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Story time: A memorable and lucky 997 East Coast road trip!
This is a bit of a different post, but I figured many here would enjoy it. I had my 997 shipped to Ft. Lauderdale/Miami back in November, figuring I would spend some time in the area during winter. I only made it once so the car ended up sitting for five months, also ironic because we had a considerably mild winter up here! I had been thinking about shipping it back home but my girlfriend and I are still furloughed so last Monday, we decided to go get it ourselves! I had always wanted to drive a 911 home after buying my old 993 from Atlanta and this 997 from Naples, so this was an opportunity to really road trip this car! Tuesday afternoon we drove a rental down, picked up the 997, enjoyed Miami for a few days and drove it home, adding a stop in DC because why not?!
The trip was going flawlessly well to DC and the following afternoon, we left DC for NJ. About 15 miles past Baltimore, I noticed what appeared to be a 4-6 inch wooden block deflect from a semi and under my car. I heard a noise and slowed down but we kept driving for a mile or so. My girlfriend next to me asked if I felt a vibration shortly after and of course I did. I carefully steered into the right lane, figuring maybe it was a groove in the road. Nope, now the right rear is smoking! I nursed the car onto the shoulder and surveyed the situation. Amazingly, here's what I saw:
First of all, I am incredibly lucky. That strand of rubber on the inner part of the rim somehow spared the rim. The rubber rattled around but did not damage the wheel well or brake line at all. The outer tread of the right rear tire was also slashed. The car was literally unscathed, which I still cannot believe. I almost laughed when a Maryland trooper pulled up and asked if I could limp the car to the park and ride up the road (he was understanding and professional though)!
Now for the logistics. I called two local tire shops and four different Porsche dealers. Nobody had a 295/30/ZR19 available immediately. I thought about towing the car home, but due to Covid, AAA would not let us ride with the driver (understandably so). Uber/Lyft was quite expensive, Amtrak was no better and Megabus wasn't running to my area due to the limited schedules. Even the Enterprise office said they would be closed by time we would arrive.
By some miraculous stroke of luck, everything came together at the same time. A friend of mine made a couple calls as this was unfolding and within an hour, his builder found two 295/30/ZR19s at his shop. He graciously told us to tow the car to his house about 30 miles away, so we did and the tow truck driver told us not to bother with Uber/Lyft and to ride with him.
An hour later, he had the new tire balanced and equipped and we completed the 1,200 mile drive home! I guess it wouldn't be a road trip without a flat tire!
Now here's a photo dump from Miami and DC! Yes, I know the car is filthy - I'm about to leave for my detailer momentarily. Thanks for reading along. Drive safely everyone!
Loved the pictures. Especially the one between the dumpsters!
Considering the carnage road debris can cause, you were very lucky.
Seems like a successful road trip.
I hate road debris. You always have to chose veering at the last minute and causing someone else to potentially get into trouble - or worse - and hitting whatever happens to be a potential disaster for you or your car. Anyway, great story and some fabulous shots along the way! Glad to see a NJ plate on that car!
Had a similar experience a few years back. Wife and I were traveling on Hwy 22 in a 2005 Corvette to check on a rental we had on the Oregon coast. We where criusing along through the winding mountain road and a pickup truck towing a travel trailer was approaching fast from the other direction. Just as he passed we see the trailer jack doing endovers bounceing down the road coming right at us. We're talking about the long jack that is used to raise and lower the trailer tongue. It appeared like it was heading right to my windshield. Thankfully it ended up going under the front of the car. It could have killed one us had it come through the windshield. As soon as I could pull over I found the right front wheel well and the plastic undercarraige was ripped to shreds. No flat tire, just a bunch of plastic damage and major scare. I've had several very close calls on Hwy 22. Very glad I sold that rental.
Speaking of road debris, I once came across a 24' aluminum extension ladder on 280 heading south in Mountain View in the middle lane. People ahead swerved around it at the last second. Not sure how I avoided it, but I did. Lucky for me it was just laying in the road, not airborne like this one:
Glad everything went well .... I was driving on the highway yesterday and the car in front of me kicked up a tennis ball piece of asphalt from the road and it hit the front of my car right next to the licence plate and it exploded upon impact like a bomb !! Pulled over when I got off the highway expecting the worse and the only thing that happened was just a little nick / scuff in the PPF ... Thank Goodness for PPF without it that would have been a noticeable loss of paint and a decent ding ...PPF saved the day !!
Back when I had my 911SC Targa, I was on I-84 in Portland OR, when a pickup lost a mattress. When I pulled over, the left fog light (external on the SC's) had pretty much vaporized and my front license plate was missing. No mechanical damage, just (luckily) cosmetic.
The oddest part was that the next day, I retraced my route and was able to find my front license plate, a bit damaged, but usable.
05-21-2020, 02:37 PM
Story time: A memorable and lucky 997 East Coast road trip!
