Was debating on whether or not I should take the spare tire out of the trunk to make room for more storage/reduce wt/etc and was wondering what everyone else has done.

Would you change your own tire and put on that bicycle spare or would you just call for a tow?

 

Personally I'd push my car before I'd have it towed. I'd keep it in there.

 

Porsche has stopped shipping cars with spares, they are now an option ... most people call for a tow.

 

just remember that if you go out of town far, it maybe hours waiting for a tow truck. imagine having a flat between LA and LV in the desert. these cars need a flat bed which not available every town.

if you don't ever see yourself changing your tire, then it'd make sense to take it out. you won't save much weight and having extra weight at the nose is actually not too bad of an idea since the car is so rear heavy. everytime my front truck if full, i can really feel the difference in handling.

 

i keep mine in the garage

 

I leave mine in. I read somewhere that the spare designed into the 996 might be part of the safety structure for front impacts.

[edit] I poked around and found the original info I found:

Porsche issued a TSB for the old 986 Boxster informing owners to seriously [edit] consider [the potential negative effects of] removing the spare. Turns out early 911's had the same front end. Here is a link to that thread: http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...2spare+tire%22

But if you are putting your car on a serious (track related) diet, get some lightweight wheels, run muffler bypass pipes, put in lightweight seats, and take out the rear seats and carpet. Might shave 200 lbs.

-td

 

I leave mine in. Already got 3 flats this year alone.

 

I think your paragraph reads differently than you intended. The TSB says to NOT remove the spare.

 

If you want to reduce weight, get a lightweight battery. You can save quite a bit of weight and it's higher than the spare.

 

What do you do with the wheel with the flat? Can you get it in the car?

bolobar

 

either front or rear wheel can be put in the front seat. there is a plastic bag to keep your seat clean as part of the spare kit. in my cab, i can put at least another tire in the back seat.

i keep extra latex and work gloves in the car too. never know when you'll need them.

 

thats funny. i'd flatbed my car any day before i would run around on the spare.

got one flat, and had it flatbedded to dealer and got new tire put on in one morning.


it was a nice excuse to miss a few hours of work and see what they had at the porsche dealer. i remember that day. it was the first time i ever sat in a Carrera GT.

 

To me it's one of the real advantages of the 996 over the 997. The headache and waiting for a towtruck when i can jack it up and stick a spare immediately is a no brainer. i'd leave it be ...

 

Most 996's need more rebound in the front suspension.
You'd actually be hurting your performance by taking out the tire.

 

Good catch. It should be read as Porsche says "please don't" rather than "please do." I edited my post to reflect the accurate reading.

-td