Spare wheel on roof further questions

Depends on murphys law we met and helped a bloke that had 3 flats going from innaminka to birdsville to the races,on the other hand others rarely have repairs,given the equipment you carry i would just take a spare casing leave the rim at home,I used to carry two spares but now only one and full repair equipment All the best

Ahh... how long is a piece of string? I went around Aus, thru the middle, and never got a puncture. But on one trip up north on a good gravel road I got two punctures in 10 minutes.

I had 2 spares at the time so not a problem, it was nearly 40C so glad I didn't have to fix a tyre in the heat - and one of them was not fixable anyway. I had all the gear so would of been right even if I only had only 1 spare.

But to answer your question, it really depends where "Murphy" is at the time. If pushed for room, I would take 1 spare and all the gear to fix - a spare on the roof is guaranteed to knock your economy, whereas you may never get 2 flats at a time!

Cheers

Captain

Ment to add if you only take a casing and have rear located spare you can lash the spare casing to the original spare therefore not requiring a roof rack at all,as for fuel i would guess roughly extra 10% but it is only a guess.happy travels

If you have Cooper ST's I would take more than 2 spares.

ajd

Andrew
If you take it and don't use it ...that's good , but if you leave it home and need it...that's bad, I think pepper2's answer is a good one,

Andrew,

During our trip to Simpson there was no puncture. However I replaced one wheel because it became heavily disbalanced. Depends on luck. Rook rack is fuel drinker on freeways - 1 to 2 litters per 100 Km depending what you put on it. If you thinking about roof rack only in conjunction with spare wheel, my suggestion would be take just tyre inside vehicle. You can feel all cavities inside tyre with stuff, thus loosing no space. If worst came to the worst, then you can mount tyre on your spare rim – you have enough tools to do it.

One or two tyres been debating quite a few times. There is no consensus here – some strongly advocate two while some believe that comprehensive tyre repair kit altogether with spare tube or two is sufficient. I have decided to go two tyres route and get double tyre rear wheel carrier. Actually it has certain benefits even in urban life – you can drop tyre for repair for a week without worrying that you drive without spare one.

Cheers
Serg

May also depend a little on the type of tyre your are running. What sort do you use ?. Others on this forum may be able to let you know who reliable they are

We did in a tyre once, early into a trip, when we only had one spare. Tyre was pretty much unrepairable. We didnt relax for the rest of the trip as a result. So IMO, if you're going off road, for piece of mind, take a second spare. cheers JD

Probably a bit of a personnel thing Andrew.

I never have or would on the regular runs.
I would consider it on real virgin territory.

Using Birdsville track as an example which I have done
many times with friends, we have never had an issue but every
single time they have.
Good for them ,replacement tyres were not significantly dearer in
Birdsville (apparently they bulk buy).

While we can all have some bad luck it mainly comes down to
speed, loading and care with tyre pressures.

We take repair equipment as you do, this includes spare
tube and some really large patches.

At a reasonable 5% increase in fuel consumption for roof stuff
thats about $60 extra to carry it or a 5000km return trip.

I'd rather put that towards a tyre monitoring system so that a
punture does not become a total tyre loss.

Was up in richmond ( NSW) a bout a year ago - going down to the river --- seen a 4x4 in trouble -- stopped to offer assistance --- - they had 2 flat tyres --- when asked if they had a spare - they told me this is actually there 3rd flat for the day spare was already on the car .... this was on a simple dirt track ....

would you need a 2nd or third spare tire if traveling to a remote area .... YOU BET


Boc

I effectively carry two spares, 1 on the car and one on the camper.

When we did the Cape Yorke trip I had 10 punctures in 8 weeks and still did not fit the second spare.

The worst that happened to us was at Archer River. When I turned around at the causeway I managed to puncture both rear tyres, a bone in one and a horseshoe nail in the other. I only noticed them after we were set up camp. I repaird them while the boss cooked tea. I was lucky they went down when we were finished for the day. But I could have repaired them at the roadside if necessary.

One of the flat tyres I got on that trip was a torn valve stem. It happened on the expressway heading into Brisbane. It was just my turn I guess.

I'll just ask a couple of questions, see what your answers are.

Do you carry spare brake linings? Spare brake lines? I once had a break line torn off in the bush. Do you carry a replacement clutch kit and the tools to fit it? What about a fuel shut off solenoid? I had one of them fail too.

I don't either. I would not carry the 2nd spare. Given all your other tyre repair gear I think you have the flat tyre reasonably well covered.

Make sure your tyres are in good nick when you leave home, plenty of tread. Monitor tyre pressures and adjust to suit the terrain and drive to the terrain.

Duncs

Tragically, our count was 27 punctures for 7 weeks on two vehicles and trailers. OK most of that was off road and off track and in the sidewalls, but one nasty rock can soon ruin the sidewall of a tyre and cause a lot of anxiety on the best of tracks. Have a look how many BFG's you see bleep tered on the Gibb, a super highway these days! Better to have and never use than need and not have!

Cheers. Mick.

Agree with Ozboc, when we go bush have 3 spares (tyres and wheels) and some years we have used all. What the additional spares give you is that you can pick your time to do the repair or replacement/purchase. Additional spares are definitely required if you are off road on your own.

Have one spare underneath the LC, one on the back and one on a roof carrier specially made for the spare, The roof unit is positioned at the rear of the roof to lessen the impact on fuel usage.

Peter

If you travel alone, use worn tyres, drive really fast, overload your vehicle, run high pressures, or simply enjoy peace of mind, then yes you need 2 spares.

Depends where you are going Andrew. When you say "heading off to the centre and beyond" do you mean Alice Springs by the main road or across the Simpson via the Madigan route? Will there be cross country driving? Are you travelling alone or in a group with similar vehicles? Do your tyres have 70% tread or are they almost bald wearing the last bit out?
Personally I run good tyres carrying a full repair kit & don't bother with the 2nd spare unless on very remote trips or maybe travelling alone. Punctures aren't as big a problem with modern tubeless tyres as the vast majority of times one simply plugs them. The way I look at it is I've only ever destroyed 2 tyres beyond repair in well over 20 years so the chance of blowing them between outback towns 200 to 400 KM apart would be very unlikely.
I'd never let the need to carry a 2nd spare be compromised by trying to save on fuel. If you need it, take it.
Cheers Craig................

take a second spare , if your that worried about the extra fuel don,t go
mechpete

I carry a spare on the roof of my diesel Cruiser plus a roof bag full of stuff. On our last trip towing an Aussie Swag over 13,000 kms we averaged 16lts /100. Over half of these km's were dirt road. It's hard to say what it would be without the tyre and trailer. We normally average 12lts /100 around town with the ARB roof rack on.
I carry a repair kit and Beadbraker and firmly believe in the adage if I didn't I would need them.
I find one of the biggest fuel users is speed. I cruise at 2000 - 2200 rpm (85 - 90 kph). If I go over this the needle on the fuel guage moves down very quickly.

Just be careful of weight distribution if you carry 2 full spares; especially if they are 35" suckers at almost 50kgs each!!!

I had both of mine mounted on the back of the cargo box (same applies to those who have dual wheel carriers on the back of their wagon) and the weight , being so far back, was a contributing factor in the cracking of my chassis.

I'm going to have my chassis extended so i can move the heavy tyres forward of the rear axle.

I used to carry a 2nd spare with wheel, up on the roof rack, but it's too bloody hard to get it up there these days...... having 4" lift plus the extra height gained from the 35" tyres doesn't help)

Roachie

Hi Andrew
i always take a case and two new tubes as well as patching equipment, when we have the camper we also have a second complete tyre as well.
Packing the case with cargo is a great idea as mentioned.
I would not be game enough to travel remotely with out a second spare or case and tubes as i have had 3 flat tyres in the space of 80km on a freshly graded road!!!!! flag stone rocks cutting side walls.
As said earlier it would not be worth the worry wondering if you are going to make it or not, it would take the fun out of the holiday for me.

Mattie

lol at when people hang bleep on tyre brand names. On a recent trip of 15000 km which included the Gibb River Road it is hard to see what brand name the stranded tyres were. Maybe you need to stop every 1 or 2 klms to take notes. Anyway on our trip in a Hilux towing a camper we were lucky to have no flats (bridgestone dessert dullers)

Have spent the last ten years carrying two spares all around & through this country & never needed them........ Yet!! Carefull driving to the road/track conditions & adjusting type pressures to suit also is a big factor... I believe.
We also wouldn't leave on a long trip with tyres that that are getting on in kms. Would rather replace them before we leave home. & always by quality tyres.......
We carry our second spare on the roof rack & for the extra fuel cost I think it's cheap insurance when you are remote.
I would rather be looking at it than looking for it!!
Guarantee as soon as I leave the extra one at home I'll be needing it.
PMK

Andrew
Extra spare???? Don't leave home without one.

Recovery is expensive, an extra spare (AND in very remote country a spare casing ALSO) is cheap insurance, I know from expensive and scary experience.

Learn from others experience, it's safer & cheaper than DIY.
Cheers Colin.

Hi Andrew,

I would rather take the second spare and wear the cost of the extra fuel than sit around wondering what to do when you need it. It depends if you are travelling in a group with the same tyre etc and were you are going. I would take one to be safe, but I am a cautious kind of guy.

Cheers

Andrew 2 yrs ago we did the gulf country of Q.L.D,and i had a spare on the roof rack,i never needed it mate i just took it easy got my pressure right,we wern't towing so we had every thing in the back or on the rack and we travelled over 7 thousaand ks,we went up through Lawn Hill,King Fisher Camp,Normanton and accross to Townsville then down through Winton,Windoura.Innamicka and then the flinder's ,if i was you YEP take THAT SPARE mate at least you will have peace of mind,NOTHIN LIKE BEIN PREPARED.cheer's GREENDOG

I'm still a strong believer of keeping highway pressures on dirt/gravel roads. But I do lower my speed. GRR, Birdsville track, Cape, Pilbara, Merinee, Burke Development Rd and many gravel roads in between, all at 40psi in BFG AT's. Not a hint of sidewall damage. Well apart from some scuffing and tearing into the lettering blocks through ruts and holes etc.

Do mine vehicles 'air down'? Truckies? Do station owners? Do professional shooters?

Realistically 90% of these are no less than dirt/rocky highways anyway. If I venture from there I will certainly look at dropping them.

Now that I have said this I bet I hole a carcass or two in our upcoming trip...

Have three and have used two of them from a grid. Ours are mounted on the Rear bumper. Good stone deflector.

Thanks for all the comments.
Lots of good stuf to think through.
Will now look at how much spece we have and think about a second casing as we have tyre changing gear and the idea of being left without a spare if we destroy a tyre is a concern as we won'r have time to chase up a repalcement.

regards

Andrew

Take 2 always. If you are worried about caryying it on the roof think about the cost of buying another tyre out bush. How much extra would that cost you?