Does your RV, whether it’s a motorhome, fifth wheel, travel trailer, pop-up, van, etc., have a spare tire? If it didn’t come with a spare tire, did you purchase one for it to carry with you on your travels?
Some RVs come with spare tires, others don’t. Either way, it’s important for you to carry one with you just in case. You do not (repeat: do not!) want to get a flat tire and have to wait hours and hours, especially if you’re in the middle of nowhere, for roadside assistance. Nope!
Please tell us in the poll below – thanks!
We are full-timers in a motor home and we do not carry a spare tire. It would take up too much precious storage space, and neither of us could change a motor home tire anyway. We rely on our roadsice assistance for tire issues (Coach-Net) and they have been great so far in 10 years of full-time RV living.
When Class C was new, the spare was stored in the largest storage bay! Bought a bumper bracket and cover.
We have a Class A and I added a mount and a new spare tire. I won’t be able to change it, but it is there.
How could someone not travel with a spare? How could an RV be sold without a spare? What if your tire not only goes flat, but is destroyed?
Will CAA or AAA bring you a new tire or a new rim if need be? What if you are way off grid and no cell service?
I may be old school, but this one I just don’t get.
My front tires on my diesel pusher are a different size than the rear ones so should I carry both sizes? I can’t see hauling spares that cost nearly $1000 each only to have them dry-rot. If I do need a tire on the road, the roadside assistance I have can bring one to change, if I tell them the size I need. A semi may have a spare for the trailers but I have rarely seen one for the tractor, and I worked docks at a warehouse for 5+ years.
Yes, and it is current dated. Actually had to use it.
I have a 2008 Toyota RAV4 with 120,000 miles on it. I used the spare ONCE and I was within 2 miles of my home. (knock wood) The probability of getting a flat is low (but I will admit it does exist…) and my Class C uses commercial grade tires. I don’t have a rim to fit it. Besides, that’s what I have roadside assistance for. as far as waiting.. you have a 1-bedroom apartment with you! waiting is not a worry.
Nothing to worry about? On a two foot wide shoulder on the two lane asphalt highway? Oh my – I would have the family wait in the ditch, or away from the vehicle!
My thoughts: If you carry a spare, then you will need a jack. And if you would plan to change a tire on the side of the road, also carry flares, safety triangles, even a couple of the small cones – anything to warn traffic.
Also, maybe just before you travel, at least go through the Steps of changing the tire to ensure the jack and wrench (tire tool/ lug wrench) works in a not so safe environment.
Since most RV tires age out long before they wear out, I can’t see spending money on a spare that likely will never be used. That’s what road side assistance is for.
Not if you take care of your spare tire. And because it does not have contact with the ground like the tire on the axles it will not dry rot as quick.
Your opinion on what constitutes “care”.
Unless you are a motorhomer with tires and wheels requiring skill and tools, relying on road side assistance is iffy. Good Sam has left us in the lurch twice, once in the north Houston metroplex. There must have been 5 million people living within 30 miles of us yet they could not find an in-program wrecker to move our 5th wheel off of a freeway feeder street.
Two spare tires and a spare leaf spring. I replaced the China-bomb tires, the thin shackles with heavy duty, and the nylon bushings with wet bolts and brass bushings. Also installed a TPMS. Weak “link” in the suspension are the lead springs – which are known to snap.
Most big diesel pushers do not come with spare tires. Handling the equivalent of a semi tire is not something most of us would want to, or possibly be able to, do. In addition, the lugs are torqued to around 450 ft lbs, so how many of us are going to carry the correct tools to properly handle that! Better to have a good roadside plan and let the professionals bring a new tire and mount/install it.
Now, if I was traveling to Alaska I might invest in a spare tire (no rim) and put it in the box of the pickup we tow. One can always find a service to change it out.
I carry two spares – you can’t find trailer tires in Mexico. Changing is easy with a dual axle 20-foot trailer – drive up on the good one and lift the bad one.
I just noticed three votes for “I don’t know”. How can that be?
Camphosts have a name for that – covid campers . 1st timers.. not a clue.. 🤔
bought the camper and went on the road without lookin’, most likely 2021 newbee
I purchased an extra tire from Maxxis since most garages don’t carry them. If I have a blow out I put the spare on until I can get to a garage to have the bad tires removed from the rim and the extra Maxxis tire mounted. Then I switch the spare back out and hang it on the rack Fortunately I’ve only had to do this once. Go Maxxis !
I do not carry a spare. As the tires on our motorhome are too big to handle on your own. So roadside assist it is for us. We use Coach-Net.
Us too
30′ Class A motorhome: absolutely, positively yes! Also keep 6 sets of floor jacks and bottle jacks (combined) in the basement, plus jack stands. Only used the spare once in 24 years, inboard rear tire of course, but having it was a godsend. I’ve had plenty of practice from switching over from summer tires to winter tires and back each season. Wonderful skill to know instead of relying on someone else.
Camping World said road service would bring my spare, their own insurance policy said no, you need to have a tire
No, but I carry an unmounted used tire. I once watched a young guy dismount a bad tire & mount my unmounted spare on an outside dual w/o removing the wheel from the coach! It was fast!!
I bought the RV new. It was to come with a spare tire according to the brochure. The dealer made it good and got me a new rim and tire. Problem is, there is nowhere to mount a carrier for it. Lesson learned. The spare doesn’t do me much good sitting in the garage taking up space.
I’ve met a few people who purchased a brand new RV and later discovered that they didn’t have a spare tire…..I know it sounds improbable, but, they just “assumed” they had one…… until, they needed it and found out…..boy, were they pissed off.
Another friend of mine has a Class A motorhome and said. It’s pretty standard NOT to have a spare tire on a Class A…..
Is this true?? I really don’t know….
My Class B Sprinter does have a full spare tire right underneath the chassis…. thankfully, I’ve never had to use it, but, I’m very glad to have it.
Those air inflator devices are fine I guess in an emergency, but, without a full sized spare you’re going to be waiting for someone to bring you a replacement … expensive….. and, I can absolutely assure you that it will not be the tire you want…..
My new Winnebago travato 59k dose not come with a tire. However now I’m trying to find a place to have one. I purchased one for my Dodge on Ebay.
Ture story on our 2008 Winnebago aspect 26J we were driving on the Reservation with no cell service,no service at all and had to change our tire to make our way to tire service area. When I travel by myself I can’t change the tire but I have roadside service. After reading stories about people waiting hours for a service that had to bring a tire,I will now have one.
They need to make the storage area under the chassis again. This is about MPG and money
My class c chateau didn’t come with one but the road service contract says they will come and change out the tire where we are. I did however purchase a spare tire which I will carry on long trips in case the tire we need is not readily available and we can get back on the road faster without having to wait for them to locate the right tire.
I am just unlucky. Bought a 34 ft Class A Itasca that was 17 years old and lived in it for four years. Tires on it were 12 years old. Replaced them all but the new ones were defective and failed, one by one. Relied on roadside assistance until they left us on the side of the freeway in 120 degree weather for 7 hours. Learned how to change them myself and always kept the spare up to pressure. On one trip, lost two inner duallies in 2 hours, limped in with one flat. Have blown the front drivers tire three times, that is exciting. Should not admit this, but almost never used a jack, just used the leveling jacks. That was a problem when the front tire blew and ripped the wires off the pump control. Got 7 good tires now, even the spare, and check the tire pressure every day of travel.
Always carry more than you think you need. One time not being prepared is a learning experience. I carry a bottle jack, small floor jack, axle adapter, and numerous tools with difference size sockets and extensions.
Good plan, Jim! If you’re prepared, you won’t need it. If you’re not prepared, you will need it. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
We have a 34’ class A. I have a spare but not on a rim. When we went to Alaska, friends all said take at least one spare. If you have a flat, the truck will come but won’t have your tire but if you have one they can mount it.That could take days to get a spare tire. I had new tires put on before the trip and took 2 spare. One is under the bed and the other fit in our CRV. Fortunately we didn’t need them but we sure felt better knowing we were prepared. Oh, I don’t use Good Sam either, use some one else.
I laugh, because unlike a car it has no jack. I have owned three TT and none have had jacks, but all had full size spare tires.
A word of caution, you need to verify the spare tire you are carrying is the correct one for your coach! I carried my “Factory included” spare in my Itasca for 7 years before realizing it was not correct. I had a blowout on my left front (Itasca 26P Class A) and went to change the tire (hey, I have a spare right!). Pulled it out, jacked up the rig, got the old one off and, what the hey, it didn’t fit! Turns out the “Itasca included” spare was on a Ford rim and my chassis is a Workhorse (same bolt pattern but smaller size lugs)! The rim clearly had Ford markings on it. Did a quick change with an outside dual and limped to a tire store. Got a new tire the next day and finally made it home. Called Winnebago and, according to their records the Ford IS the correct spare for my unit (even after stating the chassis was a Workhorse)! I ended up having to purchase a new Workhorse rim (along with a complete set of tires for the rig, it was time). So, please verify your spare is correct
I just had 6 new tires installed on our 2017 Pace Arrow in preparation for our Alaska trip this year. I kept one of the old tires and put it in a baggage compartment just in case.
I said no and the 2 reasons are1. $700.00; 2. No place to store it.
Our 43′ DP does not have a spare tire, but we did buy a used tire that was the same size. We hauled it atop our towed Jeep Grand Cherokee for the four months that we traveled to and from Alaska 3 years ago. We will do the same the next time that we travel to Alaska. We don’t worry about getting a replacement tire of the right size while traveling the lower-48, but Alaska is a different deal.
22.5″ers on our Class A, so, no. Fortunately we have AAA and the one time we needed to swap out a flat, we just used the hydraulic jacks to hoist up our rig.
Yes and I check it often. I have used it once.
I have two I have alot of blowouts
It might be of interest to include product year ranges with a yes/no answer on tires. Our 2019 is a yes. Our 2021 is a no
We had a blowout that was construction material in Sidewall and then 30 miles down the road we had another. Had to go buy two tires. One for blowout and one for spare.
We a have spare tire in our 2022 thor Quantum motorhome. It was not Included in the purchase, we had to have it added at the dealer.
I carry a spare mounted on a wheel ready for use. On longer trips further away from my home, I also carry a tire not mounted on a wheel that used to be on the rig as an emergency spare. I figure if I can’t find the correct tire size to buy, at least I can mount mine and keep traveling.
I consider a spare tire an important safety device. Our 17 ft molded fiberglass trailer had a spare listed as an expensive option and I bought it. In the first and third years of use, the right front on the trailer blew and kind passersby changed it for us when they saw us two elderly trying to DYI. The spare is a standard automobile size. As the distaff half, I have changed a LOT of auto tires during my working life- oddly enough more when in a single office than when I went to multiple locations each day. Perhaps I took better care to inspect and monitor tire pressure when the miles driven went up?