prophet60091

Hi all,

I have searched but can't find what I'm looking for...

Is there a trick to making the spare go back to its original size and shape so that it fits back into its space in the trunk? I had a flat and had to install the spare, but when I took it off again and let all the air out, it only deflated to a point. So then I took the pin thing out and let it sit for days but it just doesn't want to fully collapse again. If I press down on it to make more air come out, it just sucks it back in as soon as I let go. Surely I don't have to somehow suck the remaining air out to get it to collapse right? Please help!

Thanks in advance!

odurandina

wow never had this problem... i inflated mine to test the diameter [25.6"] and it went right back.
that damn thing is perfect. sorry you're having trouble.

prophet60091

Mine had been on the car a couple years ago and didn't have any trouble, though my shop handled everything so I wasn't the one who deflated it. Not sure what happened. Anyway, thanks. Hopefully someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong.

bart1

Also used mine recently and was amazed by how well it worked. To deflate I just pushed in the regular valve an it went right back down. As a matter of fact, am an engineer at a tire company and I took it in to show to my cohorts, who were also all amazed. We did a little research on the construction of it.

JimPA

I've used mine twice and never had a problem to the extent you describe. The first time I found the valve core was MIA.

IIRC, I had to hold down (not remove) the valve core and sit/lay on the tire to expel the last bits of air.

mike cap

David,

Read this thread....

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...-question.html

g_murray

When I'm prepping the trunk area for a car show / concours - I, of course, have to remove the spare etc.

Once each 'season' - with said spare 'out', I inflate it to full pressure and, ummm, yes, "dress" the rubber and red paint. (Hey! ...concours is about detail !)

When I let the air out -- it always goes back to 'normal'. Amazing actually! And, not for nuffin', not only am I getting it ready for the judges - I'm also, thru' the same action, verifying that it'll work if I ever get a flat somewhere in the boonies.

G.

prophet60091

Hey thank for the comments. Mike, thanks for the link. I was beginning to think I was the only one.

The odd thing... as I mentioned, I did use the spare a year or two ago and, just as everyone is saying, it magically went back into its shape and fit perfectly into its place. I have no idea what could have happened.

Thanks guys!

IXLR8

My spare has two tire valves; one to inflate it and the other I would assume to deflate it by sucking the air out. Of course you'd need a vacuum pump to do the latter.

Try what you are doing with the valve core inserted and as you compress the tire (use a ratcheting tie down strap around the circumference of the tire), depress the valve to let the air out. When done, install a metal valve cap with a seal on the valve.

Denise993

I just asked my indie mechanic that question while I watched him pull out the spare to replace my battery. He said the dealers have a machine that sucks the air out. The one valve is for filling, the other for deflating.

zois

Seeing that my spare is now 30 years old....is there a source for replacement?

porschemikeandnancy

I was told to remove the pin when deflating. I also pumped the spare up before a long road trip (wanted to insure it actually worked). Once the pin was out, it returned to original shape overnight.

My indie mechanic told me the same thing. They just remove the pin and it returns to original shape. By the way, the spare, when inflated, will fit under the front bonnet but you sacrifice a lot of the minimal trunk room.

My major problem is that the crappy OEM jack does not work well. I've yet to be able to jack the car up without the car falling off the jack - even with the opposite wheels blocked. So I purchased a new jack - about $20 at Shuck auto parts.

SpeedBump

Or you could pick up a ratcheting tie down strap for a few bucks and compress it with that.

dcdude

I was reading an article in Excellence from the end of last year. They posed this very question as well as about the labor in getting a replacement tire mounted. The author said that they're good for about 10(?) years. He called Jeff at Sunset and said that there are factory part numbers for a wheel and tire unit for 3.2s at $385 and 996s for $500 (approximately). Uh...what about 993s? (biting nails...)

I guess that since we run MY 02s that we can also run a 996 spare, but does anyone else have any experience or insights as to spare replacement?

What exactly is in the fix-a-flat inflator thingy that comes with the new cars? Will that work for us and just pitch the spare?