I see this question on various forums every few weeks: “Do I need to carry a spare tire?”
Basically, I would say “yes.” Having your own spare tire is a reasonable precaution. I consider that a spare tire is much like having a selection of tools, a can of oil, jug of water, roll of duct tape, and at least two each of every fuse in your RV. These items can be considered “cheap insurance.”
While you can purchase all of these items on the road or at your campground store, we all know the price we would have to pay is more that what these items would cost if we were able to shop at our leisure. The tire is definitely a “big ticket” item, and no one wants to spend a few hundred dollars for a tire that we may never use or need.
Questions to ask ourselves:
I would like to suggest we ask ourselves these questions, as there are different situations concerning needing a replacement tire.
1. You have a tire that goes flat. Do you have an air compressor available to reinflate the tire? Do you know the proper inflation needed? Are you aware of the dangers of reinflating a tire that has been driven on after losing 20% of the required minimum inflation pressure?
2. If you have a tire that gets a puncture and your TPMS provided some advance warning before you lose 20% of your inflation, can you do a TEMPORARY plug and then reinflate the tire to get you to the next town with tire service? Do you have a plug kit with you? Have you practiced on a scrap tire so you know what is required to accomplish the temporary repair? If you can do this, can you answer all the questions in #1 above?
A previously flat tire can explode when reinflated
Reinflating a tire that has been run flat can result in an explosion, as seen here:
3. What if you have a catastrophic tire failure and need a replacement tire? This raises the question of availability of the tire size and Load Range you need. Some tires are readily available at almost any truck stop ($$). Other need to be shipped in ($$$) and then transported to your location ($$$). You need to try calling around to a number of tire service locations and see if they have your size and Load Range and what will it cost in time and freight to get the new tire to your location if they do not stock a proper replacement. All of this assumes that you know exactly what to ask for. I see posts where people have purchased the incorrect size or load range tire and end up having to replace the “new” tire after driving 100 miles.
4. Competent truck tire service businesses have the equipment and trained techs who can mount a new tire on the RV on the side of the road. But if you have an odd size, you could still be stuck waiting days for a replacement to be found and shipped in at what would be a PREMIUM price.
Carry an unmounted, worn tire for a spare
5. I have suggested that, if you have the physical space, you get a worn tire of the size, type and load range you need and have it with you. This means no multi-day wait to locate and ship a replacement tire at premium price to your location. This tire does not need to be mounted and inflated on a wheel, and you should have a good amount of space “inside” the spare for you to pack stuff you infrequently need.
6. If you are going to attempt to change a tire yourself, do you have the strength and flexibility to lift and change a tire on your RV? Can you generate sufficient force with the appropriate tools needed to remove and replace the lug nuts? My Class C only requires 140 ft-lbs, and I can turn the nuts with my 2-foot-long “breaker bar.” I also carry a torque wrench, so I can ensure the lug nuts are sufficiently tight. Before you answer “Yes,” I would ask, “When was the last time you changed a tire on your RV?”
Think you could do this? [From editor: WOW! Don’t blink!]
Roger Marble
Check out my Blog www.RVTireSafety.Net
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The 315/22 tires on my Motor Coach weigh around 150 lb each, and it would take at least a 10-ton jack to raise the frame to change them. No way I can carry a spare, and if I did I couldn’t use it. This is what roadside assistance is for…
PS: I DID carry a spare for the tires on my previous 5th wheel trailer, and I used that spare once, when the first OEM China-Bomb tire gave up the ghost. I very shortly replaced all 6 tires AND the spare with US make Light Truck tires, and never worried about my tires (beyond inflation checks) again.
At my point in life, I could not manage a tire removal and remount. LT225/75R16 is common enough that even Wal-Mart has them in the store. Yes, I carry a small compressor that can inflate to the proper pressure. Cordless makes it real handy.
I did replace the donut spare in my towd with a real sized rim and spare. In over 100k on the road, I had to use the spare once.
My motorhome came with a fully mounted spare, but I have not needed to use it in our 12 years with this motorhome. So, my spare is too old to drive on. I think I will take Roger’s advice and see if most tire shops stock my tire. Then I can scrap my spare and loose 150lbs that I don’t need to carry.
Ours has a spare, but it’s a teenager that must have been original equipment, so I really need to buy a new one. Regardless. we also have a jack and the tools needed to change it if I absolutely must. But first, I’ll try the AAA card.
Our coach has all 6 tires of the same size. We carry a spare in the enclosed trailer. I feel like we can always find a tire shop and a young buck to change it. Buying a tire under duress could get expensive.
Recently looked at a coach that had 3 different tire sizes. 385’s on the front, 285’s on the drive axle, 315’s on the tag axle. That complicates things. Who can carry 3 spares?
There comes a time in life where a younger person must replace an older person, and that time is when a heavy truck tire needs replacing. At 80 I wouldn’t consider wrestling a heavy motorhome tire, roadside assistance has many younger, stronger men to do that. I wouldn’t even try to do it on a 19.5” wheel tire combination.
We have a class A. For our trip to Alaska, a friend who had just been to Alaska told us to carry a spare tire. He had a flat and the wrecker came but only had tires for truckers. He waited 4 days on the side of the road to get a tire. I had all my tires replaced before we went and saved 2 of the best looking ones as spares. One was under the master bed and the other was in my CRV. Never needed them but it was a peace of mind to know I was ready just in case.
Thank you, Roger! We did carry an unmounted, worn tire that was the same size as those on our RV when we went to Alaska in 2019. It was a Michelin 295 80R 22.5 and we lashed it to the roof of our Grand Cherokee, which we tow. We plan to do the same when we plan to return to Alaska, probably in 2025. Then we’ll have an unmounted, used Michelin 305 70R 22.5 and again lash it to the roof of the Jeep. Otherwise we don’t carry a spare tire when we travel; they are just too large to carry normally.
First…echo the thanks, especially the video.
Second, with 315/80R-22.5, a spare is too large for many to carry or even handle. I did save two when changing tires once and since we tow a pickup truck, I do throw a spare in the bed of the truck for longer trips.
Years ago we didn’t have a spare and I can testify to the outrageous price a HD Roadside service provider will charge!!! 🤯
I can only imagine Mikal H. Our 295 80R 22.5 tires weighed 100 pounds. Yours must be, what? 125 pounds, 130 pounds, more? One good thing is that all our tires on both RVs were/are the same size. 🙂