Hello,

I'm about to take my 996 on a road trip from Vancouver, WA to San Francisco, CA and then Newport Beach, CA via Highway 101 along the coast. I've had my 1990 C2 checked over and it has a good bill of health. I do however have one question! What do you do with the wheel if you get a flat tire and have to use the spare in a temp situation?

The car has 295/30/19s on the rear and they have a diameter of 26.3" and a width of around 13.5" - They won't fit in the front trunk area and they would fit in the back but I can't get the front seat forward enough to actually get it inside the car. I think it might fit if I remove the front seat to allow room to place the wheel in the back, but that seems like a stupid amount of work to do on the side of a road in the case of emergency. Once I get the wheel in the back I would then be able to fit the seat back in and bolt it down.

This sounds kinda crazy and I wondered if anyone has experienced this? My first choice would be to tow it to the closest dealer or tire shop however I'm trying to figure out what I would do in the WORST case situation.

Thoughts? I really want to talk the porsche on this awesome trip, but I'm also trying to cover all my bases.

PS - The tires are brand new Michelin Pilot Super Sports however nothing protects you from road debris.

 

How about a roof rack?

 

My wife said that also... I don't own a roof rack for my p-car otherwise I might actually consider it.

 

It goes in the front seat. Your wife waits on the side of the road or squeezes in the back.

 

I has that situation occur. I was only person in car, so put it in the front seat encased in the plastic bag which Porsche supplies.

 

Pack a moving blanket and some cord and tie it to the roof. Or....take the wife's car.

 

Try reclining the passenger seat (maybe driver's seat too) all the way back, then push the wheel toward the back. You might need to keep the rear seat(s) upright to recline the front seat all the way, but once the tire is all the way behind the front seats, you can fold 'em down. I've stored big boxes several times at the back of my little '86 Carrera this way - should be fine with the 996 as well :P

 

Call "AAA" have them plug it and drive to the nearest tire store and buy a new tire that way the wife will still be nice to you the rest of the trip and not make your life hell. AAA is alot less than a roof rack and the interior stays nice.

 

caperss said what I have in both my 996 and Z06. I carry a small portable compressor and a tire repair kit made by Stop n Go. I've used it on my wife's car and it only takes 20 mins then you're back on the road. Take the plugged tire to be patched from the inside or replace it.

 

I think I will buy a tire repair kit and if that does not work a can of fix a flat.
Already have an old blanket for the backseat area so I don't mess up the interior and need to find some big plastic bags that a wheel would fit into.

** I hope I don't need to worry about this, but I just need to be sure I've gone through the options in my head before I leave.

Thanks for the advice folks...

 

While that might work well for most cases, my tire shredded and had to be replaced. I had to use the donut spare.

 

Do not use Fix a Flat if you can avoid it. It could play havoc on getting your wheels balanced perfectly afterwards. For an econobox, maybe but not a car like ours IMO.

 

So I did a test fit this weekend (on Saturday) to determine if I could fit a 295/35/19 in the back seat area of a 996. Here are the results:

The Good News: You can fit a 295/25/19 once you fold the back seats down in a 996. However it takes a bit of work (about 10 minutes extra) as I had to remove the 4 front seat mounting bolts so I could move the seat really far as I could not get it by the seats otherwise.

The Bad News: I decided to prepare the car for the trip including a good wash. We depart next Sunday but I am away on business in Philly & NYC this week so this weekend is when I need to get everything done. I finished washing the car and noticed I had a flat tire on the passenger rear. I filled it up with air and noticed a screw in the tire. What are the chances??? I'm just glad it happened now as my wife can take the tire to get fixed while I'm away.

I've attached pictures of the test fit as well as the screw in the tire

 

WOW where there is a will there is a way! I commend you on your fortitude....Good luck on the trip.

 

Go get a rental and spare your pcar the miles, wear and tear and stone chips in the paint. Let some companies car take the beating.