Do we really need a spare?
- Thread starter Winterhawk
- Start date
When, oh when ... are they FINALLY going to offer special tires to serve as "spares" for at least off-road use that are made of solid rubber so that they would NEVER go flat.
Sure they would ride "hard" and be "heavy" ... but who cares because:
1. Many off-road vehicles ride terrible, anyway.
2. Who cares about a hard ride out in the middle of nowhere after mounting a solid rubber spare tire - when a solid rubber spare saves their skin.
3. Who cares if it took a bit of grunting to lift a solid rubber spare just a bit to mount it - when a solid rubber spare saves their skin.
4. Who cares about the horsepower/torque to spin up a (heavy) solid rubber tire when under acceleration, anyway ... as compared to getting your skin saved when out in the middle of nowhere.
Or ... if one doesn't care for a "solid rubber" spare tire ... how about a spare tire that instead of being filled with air, is built with an interior filled with a dense but lighter weight (than solid rubber) flexible foam material of some type that can hold the same vehicle weight as air at x pounds of pressure would support?
IMHO, vehicle tires filled with air such that they can no longer hold their basic shape if punctured ... should have been obsolete years ago!
Sure they would ride "hard" and be "heavy" ... but who cares because:
1. Many off-road vehicles ride terrible, anyway.
2. Who cares about a hard ride out in the middle of nowhere after mounting a solid rubber spare tire - when a solid rubber spare saves their skin.
3. Who cares if it took a bit of grunting to lift a solid rubber spare just a bit to mount it - when a solid rubber spare saves their skin.
4. Who cares about the horsepower/torque to spin up a (heavy) solid rubber tire when under acceleration, anyway ... as compared to getting your skin saved when out in the middle of nowhere.
Or ... if one doesn't care for a "solid rubber" spare tire ... how about a spare tire that instead of being filled with air, is built with an interior filled with a dense but lighter weight (than solid rubber) flexible foam material of some type that can hold the same vehicle weight as air at x pounds of pressure would support?
IMHO, vehicle tires filled with air such that they can no longer hold their basic shape if punctured ... should have been obsolete years ago!
Peter_n_Margaret
Adventurer
2024.
Michelin preparing airless tyres for 2024 launch | CarExpert
They get very hot very quickly, even at low speed. Then they fall apart.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
JaSAn
Grumpy Old Man
A solid rubber tire has a couple of disadvantages:
- they are very heavy; bad for GVW and unsprung weight.
- poor rolling resistance.
- much more difficult to manhandle (weight).
- if hard traction not good, don't conform to surface.
- if soft they will overheat and self-destruct.
Peter beat me to it, Bridgestone's airless tire:
www.bridgestonetire.com
- they are very heavy; bad for GVW and unsprung weight.
- poor rolling resistance.
- much more difficult to manhandle (weight).
- if hard traction not good, don't conform to surface.
- if soft they will overheat and self-destruct.
Peter beat me to it, Bridgestone's airless tire:
Airless Tires
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
Another avenue to investigate. Commercial tire sealants like Slime, or even something like liquid laundry starch, can help keep a small leak from becoming a larger problem. I think that combined with an aftermarket ( or OEM ) TPMS setup would give the operator even more time to spot potential issues.
craig333
Expedition Leader
You know some idiot is going to run a solid tire or run flat until it destructs. I see the tiny donuts run all the time on the freeway. I've had two blowouts. The first was the traditional "boom" and scary as heck. It was on an overloaded truck. I sold it shortly afterwards.
Somecallmetimm
Adventurer
Airless tires are intriguing and could revolutionize how vehicles go through tires. I would pay extra for my work fleet (15 pickups) if I never had to worry about another flat. As it is, I run E rated tires on half tons because of the heavier sidewall and longer wear. It's reduced our flats to a bare minimum. It still happens, but it's become a rarity. And yes, all trucks still have spares.
i carry a spare and a plug kit and compresser.i air down regularly in my truck and my side by side orv.i also carry a sidewall slug.i've had punctures so bad a fistfull of plugs wouldn't fix and a spare was the only option,but i prefer to try and plug before i have to pull tires.plus i can plug the flat at a later date if i can't for whatever reason fix it on the fly and have to swap with the spare.and it's comforting to know if i use the spare i will still have a viable replacement with the plugged tire.i've actually had 2 flats at the same time several years back and a logging camp saved my bacon,now i firmly believe in redundancy when it comes to tires and off roading.
4Run'nOnEmpty
Member
nope. no need to carry one. just know if you have a flat you cant fix, dont have a spare and interrupt my fun time, i charge $100/mi to get you to a phone. 5mi minimum.
fredeharley8
New member
Yes, I always carry a spare or sealant.
Anti-lander
Member
Didn't you already get all the same answers for the same question on ob? Like a year ago.
If you didn't listen then why would you this time? This is a Googleable topic.
If you didn't listen then why would you this time? This is a Googleable topic.
lugueto
Adventurer
There are a few downsides to this. Weight is something of an issue, pinch flats are super common and removing tires requires a super long awkward allen wrench not everyone carries.
Plus, if you have a flat and run on the runflat (heh) you'll destroy the tire after a while.
I can't understand why its so difficult to carry a spare. Its just common sense, flats aren't common or unusual, they're simply unpredictable. Never underestimate our friend Murphy. the one time you don't carry a spare, your tires go flat.