Emergency Repair Kit For Caravan Tyre

[snowbird75]

​Anyone have any views about using one of these instead of a spare. My car doesn't have a spare, and I had job to get the caravan spare out to check it before towing down to Spain. I even had to resort to angle grinding the locking bolt off! Needless to say the Alko carrier is now scrapped. No room to store it in the van, and don't fancy having to keep putting it in and out of the van, so wondered about just taking the emergency kit. Checked with the caravan club insurers and they confirmed I would be recovered if the van punctured.

 

​Comments would be appreciated.

[Keefmac]

What sort of kit?. Depends what's gone through the tyre, if you have a piece of metal or glass that's slit the tyre no foam repair will hold that.

 

Can't you carry the 'van wheel flat in the boot?.

 

Same with the car, I made sure ours had a proper spare wheel. .

 

Saying that if you're happy to wait for recovery it doesn't matter either way.

[Paul_B]

It has been mentioned on the forum many times and the majority of us who've had a puncture have found the tyre irreparable, nowadays we do have tyre monitors which may help us be aware of a puncture so we might stop before the tyre is shredded

[Ern]

It's an interesting issue this. In 40 odd years I have had 2 caravan tyre issues. The first caused by my overloaded caravan being towed at speed in a warm country. The tyre fitted by the caravan maker was barely adequate for the load, and I do not know whether I had it inflated correctly. In other words it was my fault. The second involved a tyre which was overloaded and in poor condition, in other words it was also my fault. So to sum up, I have not had a failure of a correctly inflated and correctly loaded tyre in good condition. Perhaps Hobby have got it right, as the largest caravan producer in the world they no longer supply a spare as standard.

[Black Grouse]

Tyre strings - can work very effectively in some cases, allowing you to get to a repairer.

[Stevan]

No way is a can of gunge suitable for a 300 mile journey!

 

However, if it even stands a chance of getting your outfit off the motorway to a place of safety that is different.

 

My vote is to carry both.

[blondchaser]

There have been stories circulating that tyre fitters won't repair a puncture if a can of this stuff has been used previously.

Personally, I wouldn't leave home without a spare wheel.

[robloasby]

I've never had any belief in those reinflation kits, whether for car tyres or otherwise. I've always insisted on a full-size spare, or at worst a "get you home" space saver.

 

Once a tyre lets go, the damage it suffers to the carcass before you get to a stop is unknown. So applying a can of gunk is at best a lottery as to whether it will let go again, or no use at all if it has shredded.

 

And considering the extra stresses a caravan tyre is put under would make it a complete no-no for me.

[Guest]

​Anyone have any views about using one of these instead of a spare. My car doesn't have a spare, and I had a job to get the caravan spare out to check it before towing down to Spain. I even had to resort to angle grinding the locking bolt off! Needless to say the Alko carrier is now scrapped. No room to store it in the van, and don't fancy having to keep putting it in and out of the van, so wondered about just taking the emergency kit. Checked with the caravan club insurers and they confirmed I would be recovered if the van punctured.

​Comments would be appreciated.

My personal view :-

I would never leave home without a full size tyre on a spare wheel for both the towing vehicle and trailer (caravan).

Tyres can be damaged beyond repair in a very short distance following a puncture, and the wheel rim may also be damaged.

Some tyre carriers may not be ideal but regular servicing, that includes greasing both the retaining bolt and the sliders, can prevent the scenario you refer to.

Gordon.

[Keefmac]

There have been stories circulating that tyre fitters won't repair a puncture if a can of this stuff has been used previously.

 

Personally, I wouldn't leave home without a spare wheel.

I've had to replace motorcycle tyres due to the emergency repair gunge which otherwise would have been repairable.

 

But on the flip side it did get them back on the road.

 

As said above the tyre string repairs (strip of rubber pushed into the tyre) can normally be repaired after.

[Tuningdrew]

There have been stories circulating that tyre fitters won't repair a puncture if a can of this stuff has been used previously.

Personally, I wouldn't leave home without a spare wheel.

+1

as an aside,something I looked into when we went briefly back to a single axle was seeing if I could find a space saver wheel with the correct PCD and circumference as the Lunar. I didnt get too far as we changed the van but a VW wheel looked promising.

[Black Grouse]

+1

as an aside,something I looked into when we went briefly back to a single axle was seeing if I could find a space saver wheel with the correct PCD and circumference as the Lunar. I didnt get too far as we changed the van but a VW wheel looked promising.

You need to get the offset right as well as overall tyre diameter/circumference, PCD and centre bore - a modern single axle caravan may be too heavy for a car space-saver wheel - my Touareg space-saver wheel is "only" rated at 900kg, car space-saver wheels may be down at 600kg.

[lukijb]

I removed the Alko spare wheel frame complete and the steel spare is now strapped down under the double bed, almost over the axle on our Lunar 544. It's a win win situation as the spare is handy and clean + weight saving of the carrier. Although we don't have a wheel well on our 7 seater VW Touran and haven't had a puncture for about 10 years (car & van)I still carry a space saver in the boot. As previous posts have suggested, once you realise that you've got a puncture (particularly on the van) the sidewalls are usually so degraded that the risk of re-inflating with a puncture pack is too dangerous particularly at the axle weights and tyre pressures that caravan associated are subjected to. Having spare wheels for both just gives me that peace of mind when driving back at late night departures!

[iansoady]

The problem is that whereas a deflating tyre on a car makes itself obvious very quickly, the same on a caravan is unlikely to be spotted till the tyre has completely deflated and is unlikely to be any further use.

[DaveMiller]

Is any one using a tyre pressure monitor for their caravan tyres?

[Black Grouse]

Is any one using a tyre pressure monitor for their caravan tyres?

Yes - I use a TyrePal TB99/4 (now superceded by their Solar 4) with the single axle caravan tyres set as the rear axle but it could be used on a twin axle. Cost me £105 including the 4 sensors.

 

It's actually better than most car TPMS as it monitors/displays both temperature as well as pressure - it's a good idea to limit the temperature increase from cold measurement to hot running to 10% so gives a good indication of the initial pressures being correct, or not.

[JTQ]

I am doing the same as BG above using the TB99 in that role as the car has its own system.

 

I do get some issues with the continuity of a consistent readout of the off sidetyre [even if I try alternative senders].

I suspect it is the bulk of my own body mass is just blanking the signal than final challenge too much, as it always is there at the start of a journey as I have moved the van with the mover to couple up and at that time I am of course not sat in the driving seat.

On road it cuts in and out every 10 or 20 miles or so; but I persist in it being better than nothing.

 

I am very much a believer in that the tyre write-off failures so nearly universal with caravan tyre failures, is they run under inflated too long before being noticed. Run to an extent where the wall structure is wrecked by the flexing heat simply because unlike in a vehicle you are immune to the hints things are not right.

 

Therefore I see caravan TPMS as a very valuable tool, I certainly would not consider the tyre goog concept without a TPMS.

Just wish my own Tyrepal was more reliable than it is proving to be in this application.

[pagan8c]

When I first started caravaning about 30 yes ago the spare wheel I had was kept on the floor of the van whilst towing and when sited pushed under the caravan. They didn't have spare wheel carriers then so needs must. I too would make sure I took a spare wheel because some of the breakdown companies will not be, able to move the van or not be able to obtain the right tyre. This is especially true on the continent I M H O . I never had a puncture whilst towing but 1 on my drive which went down overnight the day I picked a new van up. This turned out to be a poor repair which was either done at the factory or the dealer . Either way the dealer paid for a mobile fitter to put a new tyre on.

Edited December 17, 2016 by pagan8c

[Black Grouse]

I am doing the same as BG above using the TB99 in that role as the car has its own system.

 

I do get some issues with the continuity of a consistent readout of the off sidetyre [even if I try alternative senders].

I suspect it is the bulk of my own body mass is just blanking the signal than final challenge too much, as it always is there at the start of a journey as I have moved the van with the mover to couple up and at that time I am of course not sat in the driving seat.

On road it cuts in and out every 10 or 20 miles or so; but I persist in it being better than nothing.

 

I am very much a believer in that the tyre write-off failures so nearly universal with caravan tyre failures, is they run under inflated too long before being noticed. Run to an extent where the wall structure is wrecked by the flexing heat simply because unlike in a vehicle you are immune to the hints things are not right.

 

Therefore I see caravan TPMS as a very valuable tool, I certainly would not consider the tyre goog concept without a TPMS.

Just wish my own Tyrepal was more reliable than it is proving to be in this application.

You need their TCRR signal repeater, £54, fitted in the boot taking it's power from the 12v socket or trailer wiring

 

http://www. tyrepal. co. uk/wp-content/uploads/TCRR-Repeater-instructions-20160311. pdf

[Jiffy176]

Likewise I use Tyrepal. Been ok so far though I have the 125 I think.

It's surprising how much just the sun can change the temperature in the tyre.

[JTQ]

You need their TCRR signal repeater, £54, fitted in the boot taking it's power from the 12v socket or trailer wiring

 

http://www. tyrepal. co. uk/wp-content/uploads/TCRR-Repeater-instructions-20160311. pdf

 

I am aware of this and agree it could well solve the issue; I am just a tad reticent with experiences from the past to spend even more in the hope of getting a long term reliable solution, I did that moving to the TB99.

[Upyonder]

Is any one using a tyre pressure monitor for their caravan tyres?

Used one for several years.

 

Might try these if they make em for caravans. Tiguan came with them.

 

http://www. continental-tyres. co. uk/car/technology/extended-mobility-main/contiseal

Edited December 17, 2016 by Upyonder

[Black Grouse]

Used one for several years.

 

Might try these if they make em for caravans. Tiguan came with them.

 

http://www. continental-tyres. co. uk/car/technology/extended-mobility-main/contiseal

The punctures I've had caused by nails/screws in the tread area have all been resealing with only a small loss of pressure over a month - even when there's a slow puncture a TPMS would show that up though.

[DaveMiller]

I see now that I have committed the cardinal sin of dragging the conversation away from the original subject; apologies for that perhaps a Mod can split it?

 

I've a VW and whilst it is fitted with a tyre pressure warning system it is of the crude type that works of the ABS, sensing rotational speed rather than tyre pressure so I am about to invest in the TyrePal TC215B with 6 sensors so as to cover all wheels.

[Black Grouse]

I see now that I have committed the cardinal sin of dragging the conversation away from the original subject; apologies for that perhaps a Mod can split it?

 

I've a VW and whilst it is fitted with a tyre pressure warning system it is of the crude type that works of the ABS, sensing rotational speed rather than tyre pressure so I am about to invest in the TyrePal TC215B with 6 sensors so as to cover all wheels.

Basic that system maybe, but more reliable, fewer things to go wrong, doesn't need new wheel sensors every 5 years - and no extra cost if you have a separate set of winter wheels/tyres.

 

Save some money, get a TyrePal Solar 4 at £99 for 4 sensors, rather than TC215B at £265 for 6 sensors.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Black Grouse