Safe Speed Forums

My car has NO spare wheel as standard, just one of those aerosol things...

So I bought a full-size alloy and strapped it in the boot.

I honestly don't get this blow out thing which is being mentioned.

In 30+ years of riding and driving I have never heard of anyone having a blow out or indeed know anyone who knows someone who has.

More often than not you get what we usually called a slowy. If it's really bad, let's say because you hit the curb or something and the side wall is damaged, then you probably shouldn't be driving it further anyway without a proper professional check.

It's smacks a bit to me like slipping on a banana skin; I will probably go through my whole life without slipping on one

So my point is, if blow outs are as rare as I think they are, then a gas refill/inflate sealing cartridge is probably enough just to get you by temporarily isn't it? It's what I carry on my motorbike.

Oh, actually, I think I've heard of a blow out on HGVs occasionally and I've seen the remnants on the motorway, but then they have about a 40 tyres don't they, so does one down make all that much difference?

As for the rest of us, isn't it just a little bit of paranoia?

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

in 20 years of driving I've had two.

The first one was a remould partially shedding the remoulded bit ... will never drive on remoulded tyres again.

The second one was the front tyre of a fiat panda ( accidentally admitted owning a Panda!) which blew out at 70 in lane 3 of the M6 just south of the Thelwall, I have no idea why it went, but it did require a change of trousers!

Actually, I can change that opening statement - in 3 years of driving I had 2, in the last 17 years I've not had a blowout.

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

I can't say I've had an actual "blow-out" but I've had a pretty sudden deflation over about 100 yards on a motorway. Not much to write home about but it was wonderful to just get the (full-size) spare out, slap it on and be on my way (at full speed) again within minutes. Even better was that I didn't have to change the wheel back after I'd had it fixed (as would have happened with a space saver). I just kept it as the spare (car was pretty new).

Ah yes, I've had the not-so-slowy too, but again unless you've just run over a land mine it should be something an aerosol could re-inflate.

Modern tyres are a different animal. Even if they deflate quickly they hold themselves on the rim and resist an object punching a hole which is to big to seal, but I stand to be corrected.

I agree with Handy on the remoulds, in fact I think they should be banned. In my experience they're not a huge lot cheaper than a new cheap tyre and they seem to wear out so fast I'm sure it's false economy anyway.

I bet someone writes in to say they've slipped on a banana skin

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Ah yes, I've had the not-so-slowy too. But again, unless you've just run over a land mine it should be something an aerosol could re-inflate.

Modern tyres are a different animal. Even if they deflate quickly they hold themselves on the rim and resist a object punching a hole which is to big to seal, but I stand to be corrected.

I remember spending New Years eve in Paris once and everybody started smashing bottles everywhere towards midnight. I mean the roads were completely carpeted with broken glass! Amazingly, the cars were running over the glass without anything happening to the tyres. You just heard the crunching of glass but not one single blow-out I think it's like it every year if you want to witness it. Afterwards, all the residents and shop keepers sweep up. The next day you wouldn't know it had happened. Truely amazing.

I agree with Handy on the remoulds, in fact I think they should be banned. In my experience they're not a huge lot cheaper than a new cheap tyre and they seem to wear out so fast I'm sure it's false economy anyway.

I bet someone writes in to say they've slipped on a banana skin next:-)

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

And anyway, who wants to spend 20 minutes grovelling dangerously at the road side, getting yer hands dirty in the pi$$ing down rain getting cold wet sweaty and angry, when for the sake of a quick screw on the wheel and press of a button you're off again. (could probably have said that better)

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

My "not-so-slowy" was on the motorway at 80 (well, I say, 80 - an INDICATED 80 ,obviously! ). By the time (another 100 yards or so) that I was stopped on the hard shoulder, the sidewall was completely cream-crackered. There's no way I'd have gone near it with a can of foam even though the initial hole in the tread wasn't very big.

Most tyres can run over broken glass all day on the treads but if you get a bottle sandwiched between the sidewall and the kerb, it can sometimes slash the sidewall. Rare, I agree, but not unknown.

I know what you mean about the danger of changing a wheel. On that occasion it was a driver's side rear and it was dark and the roads were damp. I was pretty terrified I must say, but I reckoned that the chances of having someone punt into me whilst waiting for the AA man were probably about the same as the chances of dying of hypothermia if I waited on the embankment and probably not too different to the chances of getting squashed fixing the tyre. So I went for it in the end.