Forum Discussion

siremike's avatar
siremike
Explorer
Mar 11, 2021

Spare tire for 2014 MB 3500 Sprinter

I have been thinking about getting a tire carrier and purchasing a spare wheel and tire for the above Class B motorhome.

The motorhome is the first dually I have owned so I have a couple of questions.

1. If I locate a steel wheel for the sprinter wheel can it be used for a spare for the front wheels and both inner and outer wheels of the rear?

2. Would anything need to be done to the valve stem to ensure it could be used on any of the wheels?

3. Purchase the wheel from MB or salvage yard or??

I am leaning toward purchasing the crazy expensive OWL Vans ladder/tire carrier combo. Besides price is there a downside to using this carrier?

I asked the same questions on a Sprinter forum and got zero replies. I guess they did not want to help a new owner.

Thanks
  • I can't help with your question, but just an alternative viewpoint. Our 2005 LTV Free Spirit Class B had its spare on the back door and LTV used the Sprinter spare spot under the floor inside back doors as what they called "basement" storage that comes in handy.

    After 150K miles of travel with the spare, at a Class B RV rally, the question came up about the need for spare tires brought on by the fact that newer Class Bs often don't have spare tires. After hearing the pros & cons, I decided to live without the spare tire. The reasons were (1) only one flat tire in those miles (and that one happened when it was parked in a family member's driveway and the tire slowly went down due to a nail picked up the day before, (2) the need to drop the tire down when we needed to open the door on the side the spare was on, (3) we added a screen across the area inside the back door opening that required more dropping the tire when we wanted to open both back doors for a good breeze through the RV, and (4) our Progressive insurance on the RV covers 24/7 Roadside Assistance.

    Original spare tire:


    Without spare tire:


    Spare tire cover as art: :)
  • I have a 2007 MB sprinter ,my spare is under the rv back center. if you are short on space? just buy the tire ,have a sealed cover made.