Spare tire for Alaska trip ?

[USMC46]

I have one year old Michelin tires on my coach ? Do I really need to take a spare on a trip to Alaska ?

[Kidoo]

Plus, very desolated, no big rig garage, tires available, yes but hundred miles away. A spare = peace of mind.

[okgc]

Keep in mind the road from Destruction Bay north to Alaska is "Terrible" with miles and miles of gravel. Lots of potholes also as of one week ago.

[Kidoo]

Been there twice with a truck camper, first trip, one flat in the middle of nowhere, a rock punctured the tire. Second time, one tire got a broken cord and started going out of round. I brought 2 tires and used one each time. One was under the truck, the other on the roof.

I would bring a spare. I think I can fit one just in front of my Generator (I have a DP), the opening is about 22 inch, if not, I would bring it on the top, just tie it to the ladder. To take it down, just push it.

There are many lonely strech, at least, you have the tire and do not have to wait for one. These tires can me mounted with pry bars, of course you would need a service truck going to you.

[traveylin]

I carry a spare tire, a rated bottle jack and lug tools to change. While I may not feel capable of doing the job myself, at least I am ready to accept help, without getting stranded for a week. While there are services available, scheduling has to be considered. A fellow camper south of Whitehorse a hundred miles was stuck for two weeks last summer waiting on shop time availability and tow truck for a diesel exhaust problem.

[PA12DRVR]

FWIW, I traveled the Alcan for circa 20 + RT's (or combination of 1-ways that added up to 20+ RT's) between '76 and 2007-ish. Took a few partial trips in the intervening years but not all the way.

In that time I didn't drive an RV, but drove every other type of vehicle from passenger cars to KW's. Dumb luck or not, I never had a flat....but I always had at least one mounted spare. Maybe that's the key.

A few years ago, I decided to go to Northway just to see what was left. Had two mounted spares in my pickup bed. Had one flat just outside of Palmer, then two more before I got to Northway. Thank goodness for the plug kit and a bottle of compressed air.

Next time I get a hankering to go to Northway, I'll just bypass it and go to Whitehorse instead. 🙂

[2gypsies1]

We didn't carry a spare for our 40' motorhome. However, we did replace all tires before making the trip. They were 5 yr old at the time.

[Veebyes]

The roads are worse in the lower 48. Nasty interstate potholes come to mind.

Seems one way to guarantee not needing a spare is to carry more than one. We did carry 2 last year. One on a rim. The other, a used tire with some life still in it, unmounted.

Turned out that we did need the spare but that was not due to a northern road damage. It was due to damage sustained on a civilised highway S of Calgary.

[icanon]

And if you do get a flat and you've replaced it, I'd suggest to get the the removed tire either repaired or replaced a.s.a.p. . That way you'll always have two spares.

[tonymull]

And you may not be more than a day from road service but will they arrive with your tire? They will change it if you have it with you though. Several years ago we broke down near Kluane...two days for a part to come from Whitehorse. The mechanic said that was lucky, usually took longer.

[tonymull]

Yes you need a spare. It can be a long way between tire stores and it will be round trip. So a day to go get a tire a day to bring it back. Many people take 2. Many of the little "towns" you see on the map are just a few houses and maybe a gas station and restaurant. I had a flat 2 miles from Homer and it still took a day and a half to get back on the road...and that was just a truck tire. Same thing happens on the Cassiar and you could be sitting a week...not in a campground, just on the side of the road. It is amazing the # of things that need to be ordered from Whitehorse, Kamloops, Anchorage or Fairbanks. There is just not enough call to keep many items anywhere else.

[pigman1]

We've been up 6 times and have had one flat (not a blowout). We were in Glennallen at the time and Coach Net had to contact a road service guy in Palmer who had to go to southern Anchorage to find a tire. About 220 miles just to get us the tire. Although not a Michelin, it worked fine, but the whole effort took 2 3/4 days by the time we were ready to roll again. I later checked with Coach Net and they said the road service call was about $700, not counting the $600+ I had to pay for the tire. Since then we carry an unmounted spare in the toad. Some roads in AK are notorious for flats such as the run from Chitina to McCarthy and perhaps the Dalton to Prudhoe Bay. If you're not going to go to some of the outlying areas, things will probably be fine, but....??

[CA_Traveler]

Dick_B wrote:
The obvious answer to your question is NO.
But I carry two spares no matter where we go and incorporate them into the tire rotation every two years. Refer to www.michelinrvtires.com

Rotation doesn't generally happen on a MH with alloy rims because the outside dual rims are reversed from the front rims and are likely scratched by the hub. Plus the inside dual rim is often steel. Therefore rotation would involve dismounting and balancing, just not going to happen.

Plus the tires often age out before they wear out.

[Tom_Barb]

djgarcia wrote:

USMC46 wrote:
I have one year old Michelin tires on my coach ? Do I really need to take a spare on a trip to Alaska ?

How long will it take for an Emergency Roadside service facility to get to your location? How long will it take to order and receive your specific tire from a tire shop?????

It really depends upon how much you want to pay for shipping, Over night will cost you.

Road side service is never over a day away. and they bring power tools. 🙂

[Tom_Barb]

Trucks use the highway, they don't carry spares. The highway is paved all the way. The only road hazards are the frost heaves, slow down when crossing them, you be OK. The 22" or the 22.5" tires you will not change anyway. so why carry one? can you you pull 550 foot pounds of torque on a lug nut? not many folks carry a torque multiplyer to do this. Before you commit to changing a large truck type tire on the side of the road, go to your tire dealer and get a lesson on how to do this. this is not safe for the novice.
I'd rather buy the road side service, it's probably cheaper in the long run.