To carry a spare tire or not

[kyle4501]

Well, I have been of the opinion that I don't need to carry a spare since I have NEVER needed one on any of my trips.

That changed this past week on our vacation to WDW. We were in my pre-bus (GMC Suburban 3/4ton HD pulling 32' Airstream)

Saturday - Trip to WDW
5:00 AM - Leave home. 
5:30 AM - Hit something that ruins rear tire's ability to retain pressurized air. 
6:30 AM - Spare installed & back on the road. 
6:35 AM - Stop to add air to newly installed spare since I neglected to do so when I checked the tires on the ground the night before. 
6:45 AM - After swapping parts from my tire inflator to the derelict one armed air bandit, I was able to get the spare properly inflated. 
7:00 AM - Finally back on the road after restoring the aforementioned one armed air bandit to it's "as found" condition. 
7:05 till 8:00 AM - Debate with self & wife when to replace ruined tire. Decided to take the chance & ride on to WDW since the spare looked better than the others. That & the fact we'd loose a day either way if we replaced it now or had to wait for a tow . . .
~ "pit stops" for watering & gas & checking the tires along the way & all is good. 
6:00 PM - Arrive at WDW!   
(AVG MPG ~ 7.5  , All at or 5mph below posted speed limits.)

Thurs - buy a new tire - only thing avail had a mud/ snow tread, so it stayed as a spare. Remember, the old spare actually "looked" better than the others. Except for the fact it was a Firestone tire, I wasn't concerned.

Saturday - Trip home.
9:00 AM - Depart Fort Wilderness. 
9:10 AM - Check tires & all is good. 
11:00 AM - "pit stop" for watering & checking the tires - all is good. 
1:30 PM - Stop for gasoline at $4.35    & break for lunch 
3:30 PM - "pit stop" for watering & checking the tires - all is good. 
3:45 PM - While in heavy traffic at 60 mph, the Firestone spare does what Firestone's do best - Yep, instant catastrophic failure sending rubber & wire EVERYWHERE! I was so glad I spent the time properly setting up the REESE anti sway cam hitch! It was essentially a 'nonevent' & I pulled over to the shoulder to change another tire!   
4:00 PM - Back on the road     This time, I used my DeWalt 18v drill to spin the jack & run the lug nuts off & back on.    (I torqued the nuts back on with my pull bar.)
8:00 PM - HOME SWEET HOME
(for return trip was 8.75mpg at constant 60 mph cruise)


My suggestion is that if you are on a schedule & can change a tire, carring one isn't enough, make sure it is easy to access for checking the air pressure.
Also, it ain't no fun unloading stuff to access it either! Would have been much worse in the rain! 

[Busted Knuckle]

Kyle,
Glad to hear your trip went safe and enjoyable, even with the 2 flats. Also am glad to see that the choice to spend the time getting a new spare paid off in the long run!
As a charter company we ALWAYS carry a good spare on our coaches, although we do not always have the tools to change it. But a service call to change a tire is still much cheaper than buying a tire from a service truck in the middle of nowhere!

On the side note again sorry we weren't able to meet up, and share a beverage or 2, but on the other hand Holly and Haley both have to be cuter than you! LOL! So it worked out great, that I was at the hotel that night!
  BK 

[kyle4501]

Yeah, I got the feeling you didn't want me around 

Good to know you have your priorities in order 

It was good to talk to you anyways