So I took the car for a long drive to NYC (about 500 miles away) to spend a week with my sister. I packed some tools, spare MAF, ECUs, water, oil etc. The spare in the wheel well was never used in 25 year, only removed from its location for about 6 battery changes in the life of the car (I know because I bought the car from a friend). On the I90 I got a flat in the rt rear (335/35/17) so I Installed the same side front there and put the Space Master on the rt front. It inflated properly and took its final shape at about 30 psi. I inflated it to 36 psi as per the tire instruction then installed it. I still had 200 miles to go. I drove at an avg of 50 mph and the steering and car was very stable and after about 1/2 hr of driving I came upon a Rest Area and decided to pull over and check the tire. This is what I found ( I cleaned it up with tire shine to show the bruises better in the pictures). It still kept the air. I called CAA in Canada and they hooked me up with AAA and the tow to my destination on a flatbed was at no charge.
Space Master 2.jpg
Space Master.jpg

In NYC I took it to Pep Boys and they told me I could replace it with a full spare tire (Nankang 165/80/15) because they had done it before. They had done it on a 911 Spare before. They ordered the tire ($70) and when it came they could not get the Space Master off the rim with their equipment (no charge to me). I took the spare to Tire Kingdom and they also could not get the tire off.

Has anyone ever removed this spare tire from the rim?
If you haven't you should inflate your spare & check it.
It may not be a spare anymore.

 

Scary.

 

ugh, I guess I will take the spare out and get a couple cans of fix o flat....and leave the spareon the shelf

 

With a 20-30 year old tire I would only trust it for a few miles to the very next town. The. I'd repair the bad tire.

 

Well, that just confirms what I would expect to happen. I haven't seen any lit on it, but I imagine Porsche says to replace it at some earlier date, at some outrageous price. Mine has been staying in the garage, but yours did get you on down the road. Maybe I will put it back in the boot.

I was relying on canned fix a flat. I wouldn't recommend that stuff at all. I used it on a flat wheel barrow tire and it did not work and was a total mess to clean up. I'm glad I never had to use it on the road.

 

AAA will flat bed you to a tire center or garage for replacement or repair.

 

The user manual states the tire can only be removed and mounted by the manufacturer. So good luck

If you fit the tire suggested, it won't fit in the original place of course.

 

My Cayenne turbo doesn't even have a spare. It does , however , have a bottle of Porsche green slime....lol

 

Same thing happened to the spare on my GTS

 

I'm impressed it lasted as long as it did. Plenty of time and miles to get out of a bad situation and to a tire shop or hotel.
I like options. I keep a compressor, plug kit and the original spare, which I inflated to test it out when I bought the car. A spare is an awesome thing to have when you cut a tire or blow out a sidewall after hitting a pothole.

As far as products like fix-a-flat...I can't believe people carry that stuff around inside their cars. No shortage of amusing Google images showing interiors covered from one end to the other in goo. Also, many disturbing images of holes through windows or cans shot through seats.

 

My 951's spare was petrified, so I replaced it with this Continental kit that came with my AM DB9:

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/...nce+and+Safety



I haven't tried it yet, but felt it was a better option than a can of fix a flat. If anyone has ever used one of these, please post if satisfied with the results.
Thanks

 

My spare turned in to a shark woofer......

 

Like Steve said, it got me off the highway and to safety in a Rest Area. I actually gave the dash a pat while thinking, "you're a good car"

 

I've seen the spare tire without rim sold on a Ebay so looks like it can be removed. May be you have to inflate a little to get the tool into the bead.

 

The spare on my 82 was called into service in PA heading back from Sharks in the Mountains a few years back. It would not hold air as it was leaking from the stem. Anyway, i was able to break the bead using typical tire changer and just tightened the nut on the inside of the rim stem.
Perfectly sealed.