LexVan, please be nice to your wife. I'd hate to think about what she could do to you if she ever gets angry.

At my age I require more than a manservant or "batman." I now need a full-time Minder...the type that picks you up from adult daycare so you don't get lost.

As to tire and wheel insurance, I got it on this car thinking more about wheel damage to the expensive CL's. I've already replaced two right rear tires in a little over 7k miles. Oddly, I never had a flat with the 265's on the rear of my Cayman in over 13k miles. Must be that extra 40 mm per tire!

 

+1. And consider pressing charges, too.


In all seriousness, though, 15 years is an amazing run and I wouldn't consider this to be the end of it! A flat has nothing to do with the car and its reliability. Keep countin.

 

Picked up the car today and the dealer found a small, sharp nail. They were able to patch it...pro bono

Love Sewickley Porsche! Awesome group of guys.

 

Sewickley is Great. Bought my prior R8 with a 10 minute phone call. Great Price. No Problems. Flew out and drove back to NY.

 

Yikes, just recently replaced my 295's for 305's on the rear and no tire insurance!

 

Reviving an older thread.

Got a second nail recently at 7K miles on the rear passenger side. Slow leak.

Porsche Roadside towed the car 47 miles from home to dealer.

2 questions:

1) Porsche Dealer said they never patch tires no matter what. They said N0 tires are always replaced. How much truth is in this statement?

2) How frequently should I expect this for 305 tires? Twice in less than 6 months seems excessive?

TIA

 

Most dealers don't like to patch tires on cars that are capable of 190 mph.

Sometimes we have bad luck with two flats in six months. Sometimes we never get a flat. It's all random and has more to do with where you live and what construction is going on than the size of your tires.

 

Godspeed

 

Didn't you plug your first punctured tire? I assume you had no issues with it as you did not mention any, so plugging or patching is not going to be an issue unless you plan to drive the car constantly hard at high speeds or track the car. Buying new tires is probably the absolute best solution, but that can be very expensive proposition if you plan on doing mostly pedestrian driving and occasional spirited driving.

 

Yes I plugged the first tire and drove to dealer thinking it was safe and that the dealer would Patch or Replace based on my conversation. After seeing tire they advised replacement.

The second time, I had it sent on flatbed to a different dealer. That dealer flat out said "No plugs or patches on N0 Tires" and replacement is the only option regardless of where the nail is and the size of the hole.

First time around on this thread I was under the impression that a Patch would be okay under circumstances. The second dealer didn't even offer this even though the nail was much smaller and closer to the center of the tire!

Due to conflicting information from two dealers, I thought I would ask for a "real life" answer".

I assume the dealer is trying to reduce their liability of a repair.

Hope not to be going at this rate of tire flats!

Thanks all. Much appreciated.

 

Even high performance tyres can be repaired using a plug/patch method as long as the 'hole' isn't too large and too close to the sidewall. IF there is plenty of tread left, the screw is small and located in the middle of the tread surface, I'd take it to a regular tyre store to have it repaired. YMMV.
Bish

 

I tend to replace but based on how I use my cars. Your earlier one close to the edge I would have and I have been advised both by the dealers and retail tire (Discount Tire a trusted friend/manager now with corporate) to just replace. I do however drive at higher speeds as a daily use car and likely may do a track day. To save $$ I normally would, except for this car so far, always get new tires from Discount Tire and get their road hazard warranty which covers FULL replacement regardless the miles/wear on the tire. I probably have well more than a dozen 'free' tires this way over the years. Worth the extra $$. Unfortunately I have eaten two tires and one buddy with nails in this car since towards the end of life last 1/3rd on one rear I got a nail and the two sides would have been unbalanced for tread wear so replaced two. Cant wait to hopefully make it to the next full set and get Michelins from DT finally on the car.

 

I am not a fan of throwing money away---but having the best tires possible, means zero plugs or patches----

I patched a tire on a 2006 911 c4s---I went for a drive (@65 miles) from Reno to Lake Tahoe---speeds under 80MPH---The patch was in middle of left rear(small screw)....with maybe 2-3 seconds notice(the rear end felt light and detached)....blowout!!!

The car did not lose control---had it happened during a tighter corner---who knows what could have happened--

I replaced the rear rim and tire = $1,780 in 2008----tire alone was $365---

$400-$500 buys peace of mind and a better safety margin----

I also "road bike" i.e. bicycle around 120 miles a week---I have some steep hills to bomb down---hit speeds of @ 50MPH on each ride---I always inspect my tires on my bike (michelins) before each ride for cuts, anything that could impact integrity--tires get replaced---overkill??? maybe, but spending a couple thousand dollars over the span of my life seems like a good use of money to protect me

 

MP4S!!!

 

+1, on a $1xxK car that you might drive at speed, I want the best contact patches available...