owenstanley

I caught a huge screw in the right rear earlier this week and needed to deploy the spare. It mounted right up and the compressor did a nice job of inflating the tire. I drove off and soon heard something amiss in the right rear.

I was very surprised to see that the tread had separated from about 20% of the tire and the rest was clearly going to come off soon.

I had driven only about 20 miles and I'm all but certain that I was under 50 m.p.h for all of it. As far as I know, this spare tire came with the car and is therefore 27 or 28 years old. So - it's not a shock that there was an issue. But geez....

Is there a source for a replacement spare tire? I had been planning a 2,500 mile trip towards the end of the month but won't be making the trip without a functioning spare.

Note
- AAA membership (paid up)
- Fix-a-flat on board
- Phone charged

TIA

-Chris

jcorenman

There is no replacement available that I know of (and I would be very happy if this is wrong).
Was there any visible cracking or other degradation of the rubber?
We had occasion to use ours a few years ago, about 125 miles, worked fine with no issues.

My only suggestion would be to find a replacement, 928 Int'l has them listed for $417 new (86.5-91, the "red" one).

Of course everyone else will tell you that you don't need a spare, but I'm with you-- we often drive long distances in lonely parts of the country.

owenstanley

Funny thing about all of this is, when I got my compressor, I tested it by inflating the spare. A second test, about a year later, I left the tire inflated for about 30 days, looking for a slow leak etc (travelling for work & 928 not in daily use). The thing looked great and had probably not been used, ever. So I thought I was squared away.

Local dealer has new ones available, $538 + tax + shipping and they are all in Germany. Ugh...

Kind of dreading this right now.

polecat702

I've got the spare, doubt it's ever been used. I also carry "Flat Fixer" the factory compressor, and a plug kit. If you pick up a nail or normal puncture, the plug kit works great. Just use the compressor to pump up the tire.
BTW, I carry a plug kit in all my cars, and a can of "Flat Fixer."

Mrmerlin

Thanks for posting this info as its a good data point.

I would ask why did you not plug the tire,
plug kits take all of 5 mins to operate.

NOTE using the spare is really a questionable event, and should be a last step measure

NOTE filling the spare to see if it holds air may have damaged the tire,
as this would have added moisture to the tire.
I would think that after its inflated once the spare should be replaced.

NOTE if you buy one from Germany I would also guess that the tire will be old,
and its been sitting in a stock house for a few years,
IDK if there is a tire MFG date for the spare

docmirror

http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nk...+Wheel+1974+89

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-928-...item25835698c0

$112 BIN plus shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-928-...item3f2a03b7fb

$50 and bidding.

ROG100

11 sitting in Germany and my price is $468 - delivery to me 3 days.
No tax and shipping to MN about $30

ROG100

This is my spare from my GTS - used twice to get me home after flats.
Third time it disintegrated.

jcorenman

I corrected my previous post, it looks like 928 Intl's $417 listing (here) is for a new wheel and tire, not used. The dealer you checked with is high, you might check with Roger and some other dealers e.g. Sunset or Sonnen. The part# for the 86.5-91 (red) wheel is 928 362 030 02.

dr bob

IIRC, the spare requires 60-70 PSIG inflation pressure. If it's run underinflated, the tread will fracture and delaminate.

I'm with DocMirror and others regarding having a plug kit in the car. They are cheap (under $10) most places, and can be a real daysaver out on the road. Warning though -- the little tube of glue in most kits deteriorates over time, and is a one-time use item once it's been opened. Rubber cement or yellow contact cement is a good substitute. I keep a small can of yellow contact cement with the kit, and dip the plug in it after it's in the insertion tool. I get to clean up the tool when I get home I guess, but it's net a lot cleaner than trying to coat the plug from that tube with your fingers.

So far the factory spare is unused, a fall-back if I can't plug the road tire.

Reference- in my sixteen years and 80k of ownership, only one tire incident, with a screw embedded within a mile of the house. I heard it click-click-clicking on the pavement, no air loss, and drove it home for the fix. The wheel-tire did need to come off the car to get a good attack at the hole with the plug tool. The tire was close to replacement, so didn't get a followup pro repair.

docmirror

IIRC, the collapsable spare is a one time use tire, and must be replaced after being on the road.

Oh, sorry I jumped the shark with my ebay link. I withdraw my suggestion and advise the OP to shop through Roger, and only through Roger.

docmirror

I did not advise plugging. In fact, I'm not a fan of plugging any high speed tire. It would be a last resort to get to a shop where proper repairs can be made. I would use tire goop before I would plug. If tire goop and/or fix-a-flat can be made to work until getting to a tire shop that is advisable. Plugs can often damage the internal radial ply belt of the tire beyond repair. A proper inside grind, patch, and dress would be suitable but again, for high speed tires plugging is a bad mojo.

upstate bob

When you need to get home the plug is a great option. Would I go fast on it? Not likely. The quality of the repair depends on the puncture wound. If it is a straight hole a plug will yield many secure miles.
I haven't searched yet but I would guess there should be a generic teeny tiny tire available for a spare for cheep.

Leon Speed

Well, it got you home, twice

WallyP

"IIRC, the collapsable spare is a one time use tire, and must be replaced after being on the road."

Don't think so.