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Tyre Inflation Kit Or Spacesaver Wheel > Experiences??


cappers
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After a bit of advice.

Bit gutted my car does not come with a spare wheel, but rather this daft can of foam. Has anyone had any good, bad or indifferent experiences with the foam?

I am mainly concerned with the replacement cost of this. I guess a Ford like for like one is not going to be much less than £50, so does this "Tyre weld" or similar you can buy in Halford or elsewhere, work as well/do the same job (£10?). Can this be used as a replacement?

Can punctures be repaired post foam, or has the fact you have used the foam render the tyre irrepairable, if if it might have been repairable if the foam was not used?

Does anyone recommend to buy a space saver wheel, jack and brace (which I would rather have!. ANy idea of the cost? If so how does this work. Do I buy a 16" one as I have 16" alloys, or would a 14" one do, which some people say you can. Are these space savers vehicle specific, or as long as they have the right amount of holes would one fit another?

Any help/advice would be apprciated

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Breakers can give you a full Fiesta kit for very little (£20-£30)

It is recommended to have the space saver, as foam doesn't work well on blow outs, nor big gashes.

If you have a puncture again, the tyre is ruined.

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Yes, if you use the foam, it renders the tyre useless!

In my experience, I'm on my 5th car

S ford ka2 one slow puncture nothing to worry about

03 Fiesta Zetec, not a problem (writtern off)

06 Fiesta Zetec, not a problem (traded in for...)

58 Fiesta Titanium without spare wheel, one month hit pot hole bending wheel, replace wheel/tyre, went flat, change to 17" wheels, same wheel bent (on different road) spare I had...that went flat.

60 Fiesta ZetecS, not a problem with it, as I carry full 17" spare in the boot!

Get a spare< in my experience I only have problems when I don't carry one!

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The only logical reason to have the tyre repair kit over the spare wheel is for space/weight saving.

I bought my car 2nd hand from motorpoint and they supplied a free 15" spare steel wheel. Although the car is on 17"s, the tyre sizes equal it out to be the same circumference overall. Ideally I'd get a matching alloy and tyre, but this will do for now :)

I'd recommend a spare, it's a lot less hassle, and probably cheaper in the long run if you do ever need to do any repairs.

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im was thinking about getting a spare 17" alloy and tyre as a spare, does it fit in the wheel well ok? was my only concern before buying one. Personaly hate all the tyre sealant/gunk/weld. Its a severe pain in the !Removed! to remove some of the stuff from the wheel itself when getting another tyre fitted and some garages can charge you to remove it, also puts your wheel out of balance when its used, mabye not noticable on a car. but was on my motorbike when i had to use some as a last resort once.

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also puts your wheel out of balance when its used, mabye not noticable on a car.

Neglected to mention with the previous fiesta one tyre had a screw that didn't affect tyre, and front drivers side developed wobble on the steering, which they couldn't sort, so put it on the back shaking the whole car, on taking the tyre off, they found it had been sealed before I bought it, and it came loose letting in water and flapping about inside the tyre!!

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Thanks all, some valid points, will look into getting a space saver, jack and brace, hopefully no too much, poss 2nd hand

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Reading these posts has confirmed my worst fears about the 'can of foam' I have in the boot instead of a spare wheel. When I ordered my first new Fiesta Mk7,(2009), surprisingly, a steel spare was a no-charge option. Unbelievably, I had the foam can option ! This Mk7 I have now which I bought near-new has the foam can too. Reading the instructions for it puts me in dread of ever having a puncture.

I suppose the place to start in getting a steel spare, spacesaver or otherwise is to enquire at a tyre outlet such as Kwikfit etc ?

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The best thing to do is join a breakdown service, believe me, you'll wish you had when you need one. Then, if the puncture can't be repaired, give them a bell and job's a good 'un.

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i do thik a breakdown service is a good idea, but not for a simple puncture. i have seen myself waiting 2-3 hours for the AA/ Greenflag/RAC to arrive to a call out. Nevermind getting a puncture on a back road at 11pm. It really is the simplest of jobs that everyone should know. It takes about 15 minuites to complete and without the breakdown services going out to countless puncture repairs every day it might even bring there response time down. Again if your ar not comfortable changing a wheel then the tyre weld/foam can be used.

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i do thik a breakdown service is a good idea, but not for a simple puncture.

I didn't mean it in the context of having someone to change a wheel for you, I meant if you were stranded and couldn't carry on your journey for one reason or another. Personally, I think changing a wheel should be part of the practical of the Driving Test and if you can't change a wheel you shouldn't be driving IMO.

i have seen myself waiting 2-3 hours for the AA/ Greenflag/RAC to arrive to a call out.

I've called RAC out twice in 3 years, never had to wait longer than 45 minutes, the first instance was 20 mins or so. I may have been lucky, I don't know, never used AA or any other company so have no experience of their waiting times.

Nevermind getting a puncture on a back road at 11pm. It really is the simplest of jobs that everyone should know.

Exactly, re my response above.

It takes about 15 minutes to complete and without the breakdown services going out to countless puncture repairs every day it might even bring there response time down. Again if your ar not comfortable changing a wheel then the tyre weld/foam can be used.

Not in all cases, that's the problem. If you have a proper blow out and it tears a gash in your sidewall, you're not going to repair it with a tin of foam. Never mind the amount of people who drive around with a spare, but a flat spare. You'll then be stranded, hence having breakdown as back up.

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i totally agree with what your saying KeithC, just took the context of your post differently, sorry man :)

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i totally agree with what your saying KeithC, just took the context of your post differently, sorry man :)

Nay problem mon ami. :)

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I don't really have a problem using the foam and I have changed more wheels at the side of the road than I've had hot dinners. I got so that I could do it about 5 mins flat if you will excuse the pun. Yes, every driver should at least be shown how to change a wheel. On the other hand, there is the safety aspect of doing it on the hard shoulder etc. in todays traffic conditions and it certainly is safer to call one of the breakdown services.

What I object to is the 'throw-away' culture of ruining a good tyre after a simple puncture and having to replace it and buying another can of "bubble wrap".

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Looking at things from a different view :huh:

Most punctures are caused by

1) not maintaining the correct tyre pressure

2) nails or other debris in the road

blow outs due to side wall damage is very rare, unless the tyre is old or you constantly hit kerbs while parking etc and most punctures are a slow deflation of the tyre over a period of hours rather than an instant.

With this in mind and before you grab the bottle of ‘gunk’ or even the wheel jack you should try to re-inflate the tyre.

Several years ago I bought a cheap 12v compressor from Argos that plugs in to the power outlet/cigarette lighter and has come in handy on several occasions to inflate the tyre to enable me to drive home or to a garage where the puncture can be fixed – I’m not sure if the compressor supplied by Ford works without the bottle attached, if it does great, if not I would recommend anyone to consider spending around £10 or less at Halfords, Argos etc on a small compressor and keep it in the boot of your car.

I’ve been driving for over 20 years and only once have I had need to change a wheel.

:D

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I’m not sure if the compressor supplied by Ford works without the bottle attached, if it does great, if not I would recommend anyone to consider spending around £10 or less at Halfords, Argos etc on a small compressor and keep it in the boot of your car.

I can confirm the Ford compressor works fine without the gunk ;)

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Looking at things from a different view :huh:

Most punctures are caused by

1) not maintaining the correct tyre pressure

2) nails or other debris in the road

blow outs due to side wall damage is very rare, unless the tyre is old or you constantly hit kerbs while parking etc and most punctures are a slow deflation of the tyre over a period of hours rather than an instant.

With this in mind and before you grab the bottle of ‘gunk’ or even the wheel jack you should try to re-inflate the tyre.

Several years ago I bought a cheap 12v compressor from Argos that plugs in to the power outlet/cigarette lighter and has come in handy on several occasions to inflate the tyre to enable me to drive home or to a garage where the puncture can be fixed – I’m not sure if the compressor supplied by Ford works without the bottle attached, if it does great, if not I would recommend anyone to consider spending around £10 or less at Halfords, Argos etc on a small compressor and keep it in the boot of your car.

I’ve been driving for over 20 years and only once have I had need to change a wheel.

:D

I have been driving nearly 50 years now so that included driving on the old cross-ply tyres! I don't know if these were more puncture-prone than radials but if you have only had one puncture in 20 years then you have either been extremely lucky or have covered hardly any miles. Punctures are very rarely, if ever, caused by incorrect tyre pressure.

I used to do around 25,000-30,000 miles a year. For about 10 years I frequently had to drive around factory roads where the incidence of debris had to be seen to be believed. This is the main cause of punctures. I scrapped many tyres through large bolts etc being embedded in the side of the tread ! As I said earlier. I became an expert in whipping off the punctured wheel and fitting the spare. I have had one of the cheap Halfords-type compressors for about 10/15 years now and have used it many times for topping up but it is just not man enough to inflate a nearly flat tyre and they are only short-rated and overheat quickly. I agree, worth getting one though.

I think the jury is out on these gunk-filled canisters in place of a spare, even a space saver, - Condemn them !

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I got my Fester at 6 months old. I'm glad the original owner specified a proper spare. Just after xmas we visited friends and I clipped the kerb on their drive. Left at 1:00am to get about 10 yards down road before realising I had a puncture, not only a puncture but a gash in the side wall. So there we were 1:00am Sunday morning in the dark in January in a part of the country that wasn't familiar. Becasue the car had a spare I could swap wheels and drive home. Without the spare I would have had to wait for the AA and then still have the problem of what to put on my car until I replaced the tyre.

I too have gone years without a puncture but woudld't want to be without a spare wheel.

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…if you have only had one puncture in 20 years then you have either been extremely lucky or have covered hardly any miles. Punctures are very rarely, if ever, caused by incorrect tyre pressure.

I used to do around 25,000-30,000 miles a year. For about 10 years I frequently had to drive around factory roads where the incidence of debris had to be seen to be believed. This is the main cause of punctures. I scrapped many tyres through large bolts etc being embedded in the side of the tread !

I have had one of the cheap Halfords-type compressors for about 10/15 years now and have used it many times for topping up but it is just not man enough to inflate a nearly flat tyre and they are only short-rated and overheat quickly. I agree, worth getting one though.

I think the jury is out on these gunk-filled canisters in place of a spare, even a space saver, - Condemn them !

Just to clear up a couple of points…

I average 12–15 thousand a year x 20 would be well over 300,000 plus travelled miles.And whilst I think that is a lot of miles to lug a never used, heavy spare tyre around I have to agree there is some comfort in knowing there’s one 'in the back of the car'

I agree with you about the debris around factory roads, and I would add building sites/new housing, not sure if it’s since the invention of the nail gun but these places seem to have loads of nails laying around.

As for incorrect tyres pressures, an under inflated tyre will give you a bigger foot print therefore more tread area to pick up debris. Not only that I think you’ll agree the correct pressure keeps the air seal between the wheel and the tyre in place, if the tyre is under inflated the side walls will be soft and more liable to kerb/pot hole damage and deflation.

Incidentally I initially bought the compressor in 1998 when I used to do some serious 4x4 driving/off-roading where it was sometimes necessary to under inflate the tyre to improve grip and then use the compressor to re-inflate. I bought a cheap one as I expected it to get damaged, although (fortunately) it doesn't see as much use these days it still works fine and as I said earlier has save me (and a couple of friends) from having to change a wheel by a busy road side on several occasions.

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The tyre is not always ruined after using foam, (depending on foam used) it just needs to be taken off the rim and cleaned out after its used. There is a Global shortage of tyres right now so space saver wheels are becoming less and less common on modern cars.

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I definetly agree that a tyre is not ruined after gunk has been used, but alot of garages will charge for a cleaning of tyre and wheel, plus if the gunk has not been completly removed it can cause the patches not to stick.

Also on motorbike tyres they use a plug patch rather than just a normal circular patch, so that it fills the hole made by the object in the tyre. We would strongly recomend against repairing a bike tyre once it had been filled with foam due to the success rate of puncture repairs. It is all down to the garage at hand if they would or would not chance a repair.

The main reason i hate the sealants are that alot of people see them as a perminant repair rather than temporary.

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Just to clear up a couple of points…

I average 12–15 thousand a year x 20 would be well over 300,000 plus travelled miles.And whilst I think that is a lot of miles to lug a never used, heavy spare tyre around I have to agree there is some comfort in knowing there’s one 'in the back of the car'

I agree with you about the debris around factory roads, and I would add building sites/new housing, not sure if it’s since the invention of the nail gun but these places seem to have loads of nails laying around.

As for incorrect tyres pressures, an under inflated tyre will give you a bigger foot print therefore more tread area to pick up debris. Not only that I think you’ll agree the correct pressure keeps the air seal between the wheel and the tyre in place, if the tyre is under inflated the side walls will be soft and more liable to kerb/pot hole damage and deflation.

Incidentally I initially bought the compressor in 1998 when I used to do some serious 4x4 driving/off-roading where it was sometimes necessary to under inflate the tyre to improve grip and then use the compressor to re-inflate. I bought a cheap one as I expected it to get damaged, although (fortunately) it doesn't see as much use these days it still works fine and as I said earlier has save me (and a couple of friends) from having to change a wheel by a busy road side on several occasions.

I absolutely agree with you about correct tyre pressures, it's just I don't believe the chances of a puncture are significantly greater because of the 'bigger footprint'. Low pressures can, of course, cause all sorts of problems though, not the least premature wear,wall damage,overheating and poor handling. It's surprising how many people drive around with soft tyres and can't be bothered to check. Over-inflation is usually caused by a lot of tyre fitting outlets just not checking when they inflate a tyre.

I have made a point on cars I have owned (and company cars)and on my son's cars to put a sticker with manufacturer's tyre pressure figures on the inside of the glove box lid or door pillar. I got this idea from a VW Beetle I had in 1968. Not many manufacturer's do this even now.

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