F451

Got a flat on my S4 the other day. Was heading out of work on the way home, went about 4' in the parking lot and knew I had a flat. Passenger side front, flat as a pancake.

Decided to get the 19 year old spare and compressor out to see if by any chance they would work, and they did! And the lug wrench and jack worked as designed as well. I couldn't believe it.

The victim:



The compressor in action:



The spare filling up. At this point I was beside myself with happiness and smug satisfaction that my Porsche equipment was performing as designed after 19 yrs.

Now I just had to see if the tire would hold up for the 13 mile commute home.



The S4 safe and sound at home in the garage after the 13 mile commute (no highways).



The spare even matches the color of my 928!



And the factory plastic bags were still in the spare tire well, so I put down one (of the 2) of the bags on the ground when I changed the tire, and didn't even get wet.

When I was done swapping the wheels, I turned the bag inside out, and threw the extinct tire into the bag and threw it into the back of the S4, and my carpeting back there didn't get wet either. Excellent!

Pretty impressive, and saved me a bunch of hassle. I think I've been converted to the "might as well keep it back there for emergencies" crowd. -Ed

dr bob

So that's what the inside of the factory compressor looks like... Mine went directly to the shelf in a preservation bag when I biught the car, replaced by a $6 wal-mart special that's smaller/lighter, and presumed to be faster than the factory pump. Good news is I've never had to use it on my own car.

I also stock a few regular trash bags in the car so the original factory bags, gloves, etc., can live on in storage with the compressor.

Ed-- Did you use the 928 jack? I pulled mine out to see how it fit the car, put it back in the back after that one fingerprinting session...

928ntslow

That IS great news...for the folks that didn't yank those antiquities or just refuse to get AAA membership.

Never the less, I actually like the look of the rim...hmmm, wonder what a set of four would like like on my new Euro...hmmmm

SharkSkin

Now the trick is going to be deflating the spare. I find that loosening the valve core and pumping it down with a MityVac after the pressure is relieved makes it much easier

F451

Yes, I did use the 928 jack. I was bit skeptical as to whether it would actually work, but it did fine. I think I may throw a small piece of wood in the spare tire well to use as a base to place the jack on to distribute the load at bit. I don't think the jack would work in any kind of soil, like on a roadside.

And the jack and everything else looked like they had never been used before.

F451

Great idea on the MityVac, I have one. I'll give it a try. Now that I know this setup works, I really want to get that spare back in there.

It will be interesting to see if it will return to its prior shape.

Nicole

In my experience, it is crucial to run the engine while the compressor runs. Otherwise you might end up with an inflated wheel, but a deflated ego when the car no longer starts...

Jfrahm

I have heard that leaving the tire in the sun with the valve core out works. Glad to hear the tire worked, I am a big fan of self-rescue. I have AAA but would rather put the spare on and continue to my destination than wait for a flatbed and end up at a service station that may or may not have a tire that even fits... and is the tire changer going to respect my wheels?

I carry a plug kit too, that has come in handy.

-Joel.

F451

Ha ha...

Interesting that you would say that Nicole, because in my S4, the cig lighter is not powered without the car running. So I had to start it up to power the compressor.

And the compressor take a while to fill the tire, and I'm sure eats up a lot of power, so I could see a weak battery resulting.

So, the cig lighter is normally powered without the engine running?

F451

Good idea on the plug kit. I used to pack them on my motorcycles. Time to go out and get a few kits for the cars.

And I also have AAA, but like you, would rather just get myself home without the hassles of towing and everything that goes with it.

AAA is only for emergencies when I'm way out there, and can't help myself.

gasmanstl

Yeah...if you're lucky, and suck lots of air out of the tire...and use lots of KY...you *might* be able to get it back in the hole with the help of a screwdriver and a rubber mallet...

marton

well done

John Veninger

Wrap a ratchet strap around the spare to get it to deflate enough to fit.

chaadster

I've only used the spare once, but I had no troubles getting it re-collapsed, and went to no extraordinary measures to deflate it. It just folded right back up. Was I unusually lucky?

69gaugeman

To get a flat. I wouldn't say 'lucky'