Towing with emergency spare wheel

[annierich]

Being prospective caravanners and having had a puncture repaired today on our CR-V, we wondered if anyone has had the misfortune to tow their van while having to use one of these emergency spare wheels which limit your speed to 50mph on their towcar?

If so did it affect your towing?

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Nissan say don't tow with the emergency spare wheel on the X Trail which is full size

I am awaiting confirmation from them and advice on how to proceed when unfortunate enough to puncture when towing a carvan

The silly thing is that the XT spare wheel well will take a full size spare but Nissan don't do a 17 in steel wheel rim and so they supply a 16in rim with emergency but full size tyre

It defies logic until you find out that a Nissan XT(2008) alloy wheel is

 

[RogerL]

A space-saver spare is for emergency use only - it's designed to let you drive at restricted speed (50mph solo, even less towing), to the nearest repairer.

They aren't designed to let you finish your journey, let alone finish your holiday.

A number of cars have spare wheel wells which aren't deep enough for one of the road tyres so the manufacturer fits a narrower, but same overall diameter, wheel/tyre combination. These have to be treated like spacesavers as it's illegal to have tyres of different sizes on the same axle UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS.

 

[Del_374232870]

If the manufacturer says you musnt tow with the spare and no full size is available, then the question I would ask is the vehicle a suitable tow car?

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Del

That is a question I am asking

A guy on Nissan XT website was prepared to travel from Somerset to Oldham to get a suitable wheel for his 2008XT as it was I drove 110 mile round trip only to find that inspite of having sent a picture/sizes the wheels were wrong!

I have made the point with the Nissan dealer that as my car was supplied by them with a towbar I should have been made aware of the rules regarding the emergency spare wheel and that the vehicle was so equipped

The old Xt is not affected

 

[annierich]

Hmmm- seems I have opened a can of worms. Please let me know how you get on John G ? I wonder how we would get on if we had a puncture while towing on the remote areas of the A9 - where we travelled last week- and had no mobile signal to contact the RAC etc to be recovered?

Thanks for your replies.

 

[RogerL]

If you damage a road wheel/tyre, of course a dealer will be able to get a matching replacement at a price, assuming your car isn't historic, so there's no question of suitable wheels/tyres not being available.

Because I routinely fit larger size tyres at replacement time I inevitably end up with a different sized spare which I have to treat as a spacesaver, ie emergency use only. I don't regard this as a problem - if I have to use this differently sized spare while towing, I'll simply drive at restricted speed to the nearest repairer and get the other tyre repaired or replaced.

For those that won't tolerate the time delay that this might cause, a full-size spare is their only option.

Perhaps Nissan should be asked a different question - "Is the spacesaver suitable for travelling to a repairer at restricted speed, after a puncture, even when towing?"

Asking simply whether you can tow with a spacesaver fitted is asking for approval to drive hundreds of miles at 60mph - of course they're unlikely to give their approval.

 

[Lutz]

I can't quite see what the big issue is with spare wheels. A spare wheel is something which is nice to have, but not vital, not even an emergency spare wheel. After all, you don't carry spare parts in the car around with you if you have a mechanical or electrical failure. We've just been accustomed to having a spare wheel and find it hard to imagine doing without one.

 

[RogerL]

I can't quite see what the big issue is with spare wheels. A spare wheel is something which is nice to have, but not vital, not even an emergency spare wheel. After all, you don't carry spare parts in the car around with you if you have a mechanical or electrical failure. We've just been accustomed to having a spare wheel and find it hard to imagine doing without one.

Can't fault your logic, Lutz !!

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Its only vital when you need it

We had to tow back from Spain on the caravan spare because we had one

If we hadn't had one we would have had to have waited for a UK spec tyre to be sourced

Similarly my tyre dealer friend tells me that if called out to my car with a puncture he would not have the size in stock and as the caravan is a leisure vehicle it could seriously inconvenience leisure time possibly missing a ferry.

I have asked Nissan to confirm that the spare wheel is not suitable for towing a trailer and if so what they recommend is done when towing a caravan and being unfortunate enough to puncture a car tyre

It seems to me that as its full size it may be Ok when they have looked into it

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Its only vital when you need it

We had to tow back from Spain on the caravan spare because we had one

If we hadn't had one we would have had to have waited for a UK spec tyre to be sourced

Similarly my tyre dealer friend tells me that if called out to my car with a puncture he would not have the size in stock and as the caravan is a leisure vehicle it could seriously inconvenience leisure time possibly missing a ferry.

I have asked Nissan to confirm that the spare wheel is not suitable for towing a trailer and if so what they recommend is done when towing a caravan and being unfortunate enough to puncture a car tyre

It seems to me that as its full size it may be Ok when they have looked into it

Have now located and ordered a wheel and tyre so will now have no punctures !!

 

[RogerL]

What's a UK spec tyre? I wasn't aware we had any tyre specification or regulation different to the rest of the EU and virtually no difference to the rest of the world.

UK caravans mostly use Al-Ko chassis, that well known German company - BPW and Winterhoff aren't UK-based either.

A UK caravan may be a leisure vehicle but there's no such thing as a leisure tyre - they use car or commercial tyres, just like continental caravans.

Given that the UK has little tyre industry left, most tyres sold at UK after-market suppliers are sourced from continental distribution depots. I find it hard to believe it's difficult to get suitable tyres abroad.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

What's a UK spec tyre? I wasn't aware we had any tyre specification or regulation different to the rest of the EU and virtually no difference to the rest of the world.

UK caravans mostly use Al-Ko chassis, that well known German company - BPW and Winterhoff aren't UK-based either.

A UK caravan may be a leisure vehicle but there's no such thing as a leisure tyre - they use car or commercial tyres, just like continental caravans.

Given that the UK has little tyre industry left, most tyres sold at UK after-market suppliers are sourced from continental distribution depots. I find it hard to believe it's difficult to get suitable tyres abroad.

Ok then a tyre of the correct spec for my specific van.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

What's a UK spec tyre? I wasn't aware we had any tyre specification or regulation different to the rest of the EU and virtually no difference to the rest of the world.

UK caravans mostly use Al-Ko chassis, that well known German company - BPW and Winterhoff aren't UK-based either.

A UK caravan may be a leisure vehicle but there's no such thing as a leisure tyre - they use car or commercial tyres, just like continental caravans.

Given that the UK has little tyre industry left, most tyres sold at UK after-market suppliers are sourced from continental distribution depots. I find it hard to believe it's difficult to get suitable tyres abroad.

I didn't say that it was a leisure tyre just that any lack of tyre would affect leisure use was the intended meaning

It seems pointless to have an outfit costing

 

[WatsonJohnG]

What's a UK spec tyre? I wasn't aware we had any tyre specification or regulation different to the rest of the EU and virtually no difference to the rest of the world.

UK caravans mostly use Al-Ko chassis, that well known German company - BPW and Winterhoff aren't UK-based either.

A UK caravan may be a leisure vehicle but there's no such thing as a leisure tyre - they use car or commercial tyres, just like continental caravans.

Given that the UK has little tyre industry left, most tyres sold at UK after-market suppliers are sourced from continental distribution depots. I find it hard to believe it's difficult to get suitable tyres abroad.

Its difficult to get tyres anywhere on a Sunday afternoon in the North of Spain or anywhere hence the prudence of being equipped with a spare

 

[RogerL]

I still don't understand that UK caravans use strange sizes of tyres which aren't available on the continent.

 

[annierich]

The interesting replies seem to have moved from car tyres to caravan tyes. Our concern is that as Honda say don't tow using the emergency spare and we have been told by 3 tyre dealers that the CRV's 225x65 tyres are "order only" and never kept in stock and should a tyre not be repairable and its a weekend/holiday then you cannot continue the journey.

Should we carry a full sized spare even if it doesn't fit in the spare wheel well. What do others think?

 

[Del_374232870]

For solo driving i would just carry the space saver, but for towing I would always carry a full sized spare, probably never need it, but sods law says if you havent got one thats when it will be needed.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

I still don't understand that UK caravans use strange sizes of tyres which aren't available on the continent.

Hi Roger what I am trying to say is that any tyre for a car or caravan is not going to be readily available in Europe or anywhere at all times and so its worth being equipped with a spare for both vehicles unless you like long unscheduled stops or waiting for recovery

Regards

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Anne I was told the same for a Nissan X Trail tyre and it took a week for the last one I bought to come

On some websites it even said that the tyre size was invalid so it really would pay to have a spare even with the inconvenience of having it in the boot

I went across the road to a neighbour just now and asked him in passing if his Honda Car had a spare wheel

He immediatley became annoyed and turned into Victor Meldrew(his words) as he had tried in vain to get a spare wheel and it causes him real concern on long trips especially when returning late at night

 

[WatsonJohnG]

More food for thought and comment

This posting appeared on another website today

"Many cars now have either a space-saver wheel or, increasingly common, a 12volt inflator and a tin of gunge. My Touran has the tin of gunge. This, if used, scraps the tyre, as it cannot be vulcanised; it also has a 4-year shelf life, and is about

 

[RogerL]

We can't ban the sale of cars with spacesaver or no sparewheel - they comply with EC regulations - indeed they're much more common in the rest of the EC, UK car buyers are seen as different in demanding a full size spare.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Hi Roger

I can only agree with what you say but there would seem to be a market where Nissan do supply a full size/proper spare as they have left enough room in the boot well for one.

It all seems totally illogical

Regards

 

[WatsonJohnG]

There is I believe a very strong plastic inflatable full size combined spare wheel and tyre about to be launched to fit any car and adjustable by air pressure to fit any size wheel and stud pattern

Its to be called A Pressure Replacing Inflateable Lifesaver Mark 1

or APRIL 1 for short

 

[WatsonJohnG]

There is I believe a very strong plastic inflatable full size combined spare wheel and tyre about to be launched to fit any car and adjustable by air pressure to fit any size wheel and stud pattern

Its to be called A Pressure Replacing Inflateable Lifesaver Mark 1

or APRIL 1 for short

Due to lack of interest this item was removed from sale at noon today