sucks.......i remember somewhere on here some one saying to take out the big a$$ Bose amp...

 

If you can fit a tire of any kind where the Bose resides, it would have to be a stale Dunkin Donut.

 

I havent had a spare tire on most of my cars for years and if I did I wouldnt use it. These tires dont go flat very easily. Perhaps you can lobby congress to enact another regulation.

 

You are damn lucky; I put big lug snows on my truck and while driving home, on roads not dirt, got a flat. I got nailed by just about the only thing that could flatten those tires, a electric cable staple. Not the little economy size, a big mother.
Congress can't even do their job so fixing flats or mandating spares is beyond their job description.

 

When our E55 was one month old, I got a flat and the German Fix-O-Flat couldn't seal the leak. I called MB roadside assistence and they had my car towed to the dealership after I waited 2 hours on the shoulder of I-95. The dealer didn't have a tire in stock and two days later I had the car back. Total bill was $800, I almost fainted. They said that towing and loaner was not covered for a roadside hazard causing a flat. I had a meltdown at the dealership and had to be calmed down by the sales manager who is a friend. We went and spoke to the owner and he dropped the charges down to $400 after I told him it would have been faster if I had taken the wheel off and brought it to a tire shop at the next exit, and certainly less inconvenient. They charged me $368 for the OEM 18" Continental POS tire

From that point on, I kept a spare wheel/tire in the trunk which I used two more times over the next 4 years. Cars not coming with a spare (or run-flats) is ridiculous. Seems like I made the same mistake again with the Panamera. It sucks being a slave to fashion.

 

Your story doesn't make a whole lot of sense. There is a spare tire / wheel in your E55's trunk. I repurchased another '06 E55 last year and had a nail puncture in my tire a couple months ago. Roadside came out and changed out the spare for me, and took the wheel back to the shop to replace the tire for me. They eventually waived the mount / balancing charge because the tire was stuck in Eastern WA due to snow.

 

They began putting spares in back in the middle of the 2004 production run. Mine was before that.

 

I see. I had two MY06, that's why. I stand corrected. Sorry about that.

 

A timely thread. I was down in Texas visiting my Mom and we were driving her Panamera S, and sure enough, we flatted on the highway while I was trying to open it up in Sport Plus mode. Roadside Assistance was great and we had a flatbed there in 45 minutes or so. Enjoy the pics...

 

YES, I have had an unrepairable flat in my Panamera S... and it is a problem!

I had a side wall cut and the gel sealer would not work on it, so I had to call for roadside assistance on a Sunday morning when I was 120 miles from home..

It only gets worse because I have 20" on Porsche Turbo wheels and the Pirelli PZero N Spec tires are not readily available, especially on a Sunday in a remote area. I called Porsche roadside assistance and the best that they could offer was to pick up my car and take it to the closest dealer in Santa Barbara where it would sit until the service dept opened the next day. This would have meant that I had to stay over night. Instead I called AAA and had them flatbed my car back to my local dealer in L.A....while I hitched a ride back to town with friends. Not fun.

My car got to the dealer in L.A. late Sunday. On Monday morning my local dealer told me that the tires were not readily available, and I would have to wait another day for my car. I went a little bit ballistic over this news, and finally the dealer agreed to pull a tire off of a car in their new inventory to get me back on the road. They explained to me that the Porsche N spec tires in 20" size were in short supply, which makes things even worse! Porsche should ensure that the replacement tires are readily available for these cars!

I find the lack of a spare to be a quite serious concern, and it makes me somewhat scared to go on any road trips to out-of-the-way places. The fact that these tires are a rare commodity and not in stock, makes this situation even more upsetting.

The only good news is that I have a tire and wheel warranty and they paid for the tire and are supposed to reimburse me for the flatbed tow.

However, I still love my Panamera, and will try to live with this

 

All cars have trade-offs. To save weight, to have more cargo space, to have a lower center of gravity for better handling, to have a safe and protected area for the gas tank, and to locate a large amplifier for a killer stereo system, the Porsche engineers decided that, with today's tire technology the spare would not be included. They didn't, however, tell you that you couldn't have a spare. Buy a spare and give up some of your cargo space if it's that important. Or optimally, don't carry the extra weight unless you are headed for a remote area where roadside assistance and repairs would be poor. Then pack the spare along with your luggage. Problem solved. And you solved it. You didn't insist Porsche work some "magic" to give you everything you want with no give back on your part.

Next thing you'll want is a middle seat in the back. Oh wait, there's already a thread about that and people are willing to give up all kinds of things to get that. Get a different car with different priorities. It is what it is.

 

Remember that the cars are now under factory warranty. So porsche is kissing your a..... But wait to they are OUT of warranty.

In regards to saving weight. I don't know how many of you earn a living by being the first one to the office or the next traffic light. But the weight reduction is ONLY needed for the track IMHO

 

All cars eventually go out of warranty and, guess what, the factory quits kissing up. That's not news.

And weight savings are not the only reason there isn't a spare. In effect, there would have to be a complete re-design of the car and an abandonment of the original directive on this car (plenty of room for four and their luggage, in comfort, at high speed and confidence with fidelity to Porsche's ideals and standards). I repeat, there are other cars out there that might better fit your criteria.

More on weight: The spare is not the only thing considered in weight savings in this car. For its structural integrity and quality, few cars get by as light-weight as this one. This efficiency is why the performance is as good as it is even in the V-6. All avenues of saving weight are explored, no matter how small as this results in better fuel economy, increased performance and even reduced emissions. If the only reason to save weight is to get to work sooner or to compete on the track, then why buy a Porsche in the first place? Everybody should get a 4-cylinder with a spare tire and a car that ignores weight savings and efficiency. What's your take on the V-6 vs. V-8 vs. Turbo? Nobody "needs" all that extra power unless they are taking it to the track?

Porsche is an enthusiasts' brand and everything that enhances the driving experience is important to someone.

 

Guess since I am "suffering" through a flat tire now, I can add a little to the conversation. Picked up a nail with just under 15k on the tires and bit the bullet on a full set of new rubber. Probably have a couple thousand miles of gentle use left on the tires but cannot really complain. Tire holds full pressure long enough to get to the shop - fill it, drop it off, write the check, over it - have not used the sealant. Did not leave me stranded, almost down to the wear bars, blah, blah... can't whine about it (want to, but can't)

As far as not having a spare, no issues, do not miss it. Have not actually put a spare tire on a car (of mine, anyway - girlfriend's Lexus seems to "need" its full sized spare) in almost 20 years. '98 Boxster had a spare that never touched asphalt, same for the '06 C2S; did cut a tire on an '03 M3 and it took 4 days to get a tire in the "rural wasteland - not, of Denver (swapping out the bottom end only took a day and half for the bearing recall) and that was miserable but Porsche does a better job of sourcing tires for their "spare-less" models than BMW, I guess. Nobody seems concerned that none of the M cars come with spares and do not use run flats... and they do not even keep overpriced "savior" tires sourced.

Dealer (yes, really) was able to next day a set of PS2s for about $25 more than I could find anywhere, and they will be on the car Tuesday. Car has a couple open "as they come in" service actions to take care of anyway.

Had the tires been newer, or the damage stranded me, might be on the fence; but not having a spare has in no way diminished the experience with this car or Porsche. Actually like the fact that they left something off the car that I have no need to use - wish the same logic applied to the stupid air bag stickers... If it matters, '10 PTT with an expired set of Pirellis.

 

For those looking for a spare:

http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...newproductpage