Ask UMRA: car tyre "puncture repair kits"

[Jim Easterbrook]

As we all know, UMRA knows everything...

The time has come to replace my aged Citroen C4 with something a bit
younger. Perusing my local car dealers' web sites I see it's now normal to
have a "puncture repair kit" instead of a spare wheel.

I know from experience that with a spare wheel I can be on my way again
after a puncture in quite a short time (never measured it, but under 20
minutes I'm sure) and carry on driving normally (apart from not going over
50 mph) until I get the tyre fixed a day or three later.

I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

[Steveski]

Post by Jim Easterbrook
As we all know, UMRA knows everything...
The time has come to replace my aged Citroen C4 with something a bit
younger. Perusing my local car dealers' web sites I see it's now normal to
have a "puncture repair kit" instead of a spare wheel.
I know from experience that with a spare wheel I can be on my way again
after a puncture in quite a short time (never measured it, but under 20
minutes I'm sure) and carry on driving normally (apart from not going over
50 mph) until I get the tyre fixed a day or three later.
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.

I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

[Kate B]

Post by Steveski

Post by Jim Easterbrook
As we all know, UMRA knows everything...
The time has come to replace my aged Citroen C4 with something a bit
younger. Perusing my local car dealers' web sites I see it's now normal to
have a "puncture repair kit" instead of a spare wheel.
I know from experience that with a spare wheel I can be on my way again
after a puncture in quite a short time (never measured it, but under 20
minutes I'm sure) and carry on driving normally (apart from not going over
50 mph) until I get the tyre fixed a day or three later.
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.
Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.
I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

My ten-year-old Skoda has one of those skinny spare wheels (tucked below
the boot) which has been a life-saver more than once, eg after an
encounter with a sharp-edged pothole filled with water on a remote bit
of the A1. If a repair kit doesn't work then you're in for the whole
expense and inconvenience of towing.

[Vicky]

Post by Kate B

Post by Steveski

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.
Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.
I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

My ten-year-old Skoda has one of those skinny spare wheels (tucked below
the boot) which has been a life-saver more than once, eg after an
encounter with a sharp-edged pothole filled with water on a remote bit
of the A1. If a repair kit doesn't work then you're in for the whole
expense and inconvenience of towing.

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

[J. P. Gilliver]

Post by Vicky

Post by Kate B

Post by Steveski

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.
Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.
I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

My ten-year-old Skoda has one of those skinny spare wheels (tucked below
the boot) which has been a life-saver more than once, eg after an
encounter with a sharp-edged pothole filled with water on a remote bit
of the A1. If a repair kit doesn't work then you're in for the whole
expense and inconvenience of towing.

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

I _sort of_ wouldn't buy a car without a full-size spare wheel. I say
sort of, because I don't know if any now _exist_ with one - or other
things I want, like two reversing lights.

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by J. P. Gilliver

Post by Kate B

Post by Steveski

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.
Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.
I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

My ten-year-old Skoda has one of those skinny spare wheels (tucked below
the boot) which has been a life-saver more than once, eg after an
encounter with a sharp-edged pothole filled with water on a remote bit
of the A1. If a repair kit doesn't work then you're in for the whole
expense and inconvenience of towing.

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the  road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

I _sort of_ wouldn't buy a car without a full-size spare wheel. I say
sort of, because I don't know if any now _exist_ with one - or other
things I want, like two reversing lights.

If you did buy a full-sized wheel+tyre as a spare, you would probably
not find room for it in a modern car's boot.

If you tow things with your car, neither the spray-can 'repair' nor a
skinny emergency tyre should be used whilst towing.
(People do, and the chances of getting caught out are low - but still...)

[Nick Odell]

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by J. P. Gilliver

Post by Kate B

Post by Steveski

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.
Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.
I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

My ten-year-old Skoda has one of those skinny spare wheels (tucked below
the boot) which has been a life-saver more than once, eg after an
encounter with a sharp-edged pothole filled with water on a remote bit
of the A1. If a repair kit doesn't work then you're in for the whole
expense and inconvenience of towing.

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the  road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

I _sort of_ wouldn't buy a car without a full-size spare wheel. I say
sort of, because I don't know if any now _exist_ with one - or other
things I want, like two reversing lights.

If you did buy a full-sized wheel+tyre as a spare, you would probably
not find room for it in a modern car's boot.

Doesn't that depend on the size of the car in question? Apart from
reading that the average new car is getting wider by 5mm each year -
where will it all end? - and that the latest variant of Ford's dinky
little Ka is now larger than the original Fiesta, what happened to
Issigonis's Mini has become a complete travesty of the word "Mini."

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you tow things with your car, neither the spray-can 'repair' nor a
skinny emergency tyre should be used whilst towing.
(People do, and the chances of getting caught out are low - but still...)

If this self-sealing foam is so good, why don't they fill car tyres
with it as standard?

Nick

[Vicky]

Post by Nick Odell

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you did buy a full-sized wheel+tyre as a spare, you would probably
not find room for it in a modern car's boot.

Doesn't that depend on the size of the car in question? Apart from
reading that the average new car is getting wider by 5mm each year -
where will it all end? - and that the latest variant of Ford's dinky
little Ka is now larger than the original Fiesta, what happened to
Issigonis's Mini has become a complete travesty of the word "Mini."

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you tow things with your car, neither the spray-can 'repair' nor a
skinny emergency tyre should be used whilst towing.
(People do, and the chances of getting caught out are low - but still...)

If this self-sealing foam is so good, why don't they fill car tyres
with it as standard?
Nick

Mr knowitall says because as it is a foam it degrades. It will get
you to a nearby garage. Or hard shoulder.

[Steveski]

Post by Vicky

Post by Nick Odell

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you did buy a full-sized wheel+tyre as a spare, you would probably
not find room for it in a modern car's boot.

Doesn't that depend on the size of the car in question? Apart from
reading that the average new car is getting wider by 5mm each year -
where will it all end? - and that the latest variant of Ford's dinky
little Ka is now larger than the original Fiesta, what happened to
Issigonis's Mini has become a complete travesty of the word "Mini."

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you tow things with your car, neither the spray-can 'repair' nor a
skinny emergency tyre should be used whilst towing.
(People do, and the chances of getting caught out are low - but still...)

If this self-sealing foam is so good, why don't they fill car tyres
with it as standard?
Nick

Mr knowitall says because as it is a foam it degrades. It will get
you to a nearby garage. Or hard shoulder.

It balls up (down Brritters) in the tyre.

[J. P. Gilliver]

[]

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you did buy a full-sized wheel+tyre as a spare, you would probably
not find room for it in a modern car's boot.

I meant, I'd want a car with a full-sized wheel & tyre already in place
somewhere. (In my current Škoda it's under the boot - accessed from
inside, so I think it's in a sort of bowl.)

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you tow things with your car, neither the spray-can 'repair' nor a
skinny emergency tyre should be used whilst towing.
(People do, and the chances of getting caught out are low - but still...)

Are those skinnies still inflated, or solid?

[Kosmo]

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you did buy a full-sized wheel+tyre as a spare, you would probably
not find room for it in a modern car's boot.

Given the size of modern cars (and I admit to owning one) there seem
terribly limited on what you can get inside. I suspect it the much
greater safety protection which ensures that life goes on even if the
car cannot.

[BrritSki]

Post by Kosmo

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you did buy a full-sized wheel+tyre as a spare, you would probably
not find room for it in a modern car's boot.

Given the size of modern cars (and I admit to owning one) there seem
terribly limited on what you can get inside.  I suspect it the much
greater safety protection which ensures that life goes on even if the
car cannot.

<LW and thread swerve back to ON topic TA>

It's the safety features that might nail George: aiui airbags only go
off if a seat is occupied, so Sherlock Burns will have subliminally
noticed this and eventually realise there is something fishy.

Then he'll remember the seat position that someotherat mentioned and the
dominoes will start falling. Then someone will realise that G's phone
has dried out and now working and they'll see that he called Will, who
will then retrieve his deleted messages which will still be physically
on his phone.

[Vicky]

On Thu, 9 May 2024 14:52:55 +0100, BrritSki

Post by BrritSki

Post by Kosmo

Post by Sam Plusnet
If you did buy a full-sized wheel+tyre as a spare, you would probably
not find room for it in a modern car's boot.

Given the size of modern cars (and I admit to owning one) there seem
terribly limited on what you can get inside.  I suspect it the much
greater safety protection which ensures that life goes on even if the
car cannot.

<LW and thread swerve back to ON topic TA>
It's the safety features that might nail George: aiui airbags only go
off if a seat is occupied, so Sherlock Burns will have subliminally
noticed this and eventually realise there is something fishy.
Then he'll remember the seat position that someotherat mentioned and the
dominoes will start falling. Then someone will realise that G's phone
has dried out and now working and they'll see that he called Will, who
will then retrieve his deleted messages which will still be physically
on his phone.

Do airbags always go off in an accident? So both would have? So how
did George manage to move Alice?

[BrritSki]

Post by Vicky
On Thu, 9 May 2024 14:52:55 +0100, BrritSki

Post by BrritSki
It's the safety features that might nail George: aiui airbags only go
off if a seat is occupied, so Sherlock Burns will have subliminally
noticed this and eventually realise there is something fishy.
Then he'll remember the seat position that someotherat mentioned and the
dominoes will start falling. Then someone will realise that G's phone
has dried out and now working and they'll see that he called Will, who
will then retrieve his deleted messages which will still be physically
on his phone.

Do airbags always go off in an accident? So both would have? So how
did George manage to move Alice?

If the sensors detect high G they will go off, but if the passenger seat
is unoccupied or low weight (i.e. a child) it will not. The bag inflates
very quickly to cushion the head, but then deflates so nobody
suffocates, so it would not hinder moving someone across the seats
although I don't think that would be at all easy even without the airbags.

[Wenlock]

Post by BrritSki

Post by Vicky
On Thu, 9 May 2024 14:52:55 +0100, BrritSki

Post by BrritSki
It's the safety features that might nail George: aiui airbags only go
off if a seat is occupied, so Sherlock Burns will have subliminally
noticed this and eventually realise there is something fishy.
Then he'll remember the seat position that someotherat mentioned and the
dominoes will start falling. Then someone will realise that G's phone
has dried out and now working and they'll see that he called Will, who
will then retrieve his deleted messages which will still be physically
on his phone.

Do airbags always go off in an accident? So both would have? So how
did George manage to move Alice?

If the sensors detect high G they will go off, but if the passenger seat
is unoccupied or low weight (i.e. a child) it will not. The bag inflates
very quickly to cushion the head, but then deflates so nobody
suffocates, so it would not hinder moving someone across the seats
although I don't think that would be at all easy even without the airbags.

I don’t think the airbags would have gone off. Alice’s car wasn’t involved
in a collision; George brought it to a halt while watching Mick drive into
the river. If airbags went off every time a driver braked in a potential
emergency there would be all kinds of problems.

[BrritSki]

Post by Wenlock
I don’t think the airbags would have gone off. Alice’s car wasn’t involved
in a collision; George brought it to a halt while watching Mick drive into
the river.

I stand corrected. The whole things was so errm, melodramatic, that I
actually lost track of what actually happened.

[Jim Easterbrook]

Post by BrritSki

Post by Wenlock
I don’t think the airbags would have gone off. Alice’s car wasn’t
involved in a collision; George brought it to a halt while watching
Mick drive into the river.

I stand corrected. The whole things was so errm, melodramatic, that I
actually lost track of what actually happened.

I'm still unclear as to what happened. During the episode it sounded as if
half the village were jumping into the river. In my imagination the Am is
too small to submerge a car.

[Kosmo]

Post by Jim Easterbrook
In my imagination the Am is
too small to submerge a car.

It was until it was dredged to enable Rex's canal barge to navigate to
its mooring and then for repair.

[occam]

Post by J. P. Gilliver

Post by Kate B

Post by Steveski

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.
Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.
I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

My ten-year-old Skoda has one of those skinny spare wheels (tucked below
the boot) which has been a life-saver more than once, eg after an
encounter with a sharp-edged pothole filled with water on a remote bit
of the A1. If a repair kit doesn't work then you're in for the whole
expense and inconvenience of towing.

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the  road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

I _sort of_ wouldn't buy a car without a full-size spare wheel.

I fear you (we, all) are quickly running out of options. When I
discovered that my Range Rover (4x4) Evoque didn't have one, my jaw
dropped. When a car with an off-road pedigree like Land Rover can make
spare tyres optional, then the end of the spare tyre is nigh.

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by occam

Post by J. P. Gilliver

Post by Kate B

Post by Steveski

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.
Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.
I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

My ten-year-old Skoda has one of those skinny spare wheels (tucked below
the boot) which has been a life-saver more than once, eg after an
encounter with a sharp-edged pothole filled with water on a remote bit
of the A1. If a repair kit doesn't work then you're in for the whole
expense and inconvenience of towing.

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the  road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

I _sort of_ wouldn't buy a car without a full-size spare wheel.

I fear you (we, all) are quickly running out of options. When I
discovered that my Range Rover (4x4) Evoque didn't have one, my jaw
dropped. When a car with an off-road pedigree like Land Rover can make
spare tyres optional, then the end of the spare tyre is nigh.

I think they are just trading on their established reputation for rugged
off-roading, much like Jeep.

[Rosie Mitchell]

Post by Vicky

Post by Kate B

Post by Steveski

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.
Or, if forced to, buy a spare wheel (even one of those skinny emergency
ones) but that takes up space you might otherwise want/need.
I don't think that the kits are very good and even if they contain
something like 'Finilec' or similar, you still might need some kind of
inflator.

My ten-year-old Skoda has one of those skinny spare wheels (tucked below
the boot) which has been a life-saver more than once, eg after an
encounter with a sharp-edged pothole filled with water on a remote bit
of the A1. If a repair kit doesn't work then you're in for the whole
expense and inconvenience of towing.

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

That's not the swimming pool car park. It just used to be a bigger car
park.

Rosie

[nick]

Post by Vicky
I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

Was that the one Keith Moon used?

Nick

[Jenny M Benson]

Post by nick

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the  road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

Was that the one Keith Moon used?

Did you mean Brian Jones? If so, BTN!

[Rosie Mitchell]

Post by Jenny M Benson

Post by nick

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the  road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

Was that the one Keith Moon used?

Did you mean Brian Jones? If so, BTN!

Absolutely!

For information: it was (allegedly) Keith Moon who drove a Lincoln
Continental or a Rolls Royce into the swimming pool of a Holiday Inn in
Flint, Michigan, although Roger Daltry later said that a lot of things
went into the swimming pool but not a car, and that Keith was too far
out of his head to remember. Brian Jones merely drowned (also out of his
head) in his own swimming pool.

Keith Moon died in Harry Nilsson's London pad, ironically not out of his
head but of an overdose of the pills he was taking to deal with the
symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. 'Mama' Cass Elliot died in the same flat
a few years earlier.

Rosie

[Nick Odell]

On Wed, 08 May 2024 20:08:10 +0100, Rosie Mitchell

Post by Rosie Mitchell

Post by Jenny M Benson

Post by nick

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the  road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

Was that the one Keith Moon used?

Did you mean Brian Jones? If so, BTN!

Absolutely!
For information: it was (allegedly) Keith Moon who drove a Lincoln
Continental or a Rolls Royce into the swimming pool of a Holiday Inn in
Flint, Michigan, although Roger Daltry later said that a lot of things
went into the swimming pool but not a car, and that Keith was too far
out of his head to remember. Brian Jones merely drowned (also out of his
head) in his own swimming pool.
Keith Moon died in Harry Nilsson's London pad, ironically not out of his
head but of an overdose of the pills he was taking to deal with the
symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. 'Mama' Cass Elliot died in the same flat
a few years earlier.

But not, as we are beinbg told by her daughter, from eating a ham
sandwich.

Nick

[Nick Odell]

On Wed, 8 May 2024 16:47:42 +0100, Jenny M Benson

Post by Jenny M Benson

Post by nick

I'm noticing a lot of quite large holes in the  road around here, and
in the swimming pool car park too.

Was that the one Keith Moon used?

Did you mean Brian Jones? If so, BTN!

No, I meant Keith Moon. But I'm willing to change my mind about that
if a BTN were involved.

Nick

[Ben Blaney]

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

[Clive Arthur]

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

I had one in 1981, but to be fair, there was canvass showing on the
tyre. It does seem to be a bit overplayed.

[Jim Easterbrook]

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

Maybe no one leaves screws or nails in the roads where you drive and/or
park.

I've never been in a lifeboat, but I wouldn't want to use a cross channel
ferry that didn't have any.

[Clive Arthur]

Post by Jim Easterbrook

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

Maybe no one leaves screws or nails in the roads where you drive and/or
park.
I've never been in a lifeboat, but I wouldn't want to use a cross channel
ferry that didn't have any.

Lugging that spare engine around must affect your fuel consumption though.

[BrritSki]

Post by Jim Easterbrook

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

Maybe no one leaves screws or nails in the roads where you drive and/or
park.

Or pieces of flint ! Which is what gave me a slow puncture on the way
to France a couple of years ago.
Luckily it retained enough pressure overnight to get me to the nearest
garage and then a tyre place in Moutiers was able to repair the tyre,
so I didn't need to change it.

The last times I had to change a wheel was when BrattSki discovered his
hire car had a flat just as they were leaving for the airport, so we
changed the wheel in under 10 minutes which given it was a strange car
to both of us was pretty good going. The spare was a skinny so speed
restricted but they still made their flight.

And a few years before that I had to help B's FiL when he clipped a step
on a narrow street in a nearby village.

[Kosmo]

Post by Jim Easterbrook

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

Maybe no one leaves screws or nails in the roads where you drive and/or
park.

Or pieces of flint !  Which is what gave me a slow puncture on the way
to France a couple of years ago.
Luckily it retained enough pressure overnight to get me to the nearest
garage and then a tyre place in Moutiers was able to repair the tyre,
so I didn't need to change it.
The last times I had to change a wheel was when BrattSki discovered his
hire car had a flat just as they were leaving for the airport, so we
changed the wheel in under 10 minutes which given it was a strange car
to both of us was pretty good going. The spare was a skinny so speed
restricted but they still made their flight.
And a few years before that I had to help B's FiL when he clipped a step
on a narrow street in a nearby village.

I think the last time I changed a tyre might have been in Florida.

[john ashby]

Post by Kosmo

Post by Jim Easterbrook

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

Maybe no one leaves screws or nails in the roads where you drive and/or
park.

Or pieces of flint !  Which is what gave me a slow puncture on the way
to France a couple of years ago.
Luckily it retained enough pressure overnight to get me to the nearest
garage and then a tyre place in Moutiers was able to repair the tyre,
so I didn't need to change it.
The last times I had to change a wheel was when BrattSki discovered
his hire car had a flat just as they were leaving for the airport, so
we changed the wheel in under 10 minutes which given it was a strange
car to both of us was pretty good going. The spare was a skinny so
speed restricted but they still made their flight.
And a few years before that I had to help B's FiL when he clipped a
step on a narrow street in a nearby village.

I think the last time I changed a tyre might have been in Florida.

I think that may be what the yoof of today call "a flex".

john

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by Kosmo

Post by Jim Easterbrook

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

Maybe no one leaves screws or nails in the roads where you drive and/or
park.

Or pieces of flint !  Which is what gave me a slow puncture on the way
to France a couple of years ago.
Luckily it retained enough pressure overnight to get me to the nearest
garage and then a tyre place in Moutiers was able to repair the tyre,
so I didn't need to change it.
The last times I had to change a wheel was when BrattSki discovered
his hire car had a flat just as they were leaving for the airport, so
we changed the wheel in under 10 minutes which given it was a strange
car to both of us was pretty good going. The spare was a skinny so
speed restricted but they still made their flight.
And a few years before that I had to help B's FiL when he clipped a
step on a narrow street in a nearby village.

I think the last time I changed a tyre might have been in Florida.

Things I have discovered (part 87a):

a) I (and my back) are getting older.
and
b) Those extra wide wheels & tyres on modern cars are bliddy heavy.

[Mike McMillan]

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

If you still drive, isn’t such a statement tempting fate???

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by Ben Blaney

Post by Steveski
I wouldn't buy a car that didn't have a spare.

Oh I would, in a heartbeat. I've never had a flat tyre in 31 years of
motoring.

Then you are probably 'due' for one.

I've had four[1] - two of them whilst travelling on a Motorway (at
motorway speeds - quite exciting!) - and another on a fast dual
carriageway (pretty exciting).

Having had some experience, I've been pretty careful about checking tyre
pressures and condition.

[1] Two of those were caravan tyres, not car tyres.

[Chris J Dixon]

Post by Sam Plusnet
I've had four[1] - two of them whilst travelling on a Motorway (at
motorway speeds - quite exciting!) - and another on a fast dual
carriageway (pretty exciting).
Having had some experience, I've been pretty careful about checking tyre
pressures and condition.
[1] Two of those were caravan tyres, not car tyres.

Thinking about it, all my experiences of sudden puncture, rather
than slow leak, have been on caravan tyres.

The most dramatic was ascending the hill to The Air Balloon in
Gloucestershire.

The car felt a little reluctant, and in the mirror I saw lots of
smoke. Luckily I was just passing the layby where a side road
leads in, and could put on the spare.

Chris

[Jim Easterbrook]

Post by Jim Easterbrook
The time has come to replace my aged Citroen C4 with something a bit
younger. Perusing my local car dealers' web sites I see it's now normal
to have a "puncture repair kit" instead of a spare wheel.

Just been to my local big car dealer to look at some Hyundais and Dacias.
They have spare wheel recesses in the boot, but they're inefficiently
filled by a battery for the "mild hybrid" that's now standard. )-:

[J. P. Gilliver]

Post by Jim Easterbrook

Post by Jim Easterbrook
The time has come to replace my aged Citroen C4 with something a bit
younger. Perusing my local car dealers' web sites I see it's now normal
to have a "puncture repair kit" instead of a spare wheel.

Are there any figures (I suspect not, as it'd be virtually impossible to
collect them; after a puncture, people aren't going to be in the mindset
to report things like this) for what _proportion_ of punctures _can_ be
repaired by these kits? I'd guess less than half. Meaning, people with a
puncture will have to call out a breakdown truck - with the consequent
extra delay for them, and pollution. (Though is the extra pollution from
the breakdown truck saved by the - I suspect tiny - saving in fuel from
not carrying a spare around all the time?)

I'd personally not like to have a car that didn't have a - full size,
too - spare wheel. But maybe _none_ do now?

Post by Jim Easterbrook
Just been to my local big car dealer to look at some Hyundais and Dacias.
They have spare wheel recesses in the boot, but they're inefficiently

When you say "inefficiently", do you mean it's not a spare-wheel-shaped
battery, or inefficient in some other way?

Looking at EVs: I've long thought (until universal fast-charging
facilities are widely available, which I can see not being in my
lifetime, to make electric-only vehicles practicable) that I wouldn't
want a hybrid vehicle of the sort where the wheels are directly driven
by both the electric and a fuel motor; that sounds horrendously
complicated mechanically, and thus heavy so inefficient to drag around
by either power system. I'd want electric-only drive (with regenerative
braking, of course), with a small fuel engine which _only_ drives a
generator. These used to be sold as "range extenders" - BMW did one (i3
was it?) - but they seemed to disappear. (And I don't think any of them
were diesel, which would be my preference.)

I saw one of the big (Japanese I think) makes, TV advertising what they
call "e-Power", which at first I thought was this sort of thing: wheels
driven by electric motors only, a fuel engine to charge the battery.
BUT: on enquiring, I found that _you can't plug them in_; in other
words, the _only_ way to put energy into these, is to put fuel in. So
overall, these are, really, fuel-only vehicles; the only advantage
(environmentally) they have is regenerative braking. I sincerely hope
they're not getting any tax advantages, or soon won't.

[Jim Easterbrook]

Post by J. P. Gilliver
I'd personally not like to have a car that didn't have a - full size,
too - spare wheel. But maybe _none_ do now?

Space saver spares really aren't that bad. I've used mine. It pulls a bit
to the side it's fitted on when used on the front, but is unnoticeable
when used on the back.

I think spare wheels are disappearing as standard equipment, but available
as an option on cars where the well hasn't been filled with a battery. I
hope the option also includes a jack and wrench!

Post by J. P. Gilliver

Post by Jim Easterbrook
Just been to my local big car dealer to look at some Hyundais and Dacias.
They have spare wheel recesses in the boot, but they're inefficiently

When you say "inefficiently", do you mean it's not a spare-wheel-shaped
battery, or inefficient in some other way?

The former. It's a rectangular battery in a round hole.

[Kosmo]

Post by Jim Easterbrook

Post by J. P. Gilliver
I'd personally not like to have a car that didn't have a - full size,
too - spare wheel. But maybe _none_ do now?

Space saver spares really aren't that bad. I've used mine. It pulls a bit
to the side it's fitted on when used on the front, but is unnoticeable
when used on the back.
I think spare wheels are disappearing as standard equipment, but available
as an option on cars where the well hasn't been filled with a battery. I
hope the option also includes a jack and wrench!

Post by J. P. Gilliver

Post by Jim Easterbrook
Just been to my local big car dealer to look at some Hyundais and Dacias.
They have spare wheel recesses in the boot, but they're inefficiently

When you say "inefficiently", do you mean it's not a spare-wheel-shaped
battery, or inefficient in some other way?

The former. It's a rectangular battery in a round hole.

SO not a square plug in a round hole.

[Jim Easterbrook]

Post by Jim Easterbrook
Space saver spares really aren't that bad. I've used mine. It pulls a
bit to the side it's fitted on when used on the front, but is
unnoticeable when used on the back.

Correction: my current car's spare is not a full on space saver, it's just
a smaller rim, narrower tread wheel as used on the base model. It's
overall diameter is 634 mm against the normal tyre's 632 mm. Still limited
to 50 mph though.

[Jenny M Benson]

Post by J. P. Gilliver
I'd personally not like to have a car that didn't have a - full size,
too - spare wheel. But maybe _none_ do now?

During much of my childhood our cars were Land Rovers - of the good
old-fashioned kind that *looked* like LRs and carried the spare wheel on
the bonnet. When we visited our cottage in the country, approached
through 2 fields, someone had to get out of the car to open the gate and
would then climb up and sit in the spare wheel to finish the journey.
That was the favoured place, second favourite was to the side of the
bonnet on the large flat mudguard.

Childhood was so much more fun before Elfin Safety was invented!

[Jim Easterbrook]

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

I've found this article, which isn't exactly reassuring:
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tips-advice/96629/how-use-car-tyre-puncture-repair-kit

Note that the cans of sealant need replacing periodically, and most tyre
repair places won't fix a foam filled tyre, so that's more environmental
waste...

[J. P. Gilliver]

Post by Jim Easterbrook

Post by Jim Easterbrook
I'm rather sceptical about these magic kits. Clearly they wouldn't cope
with a massive tear in the side wall (happened to me many years ago) but
do they actually work for normal punctures? How fiddly are they to use?
Could you use one in a lay-by on a wet and windy night? Am I being
unreasonably sceptical?

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tips-advice/96629/how-use-car-tyre-punctur
e-repair-kit

"If your car doesn’t have a puncture repair kit or spare wheel for
some reason, you will need to source one as soon as possible as having
some means of replacing or fixing a puncture is a legal requirement." Is
that actually true? First I've ever heard of it.

Post by Jim Easterbrook
Note that the cans of sealant need replacing periodically, and most tyre
repair places won't fix a foam filled tyre, so that's more environmental
waste...

Basically, I want a spare! Fortunately, my Octavia has one, but that's a
56, so now nearly 18 years old ... (even if I think of it as relatively
new, as it has gimmicks and complications my previous cars didn't.)

[Jim Easterbrook]

Post by Jim Easterbrook
The time has come to replace my aged Citroen C4 with something a bit
younger.

Just in case anyone's still remotely interested, I've finally settled on a
1½ year old Hyundai i20 manual with the most basic trim level. Should be
ready to collect next Thursday. Will order a spare wheel as soon as I get
a chance to measure the well and see if anything better than the standard
T125/80D15 full-on space saver will fit.