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GENERAL NAVIGATION
Welcome
MY OWN
VEHICLES:
Dodge
Grand Caravan
VW Caravelle VR6
POWERCHAIR STUFF:
My Modified
improved Powerchair
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6
My Very Modified Off Road DO ALL
Powerchair!
Part 1
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3
What
Goes Wrong - Power Wheelchairs
Powerchair Tyres
Drive your powerchair by Radio Control
Powerchairs & Range
Off Road do all Indoor & Outdoor Powerchairs
Off Road only Outdoor Powerchairs & 4x4
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1
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2
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Manual or Electric Wheelchair?
Why all Powerchairs
need to be Off Road Capable
Choosing a suitable Powerchair
BATTERY INFORMATION
Batteries for Both Vans & Power Wheelchairs
Inverters & Chargers
Charging Batteries
Fast Charge Your Power
Wheelchair
Which batteries to buy
DRIVE
FROM A WHEELCHAIR ROLLX:
Dodge
Grand Caravan 1
Dodge
Grand Caravan 2
Dodge Grand Caravan 3
Dodge Grand Caravan 4
Latest 2008 2009 2010
Disabled Converted Dodge Chrysler And Voyager Minivans
DRIVE
FROM A WHEELCHAIR BRAUN:
Chrysler Voyager
Entervan Diesel
DRIVE FROM A WHEELCHAIR OTHER:
Suzuki Wagon R
Mercedes Vito
-
soon!
Kia Sedona - soon!
INSURANCE
Modified Disabled
Vehicle Insurance
Breakdown Cover
USED VEHICLES & OTHER
EQUIPMENT
Disabled Adapted Cars
Power Wheelchairs
Other Equipment
WHEELCHAIR TRANSPORT
& DRIVE BY TRANSFERRING:
Renault Kangoo
-
soon!
Citroen Berlingo - soon!
VW Transporter - soon!
VW Caravelle
Dodge
Grand Caravan
Citroen Dispatch
- soon!
Kia Sedona
-
soon!
Volkswagen Sharan
Mercedes Vaneos
Toyota Hiace
Fiat Multiplas (Wheelchair
passenger travels in the front)
Kangoo ASSIST (wheelchair
passenger transfers & drives)
Fiat Doblo
SIMPLE ADAPTATIONS
Control
Systems etc
Hand Controls Manual
Hand Controls Electronic
Van Door openers
Van Wheelchair Tie Downs
ESSENTIAL DISABLED
EQUIPMENT STUFF:
Understanding
Grabbers
Puncture proof tyres
Run Flat tyres
>
Tyre Weld Aerosol
Fuses!
Spare Key
Ramp or Ramps!
Jump Leads / Rope
Tools!
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Email about modifying powerchairs
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2
My Accident!
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& About Me
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 Run
Flat Tyres!
As a full time wheelchair user getting out of my van to change a
wheel in the event of a puncture or flat tyre isn't really an option for me!
I just cannot afford to get stranded in the middle of nowhere waiting to see if
a repair guy can get to me.
Fortunately
for us they now make tyres
that you can drive on even when you do get a
puncture. That's right you can do 100 miles or
so at 50 mph all the way home safely!
And they fit on standard wheel rims.
I just ordered a set of these
Dunlop 245/50 18 Sport Maxx GT ROF tyres. (Tires if you
happen to be an American!) Click image for a bigger view.
They look exactly the same as the Dunlop ordinary tyres do.
If you are a wheelchair
user and you drive a car or a bike consider buying a set of
these now! Before it happens! No more wheel
changes needed leaving you stranded and waiting for
rescue...
Call your friendly tyre shop today!
For e.g.
the cheap Korean "Ecsta" tyres fitted to my
van at the moment come in exactly the same style, tread pattern, and
sizes both in normal tubeless and these "Run Flat" versions.
The run flat ones
are around £30 pounds more expensive than the normal ones
are. A small price to pay for peace of mind and ability to
get home easily!
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How they work
In the beginning there were all kinds of experimentation,
with everything from multiple tubes, canisters of gas
strapped to the wheel centre with gunk to fix the puncture
and blow it back up, to a heavy solid rubber inner "tyre"
that the weight sat on when the normal tyre deflated.
All of
these previous methods required special wheels and expensive equipment.
Now there
are many tyres on the market that allow you to drive a
hundred plus miles at sensible speeds on a flat tyre on stock rims. They do this
by having specially stiffened sidewalls.
They fit onto your
stock wheels and look exactly the same as standard tyres.
They require no special wheels or equipment. |
Technically you should also fit an aftermarket
tyre pressure monitor as well and these are pretty cheap.
Ranging from fancy valve caps to electronic systems that
display pressures inside the vehicle. Otherwise you
may not notice you actually have a puncture. But if you are
an alert driver you can feel it as a SLIGHTLY soggy tyre... And you
can see it as you walk (wheel) around the vehicle too. Looks
like it needs some air! So as long as you understand
this you could probably not worry about the pressure
monitors... Unless there are legal requirements in
your country that is.
Downsides:
They cost more, they are slightly heavier, they give a slightly
harsher ride. Its not easy to tell though so don't let this
put you off. All small prices to pay if you are a
wheelchair user I think...
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Positives: Punctures are no
longer a worry, essential practicality and no need to carry
a spare freeing up some space in our modified cars and vans!
.
And its a good excuse to fit those bigger fancy alloy
wheels you wanted anyway!
And since you now need to
carry no spare wheel you can have a LPG conversion where the
donut shaped tank replaces the original spare wheel.
Which
is my next step since LPG is far less than half the price of
Petrol or Diesel.
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