How Many Spare Wheels Do You carry?

[Zamunda]

I've been carrying two spare wheels ever since I started off-roading 20 years or so ago. My type of off-roading is mostly touring. The reason for carrying two spares is, majority of the time it is just me and the Mrs, so having two gave me that peace of mind. Have to admit, up to now, only once have I needed to use both spares. I run Mickey Thompson Degan 38 muddies. These are pretty robust in construction with strong sidewalls.

In addition to the spares, I carry the usual puncture repair kit, a spare tube (in case the puncture plug does not work), compressor, etc.

I am now considering carrying only one spare. Feel the second is unnecessary dead weight.

What are your thoughts?
How many spares do you carry?
In comparison to the amount of travelling, you have done how many times have you needed two spares?

 

[Swaggie]

One only mate unless you shred a tyre those puncture repair kits work wonders, even for side wall punctures,a few stuffed in there can get you out of trouble till you get home...

 

[2luxes]

I have been driving around mountain and remote desert tracks since the 1960s and have never carried more than one spare. In order to try and cover all types of punctures, I always take two tubes and enough Rema Tip Top patches and internally applied plugs to fix holes in the tread, shoulder and sidewalls.

So far the score is one puncture in the bush and five on sealed roads with one of them in the middle of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

If I could not repair punctures, I would be inclined to take two or even three spares if space and weight permitted. I have heard of a few people getting two punctures at the same time from the same tree root or whatever.

 

[shanegtr]

My disco has a kaymar rear bar so nice and easy to carry two spares when Im on a trip. I now remove a wheel and one swing arm for the daily run around however just to save lugging that weight around that is highly unlikely to be needed.

 

[Colly18]

Two on remote/away from civilization trips. One otherwise.

 

[Kippie]

No punctures yet. Cooper STmaxx and one spare only with repair kit and tubes (+sat comms) Done the big lap plus Savannah way, Birdsville track, Oodnadatta track, Flinders ranges. Don't like rock crawling, and mud, but happy to do everything else. Remoteness doesn't make a difference, because no matter where I went, I always encountered someone else within a week or so. I prefer to carry extra fuel and water than lugging a second spare.

 

[greysrigging]

Always carry 2.... but as with the OP, considering just the one... with the usual kits etc. Been saying it for 10 years, but somehow that 2nd bloody thing ends up in the tray taking up big mobs of space, adding weight and you know what ? never needed it !Ah but wait, I tell a lie.....changed out both of my useless rooted 20,000klm old BFGs at Tunnel Creek once . Although they weren't flat, there was no way I was gunna make it home to Darwin with wire showing... haha

 

[Albynsw]

For the last 300,000k I have only been carrying one spare. With TPMS and a puncture kit I am comfortable that way. The most common way of damaging a tyre beyond repair is driving on it flat and the TPMS negates that risk altogether.

 

[mikehzz]

I used to carry an extra spare tyre but no rim to save a little weight, but now gone the same way as @Albynsw. I had 3 punctures in the one day last time on the Oodnadatta Track and agree that unknowingly running on a tyre going flat is what kills them. I've now got the tpms in place to let me know.

 

[dabbler]

I mostly tour nowadays, usually to out of the way places and almost always with an off-road camper behind.

I carry two complete spares plus repair options plus one on the camper. The wheels/tyres aren't identical but are interchangeable. The extra weight and space used really isn't a concern to me.

I've never needed more than one but interestingly enough, the last tyre failure I had was one day into a four month trip. That was with tyres in very good nick but with a lot of age on them. Even though I have new boots with low km, I'll still carry 2 + 1.

 

[Poppa]

Two spares. I have rear offset rims on the 79 Cruiser to "fix" the track issue so a spare for each end. Up until getting the Cruiser I have only ever carried an additional spare once - on the Anne Beadell Highway (a tyre but no rim).

Tyres are so damn good these days.

I do carry two spares for the dual axle boat trailer when I head up north to the Gulf.

 

[boobook]

It's best to carry 2 spares. Because Murphy makes sure you need 2 if you carry one, but only 1 if you carry 2.

 

[smitty_r51]

I took two last year for the Simpson and both stayed on the roof unused... To save some weight this year I will only take 1...

 

[rogerazz]

I carry two spares on my troopy, however I also have a MTPMS ( Missus Tyre Pressure Monitor System) in my vehicle and also one when I drive her car. Recently she told me my rear nearside tyre was looking flat and after one week of ignoring her, I found a large screw in it.
She also told me the front outside tyre looked flat when I was driving and sure enough , a small screw had deflated it a little.
Only problem is that she walks around checking tyres all the time and saying they look flat, even the low profiles on her car.

 

[stevemc181]

If going solo and remote I take two spares and my full tyre repair kit (R&R Beadbreaker/Bullbar mounted tyre changer/alloy mate tyre bar/levers/patches/etc) So far I've never had to use the second spare, as I've been able to strip a tyre and use internal mushroom patches when required, but it does give you piece of mind when you are in extremly remote places and particularly if you like to venture offtrack.

Back in the day I worked on a geological expedition for 3 months in Cape york, it was fairly common for us to stake 2 or 3 tyres in a day when offtrack, the crew record was 8 in a day!. We never carried a 2nd spare, but we were running crossply tyres on split rims, and carried several tubes and puncture repair kits. We restocked with tubes every weekend back at main camp

 

[discomatt]

I take 2 spares on all big trips but have never used even 1 or the puncture repair kit, I will continue to take 2 as cheap insurance and to keep Murphy at bay

 

[CTL]

Two when remote, and have used two even with a TPMS and plug kit The TPMS has saved a catastrophic carcass failure a few times.
VHC or within a couple of hundred kms of a decent town out west, I only carry one and a plug kit.

 

[Joe Fury]

G'day Adventurers

My Cruiser carries two spare wheels on the rear bar wheel carriers, it might sound like overkill these days, simply because twenty first century tyre technology has given the world some incredibly resilient tyres, not saying they are puncture proof, but some brand names come close.

I have over the years 'run' B.F Goodrich, Dunlop, Bridgestone, Mickey Thompson and now Toyo tyres, they were all purchased as sets ~ meaning all tyres were fitted to their respective rims at the one time, then driven to the end of their useful/legal life.

Each brand performed reasonably well but one in particular out performed the lot by leaps and bounds, I should say this brand had a dead set dog of a breed in it's stable, this 'dog' of a tyre was the Mickey Thompsom MTZ mud terrain, yet their Baja ATZ P3 was brilliant and worthy of buying again, but sadly they became un-affordable on my very last round of tyre set buying and this exercise was painful enough at the time, with 6 ~ 285 75R x 16 Toyo RT All Terrains costing a tad under 2K but this did include a wheel alignment.

I can't say anything good about the Toyo Open Country things apart from saying the sooner they are in a tyre shops shit pile the better.

Anyway it's two spares and all the tyre repair gear required for my way of life on and off road here in the Pilbara.

Safe Travels : Joe

 

[Rusty Panels]

In all honesty tyres nowadays are way better made then the old days. In years gone by when the only off road tyres were Road Track Majors on split rims you probably needed to carry a second spare. They were tubed tyres and poorly constructed which meant that the sidewalls and tread were very susceptible to punctures. Modern tyres are just about bullet proof. Reinforced sidewalls, steel belted multi ply tread and tubeless. It can happen of course but you would be more likely to pick up a tek screw in the Bunnings car park than get a puncture in the bush.
I only took the standard spare when I did the Cape in the 80's. They were Michelin's on Sunraysia rims. Took a tube and tyre levers just in case but never even looked like needing them. I still have the brand new tube in a bag in my back shed, it's never been opened.
So, I think you can forget about the need for a second if you start off with good rubber and don't overload the tyre. Take a can of that magic crap and a small compressor you'll be right.

 

[a1bert]

2, too