Frino

Had a flat tire yesterday afternoon and put the new emergency spare into service. The spare fit perfectly on the left rear and the damaged tire fit snugly behind the front seats.

Was back on the road in 30 minutes, drove without incident to the dealer 15 miles away and was given a low mileage 2009 Cayman as a loaner. Dealer tire replacement cost ($670!!!) covered by tire insurance.

Having the spare saved not only my time but the stress of having my low clearance 911 (aerokit) dragged on and off a flat bed. Enjoy the pics.

richc

Nice. Thanks for taking the time to document this incident.

ADias

Is this the 996 C4 flat kit? Did you get it from Suncoast?

Edgy01

That solution is not always possible with certain brakes. I have carried a front rim in the back seat of my cabriolet and it was a bear to fit in there. i wouldn't want to have to do that very often. I think the coupes have a lot more useful room in that department.

Frino

It's a 996 part...don't know whether it's from a C4 or not.

Bought the kit from the dealer, now defunct, where I purchased the car (Prestige Porsche).

Here's some info from a prior renn post by "george_k":

1 pc 996 362 020 03 emergency wheel $560
1 pc 996 721 211 00 jack $140
1 pc 996 722 101 00 foam insert $36
1 pc 999 571 074 30 wheel mounting stud (holds the wheel while you start lug bolts) $6.50
1 pc 996 361 701 20 Instruction sticker - emerg wheel $12
1 pc 996 721 115 00 996 tool kit $175

Edgy01

There is also a 996-362-020-02 emergency tire. Perhaps it's a superseded part number. While you're at it (for emergency preparedness) the serpentine belt is 996-361-411-00, Needs a 24mm combination wrench to install.

stevepow

What is this?

ADias

Note that serpentine belts are different for 997.1 and 997.2.

Minok

Thanks for the pictures. Nice to clarify how the emergency Vredestein spare inflates and unfolds to get larger.

That brings up this follow on question I've not seen asked:

After one has used the emergency spare tire in such a case, how (or can one) does one deflate it again to get it back into the compact shape that it was so it can be reused later?

Coochas

Glad to hear that it actually works well Frino.
I've been carrying one of those spares in my 997s for 4 years!

ADias

Yes. It conforms back to its original folded state. I had one in my 996 C4 and used it once and it behaved like that quite well.

fusion85

You can find these periodically on ebay, @ approx $150 for the whole kit. Frino, how does the tire warranty handle a difference of more than 3/32 " L to R in tread depth?

Edgy01

The collapsible spares have been used by Porsche for decades. Wonderful design, and work quite well, with the compressor that they have been including since about 1974.

Definitely consider the serpentine belt for you emergency kits. (Do a search herein for a serpentine belt failure with me as author.) They will stop you dead.

abe

Since we dont have slip diff and the diameter size is different should you not put the front tire in the back and use the spare in the front?
abe

Frino

Great question. I don't know the answer but will check it out. Replaced the rears about 4K miles ago so, based on my getting 20K miles on the OEM rears, I figure the new tire will have about 20-30% more tread than the older tire...shouldn't be an issue.