No Spare Tire, Roadside Assistance Questions

paullewin · 12-01-2016, 12:37 AM

Hello,
I just purchased a Freedom Elite 23H which has no included spare tire. With the purchase I get roadside assistance. Questions:

Should I get a spare tire?

If you don't have a spare tire, does the roadside assistance crew bring a new tire if the flat cannot be repaired? I assume if they do, the tire will be very expensive!

Thank you in advance for all the answers and opinions!!!

Oneilkeys · 12-01-2016, 12:52 AM

If you use the search function above and type "spare tire" and hit the "show posts" button, you will be able to read a lot of previous discussions on both sides of this issue. For me with a 25' Axis and no youngster anymore, I will not be attempting to change a tire in my 13,000 lb RV. That being said, you have a good point on having to purchase a tire on the road if one gets destroyed. On my trip to Alaska last year, I compromised by purchasing a used tire not on a rim and carrying it with me. That way, I could have the repair guy mount it on the rim (hoping that the rim was OK) and mount it on the vehicle. I worried about the cost and also that I might not be able to find that size tire in northwest Canada or Alaska. Luckily, I did not have to use it.

KNMIB · 12-01-2016, 01:16 AM

My Four Winds has a spare but there is no way I could change a tire, first of all I gont have a jack. We have AAA and have for many years and get discounts at hotels, fortunately we have not had to use it for tire or mechanical tow.

nosticks · 12-01-2016, 01:51 PM

Have GS roadside, no spare. This spring before any trips, I'll have a spare, but no rim.

JamieGeek · 12-01-2016, 01:57 PM

Check your Ford documentation: They may provide some free road-side assistance as well.

scrubjaysnest · 12-01-2016, 02:00 PM

We have the GS road side, it gets mixed reviews. We will be adding a spare tire mount under the coach and a mounted and balanced tire. Not that I intend to be changing it but I'll have it. In 2010 we went thru 3 sets of tires on the camper, bad axle, and 2 tires on the truck for our Alaska trip.
First truck tire was FOD in New Mexico. 2nd trruck tire was in Canada slow leak from steel belt damage. Got real lucky there as we found a used tire and got it changed at no cost.

Oneilkeys · 12-01-2016, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrubjaysnest

We have the GS road side, it gets mixed reviews. We will be adding a spare tire mount under the coach and a mounted and balanced tire. Not that I intend to be changing it but I'll have it. In 2010 we went thru 3 sets of tires on the camper, bad axle, and 2 tires on the truck for our Alaska trip.
First truck tire was FOD in New Mexico. 2nd trruck tire was in Canada slow leak from steel belt damage. Got real lucky there as we found a used tire and got it changed at no cost.

Wow! Your experience may make me rethink my tire but no rim when we go back to Alaska. We have been to Alaska twice from Florida and have not lost a tire or even had one go flat. Guess we were very, very lucky. Reaffirms my belief that you need a tire monitoring system if you are going to travel long distances. It just might warn you in time to save your tire.

scrubjaysnest · 12-01-2016, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

Wow! Your experience may make me rethink my tire but no rim when we go back to Alaska. We have been to Alaska twice from Florida and have not lost a tire or even had one go flat. Guess we were very, very lucky. Reaffirms my belief that you need a tire monitoring system if you are going to travel long distances. It just might warn you in time to save your tire.

TPMS didn't do a lick of good with the truck blow out, on the other had it did warn us of the slow leak on the 2nd truck tire failure. For the camper it was a case of the tire wore out because of a faulty axle as in bent.

Oneilkeys · 12-01-2016, 07:19 PM

Did you figure out what the blow out was caused by? The TPMS should pick up tire heating before a blow out caused by overheating a tire, but not for an immediate catastrophic rupture. You are right, TPMS does not give 100% warning.

Laco · 12-14-2016, 12:38 AM

There are not many motorhomes that include a spare tire, any more. I didn't have one on the former DP I owned and don't have one on the Gemini. I wouldn't try to change one, in any event, and carry roadside service. If I have to buy a tire while on the road, then I have to. I know I won't like it, but life is like that.

Oneilkeys · 12-14-2016, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laco

There are not many motorhomes that include a spare tire, any more. I didn't have one on the former DP I owned and don't have one on the Gemini. I wouldn't try to change one, in any event, and carry roadside service. If I have to buy a tire while on the road, then I have to. I know I won't like it, but life is like that.

I did not have one until I traveled the AlCan highway through northwest Canada and down thru Alaska. Out in the middle of nowhere, I was worried that I would not be able to find one to purchase. Since I have a used one, I found a good place to permanently store it underneath the Axis. $20 is cheap insurance.

Laco · 12-14-2016, 12:57 AM

If I were going to do the drive to Alaska, I would probably find a way to carry a spare, but we generally stay close to populated areas.

Metalman · 12-23-2016, 03:45 AM

We had a blowout on our new-to-us diesel pusher, just south of Boston. Good Sam's wanted to tow it because a tire wasn't available. I insisted that they find a tire and eventually road service arrived with a used tire that was worn to the point that it didn't look safe. Fingers crossed we made it home and replaced all of the tires and bought a spare and a spare wheel. Handling a 22.5 inch wheel and tire is not easy, but I was prepared to either change it or have it changed. Fortunately I never had to. I don't have a spare for my Windsport but I would feel a lot better with one.

Chance · 12-23-2016, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laco

There are not many motorhomes that include a spare tire, any more. I didn't have one on the former DP I owned and don't have one on the Gemini. I wouldn't try to change one, in any event, and carry roadside service. If I have to buy a tire while on the road, then I have to. I know I won't like it, but life is like that.

I agree it's not as common any more, but it appears to depend somewhat on size of motorhome; with smaller motorhomes more likely to have a spare.

I suppose there are multiple reasons for this. Smaller tires/wheels are lighter and easier to change. Smaller motorhomes on average get driven a lot more, so more likely to flat or have tire issues. And perhaps younger owners more willing to tackle changing a tire tend to drive smaller rigs. I'm not really sure why, but there seems to be some correlation with MH size.

I've noticed that on many ProMaster-based motorhomes, even when they can't keep the tire under the floor as in factory option, manufacturers mount a spare off rear door or from custom frame bracket.

Personally, I wouldn't leave home without a spare tire/wheel -- at least not as long as I can replace it myself in case of emergency. Roadside assistance is nice but not always as convenient if you have tires that can be replaced as easily as those of a large SUV or pickup truck.

nosticks · 12-23-2016, 11:49 PM

Posted earlier, no rim but buying spare. Found a new rim take off for $65 so I ordered a spare. I still depend on roadside assistance. I'm betting the time from flat to back in service will be significantly reduced by at least half a day.

KNMIB · 12-24-2016, 02:06 AM

My Four Winds has a spare, I couldn't change it but nice to have.

rvfigs · 12-24-2016, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paullewin

Hello,
I just purchased a Freedom Elite 23H which has no included spare tire. With the purchase I get roadside assistance. Questions:

Should I get a spare tire?

If you don't have a spare tire, does the roadside assistance crew bring a new tire if the flat cannot be repaired? I assume if they do, the tire will be very expensive!

Thank you in advance for all the answers and opinions!!!

Make the investment and buy a spare rim and a spare tire. Having it ready for roadside assistance may save you the aggravation of waiting around.

Metalman · 12-25-2016, 01:13 PM

Having a spare tire or a spare tire and wheel will not only provide mental comfort, but it will prevent a possible long delay or even a possible tow, if the RV is disabled in a dangerous area. Also, the cost of purchasing and changing a tire on the road will cost more than purchasing the spare tire/wheel ahead of time.

When we bought our RV from a well known dealer in Florida, I asked about the cost of a spare tire and wheel and was told that the front and rear wheels were not interchangeable. After a little research I found that they are interchangeable, except for motor homes with cast aluminum wheels (ours has steel wheels). I am not sure if it is necessary to buy an aluminum spare if the RV has aluminum wheels or if the incompatibility is due to cosmetic issues only.

Vinster30 · 12-25-2016, 02:25 PM

Our Challenger has an odd size 22.5 wheels and tires that are hard to find. An unmounted spare is a safety net in the event of tire failure. I could never change on the road side myself, but it can be mounted on any axle by GS Roadside. In remote areas, this could be the difference in getting back on the road with just a remount or having to purchase 6 tires of another brand and size to be balanced.

Metalman · 12-25-2016, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinster30

Our Challenger has an odd size 22.5 wheels and tires that are hard to find. An unmounted spare is a safety net in the event of tire failure. I could never change on the road side myself, but it can be mounted on any axle by GS Roadside. In remote areas, this could be the difference in getting back on the road with just a remount or having to purchase 6 tires of another brand and size to be balanced.

On our maiden voyage with our diesel pusher with 22.5 inch wheels we had a blowout just south of Boston. I called Good Sam's and was told that they couldn't find a tire, so they said it would have to be towed. I said I didn't want it towed and they needed to find a tire somewhere. Eventually a repair truck arrived with a well used (worn) tire. The tire was replaced and the bill was for more than the cost of a new tire. When we returned to NH I bought seven new tires and a wheel. We carried the spare in the trailer until I built a brush guard with a spare wheel mount. We didn't need to use the spare for the ten years that we owned the motor home.

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