Spare Tire on the Roof

[al1florida]

About whether or not the tire service people are capable of mounting your tire on the wheel.

Every time I have called my road service program for tire service, the tire service people have always called before coming out to be sure they know where you are and just what kind of work you need done. If you need a tire mounted, be sure you tell them when they call. If they can't do that, call back to your road service program and tell them you need someone who can mount your spare.

[William Higbie]

I always wonder how often flat tires occur. It has never happened to me on the motorhome, and has been more than 20 years in my car. I dont believe I have ever had a blowout since radial tires came on the market. If flat tires were common, road service policies for rv's would not be so cheap. I think I will still go without a spare as I dont feel like hauling it around, and I dont want it taking up space and adding weight to my vehicle on the very very very unlikely case I will get a flat, and a even more unlikely case it will be a blowout. The service companies can fix most road hazard flats. One thing I always do is check tires frequently and always keep good tires on both my motorhome and my cars.

[William Higbie]

You are right on about the importance of good quality tires. The old story that you get what you pay for is usually true. I have good quality michelin and have had no problem. I replaced my tires after the date on tire indicated it was 6 yrs old. I always wonder about when to change since my golfing buddy has a class A and the tires are 11 years old and he goes 4 to 6k miles per year. He is replacing the tires since they are getting a bit low on tread. I am not as brave as he is.

[Dallas Baillio]

Traveling into Cleveland, OH in November 2012 my dog was on my lap. I could feel the BF pulling to the right but thought my dog was pressing upon the steering wheel. I had been driving on two lane U.S. highways and the Interstate before I stopped. Took my dog for a walk and when I returned found the right front tire flat. So it can happen. Called USAA roadside assistance. As I waited I removed my inflated tire on rim from under the couch storage and had a beer and snacks. My dog had treats as well. Roadside assistance arrived and changed the tire. First flat in 100,000 miles. Glad I had a spare on a rim. Have had three sets of Firestone tires and am well pleased with them and like them even better since they cost much less than Michelins which are overrated and overpriced.

If you have a spare on a rim, a spare without a rim, or no spare you will get through it. Whatever.

[SteveS]

Here is the tire carrier I use.
Steve

[SteveS]

In the closed position.

[whemme]

After owning two BF coaches since 1999 and using a PressurePro TPMS, my experience is that the most likely cause of a tire deflation was the rubber valve stems that came standard on the Ford E350 and E450 chassis. Rubber valve stem leaks are independent of the brand of tires installed.

I finally installed all metal valve stems at the last tire change to eliminate that problem. I am now running my third set of Firestone Transforce tires over approximately a total of 125,000 miles and have never suffered a flat or blowout in one of these tires. I do carry a mounted spare and have never had to use it but that is OK with me, it is there if I would ever need it.

For 10 years as a part time retirement job, I worked for a company called RIDES in Iowa which was the Regional Transit Authority that ran a total of 70 transit buses all based on the Ford E350 and E450 chasis just like our Born Free coaches. The company had its own two mechanics on staff to maintain these buses and company chose to alway use Firestone Transforce replacment tires based on their vast experience with different tire choices.

[bill crommett]

One of the three flats I have had on motorhomes in the past twenty years was due to a bolt thrown up by the front wheel into the path of the right rear inside dual. I noticed no untoward driving problems except the seemingly low pressure in the outside dual. The next one was a large shard of metal that was laying on the road where it didn't belong. On the Born Free BFT I put metal stems on with the change tires after six years, and have had no problems since. I presently carry no spare, but I will be looking into a front mount, but that will be a problem because I chose to mount a good deer-catcher on the front. I have an expert modification mechanic available that can give me the honest answer to the possibilities.