2018 Thor ACE 29.3

[Fountainblue]

Okay guys what happened to my spare tire and if I do have a flat how do I get it fixed or replace the tire on the road?

[gmc]

Many of our RVs do not have spare tires any more by default...
Some owners have chosen to add a full spare and a mens of carrying it, others carry just the rubber to be mounted if needed, and others just use road service when needed and let them get the replacement tire.
(search on 'spare' or 'spare tire' and I expect you will find more than a few threads with what some here have done. Hint - use 'Advance Search', enter 'spare tire' as keyword, check 'show results as posts' at bottom left... Easiest way I found to get to relevant stuff.)

Which path is based on personal preference and ability...

Changing one of these tires on side of road isn't my idea of fun - and not something I should be doing. I have RV road service and will call if needed... I take my chance that a tire will be readily available wherever I happen to be... or I have a new vacation spot until it is.

My preference is to avoid (as much as possible) the need - have a TPMS system covering RV and toad to detect something going wrong in advance (road hazzard aside of course).

Now knocking on wood of course...

[thor293]

Yep, no spare on most Class A's, gotta do that yourself. Most dont have a place to fit a spare, I highly doubt you will find space big enough under the coach. I bought a spare tire carrier that fits in the hitch and still allows me to tow. If you have a flat and no spare your options are limited, its best to always have a roadside policy to help you when you break down, if you need a tire you better make sure you have waterproof underwear on when you get their bill cause you will need it. If it is a simple flat that can be plugged they will fix you up and do all the labor. Waiting is the name of the game though, I have heard of people waiting hours upon hours for them to show up and of course I am sure no one calls and says "hey, I am running late" So you have to call the service again and check.

Keep this in mind in an absolute emergency and this is what my plan always was till I bought and added the spare, should you have a flat and assuming you have the tools to jack up and remove the tire, if I had a front flat I would pull one of the duals off the rear on the lightest side and place on the front, which means you are tempting fate but at least you would be mobile, hopefully you have a car that you can throw the bad tire in, dont leave it on the axle flat. Use common sense and drive at a greatly reduced speed till you can get to a repair facility. When you get a flat stop right away because it wont take long to ruin a tire that may only need a plug, big difference between buying a .25c plug or a $300 tire.

I dont know what coach you have but if it is 19.5" tires the rim can be tough to find and I think you need the 6-3/4" rim?? the most common you will find is off the f450 but it isnt wide enough. Be CAREFUL about that.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by thor293

Yep, no spare on most Class A's, gotta do that yourself. Most dont have a place to fit a spare, I highly doubt you will find space big enough under the coach. I bought a spare tire carrier that fits in the hitch and still allows me to tow. If you have a flat and no spare your options are limited, its best to always have a roadside policy to help you when you break down, if you need a tire you better make sure you have waterproof underwear on when you get their bill cause you will need it. If it is a simple flat that can be plugged they will fix you up and do all the labor. Waiting is the name of the game though, I have heard of people waiting hours upon hours for them to show up and of course I am sure no one calls and says "hey, I am running late" So you have to call the service again and check.

Keep this in mind in an absolute emergency and this is what my plan always was till I bought and added the spare, should you have a flat and assuming you have the tools to jack up and remove the tire, if I had a front flat I would pull one of the duals off the rear on the lightest side and place on the front, which means you are tempting fate but at least you would be mobile, hopefully you have a car that you can throw the bad tire in, dont leave it on the axle flat. Use common sense and drive at a greatly reduced speed till you can get to a repair facility. When you get a flat stop right away because it wont take long to ruin a tire that may only need a plug, big difference between buying a .25c plug or a $300 tire.

I dont know what coach you have but if it is 19.5" tires the rim can be tough to find and I think you need the 6-3/4" rim?? the most common you will find is off the f450 but it isnt wide enough. Be CAREFUL about that.

That Roadmaster carrier is a fine piece of kit. I’m not currently using mine because I haven’t bought a spare yet but it’s on my list to do as my coach tires age and I’m planning a long trip out west. I don’t plan to bring the tools to change the tire myself but I’m confident that the roadside service will be a LOT more satisfactory if I have he spare on site when needed. The carrier is heavy and the 19.5 inch spare is as well. Fortunately if you are pulling a toad you should be ok with respect to tongue weight.

[Mr Sunshine]

Your search of posts on this forum will thoroughly cover the pros and cons and how to's of spare tires, just like gmc said.

We carried road service on our previous coach when the tires were nearing their life expectancy. Had a left front blowout and a few months later a rear inside blowout. Both times the road service arrived with a matching new tire and we were back on the road in 4 hours. Shortly after the second blowout, I replaced the other 4 and the cost per tire was the same that we paid to the road service guys. The same cost per tire was quoted before we left home.

Your decision to carry a tire or tire and wheel, jacks, blocks and tools, road service or none of that will depend on where and how you travel, among other factors. For the last few years, I've been comfortable without any of that. I did carry a spare tire for the Miata we towed for years. While the Goodyear motor home tires were easy to match on the road, that little car had an odd sized tire that few dealers would carry in stock.

My future travel destinations might prompt me to buy road service, but I won't be packing a jack, tire tools or a spare. It's all about risk vs cost, and your skill and comfort level. Opinions on that vary widely.

[thor293]

Originally Posted by Mr Sunshine

Your search of posts on this forum will thoroughly cover the pros and cons and how to's of spare tires, just like gmc said.

We carried road service on our previous coach when the tires were nearing their life expectancy. Had a left front blowout and a few months later a rear inside blowout. Both times the road service arrived with a matching new tire and we were back on the road in 4 hours. Shortly after the second blowout, I replaced the other 4 and the cost per tire was the same that we paid to the road service guys. The same cost per tire was quoted before we left home.

Your decision to carry a tire or tire and wheel, jacks, blocks and tools, road service or none of that will depend on where and how you travel, among other factors. For the last few years, I've been comfortable without any of that. I did carry a spare tire for the Miata we towed for years. While the Goodyear motor home tires were easy to match on the road, that little car had an odd sized tire that few dealers would carry in stock.

My future travel destinations might prompt me to buy road service, but I won't be packing a jack, tire tools or a spare. It's all about risk vs cost, and your skill and comfort level. Opinions on that vary widely.

Well something that has to be taken into consideration is your vegas probably uses a 16" tire which is pretty popular due to Pickup trucks using them, 19.5" tires can be like hens teeth in unpopulated areas. JMHO
Of course I could be assuming your tire size, if I am incorrect please say so and my apologies

[Mr Sunshine]

You are right about the Vegas tires. The story I shared was about our previous coach with 19.5s. I found those Goodyear 19.5s to be readily available in shops in 4 different states. That's my real world experience. Your results may vary. My results next time might be different.

The 16 inch Vegas tires in the load range required may or may not be that much more available. When you are in less populated areas, you can expect that the tire shops are going to get tires overnight from a central warehouse in a bigger town. That's true of many car tires, too.

[JamieGeek]

It also pays to regularly inspect your tires (something I didn't do enough).

The local shop in College Park, MD had a set when we needed them in a pinch while on vacation.

Yeah we don't travel with a spare, jack, compressor, etc.