]

I do not carry a spare wheel or tire in our 2018 29MV. We found we had a flat tire last year while the MH was parked in the storage lot where we keep it during the winter. I called Coach-Net and within an hour the service truck was there with two new spare tires, different brands, and both of them were very reasonably priced. Fortunately the flat was caused by a leaking valve extension, so everything was taken care of and a new tire was not needed. However, my wife and I both agree that if I were 30 years younger I may carry the necessary tools to remove and change a tire, but today my tire changing tools are a cell phone and credit card. I ripped my rotator cuff cutting and hauling wood after Hurricane Matthew because I was too cheap to have the skilled people with the proper tools do the job. Never again...

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by love to travel 2

i do not carry a spare wheel or tire in our 2018 29mv. We found we had a flat tire last year while the mh was parked in the storage lot where we keep it during the winter. I called coach-net and within an hour the service truck was there with two new spare tires, different brands, and both of them were very reasonably priced. Fortunately the flat was caused by a leaking valve extension, so everything was taken care of and a new tire was not needed. However, my wife and i both agree that if i were 30 years younger i may carry the necessary tools to remove and change a tire, but today my tire changing tools are a cell phone and credit card. I ripped my rotator cuff cutting and hauling wood after hurricane matthew because i was too cheap to have the skilled people with the proper tools do the job. Never again...

x2!

[michael.g]

All motorized vehicles should be required to have a spare from the factory. I would not drive a car without a spare and wouldn't do so with a motorhome.

Our 2009 Greyhawk came with a spare. It also came with a lug nut wrench, but no jack. The tire was mounted on the rear bumper. We removed it and put it under the bed since it blocked the use of our Bike Rack. We had 1 blow out when we owned the Greyhawk. We have AAA Plus Roadside Assistance. AAA would only cover removing the flat tire and putting our spare tire on.

In talking with other RVers through the years, different Roadside Assistance plans offer different coverages. One RVer had an unmounted spare tire. His Roadside Assistance made him pay $100 to have the tire mounted onto a rim.

Our current TT, which is a Destination trailer, did not come with a spare tire. For our current needs, that's fine since we have no intention of moving the TT. If the time comes that we do plan to tow it, we will buy a spare tire and rim for it.

-Michael

[JFlightRisk]

Back in 2012 when buying our Jay Flight, during the second look around, noticed no spare. We asked the salesman if they kept them inside somewhere, so they didn't get stolen? He said it didn't come equipped with one, and we had to buy it separately. I laughed, and told him if he wanted to sell us a TT, he might want to mount a spare on the back. There was one on it when we went to pick it up. We won't travel without one, either.