Spare tires, etc.
12-20-2010, 01:01 PM
#31
Three Wheelin'
My C4S is the best touring car that I have ever had and I love to use it for trips but I am hesitant because of the risk of a flat tire. I fear breaking down in an isolated area without cell coverage and, almost as worrying, I worry about getting a replacement wheel and tire(s) in a reasonable time frame.
I have driven across the USA (and back) in an Audi Allroad and a Cayman S. I've had two flats but fortunately, they were both in relatively accessible areas. Even so, each incident cost me a lost day or two. Unlike some here, I am not competent to plug tires myself.
I am headed to Vermont over Christmas. One of my previous flats was in Maine. Being stuck with everything closed and the temperature well below zero is worrying. Probably nothing will happen but it seems to me that a car as competent as a Porsche should not burden its owners with uncertainty about the wisdom of driving it in the way for which it is intended.
How much should I worry? Are there any precautions that I should take? And is driving cross-country a bad idea?
I have driven across the USA (and back) in an Audi Allroad and a Cayman S. I've had two flats but fortunately, they were both in relatively accessible areas. Even so, each incident cost me a lost day or two. Unlike some here, I am not competent to plug tires myself.
I am headed to Vermont over Christmas. One of my previous flats was in Maine. Being stuck with everything closed and the temperature well below zero is worrying. Probably nothing will happen but it seems to me that a car as competent as a Porsche should not burden its owners with uncertainty about the wisdom of driving it in the way for which it is intended.
How much should I worry? Are there any precautions that I should take? And is driving cross-country a bad idea?
1 - Have all your RA / tow service phone numbers handy.
2 - Cell phone charged - spare battery not a bad idea.
3 - Pen and Paper on board.
4 - Plan your route and pre-determince locations of Porsche Dealers and other suitable tire service centers than would have your tire and could do the work correctly. Have a list with phone numbers.
5 - Have plenty of water along in case you get stuck and have to sit a while.
6 - Have some cash on hand.
7 - Have a flash light.
8 - Avoid traveling at night/friday afternoon/weekends if you can.
BTW, if a tire can be plugged, it is not so hard to do it - well worth a try and you will have plenty of time to give it a shot while you wait for any other solution to come together. If it works great, if not - you're no worse off.
12-22-2010, 11:57 PM
#32
The precautions you should take are plan as if you will have a flat and know what you are going to do. Even then, it might not be so fun.
1 - Have all your RA / tow service phone numbers handy.
2 - Cell phone charged - spare battery not a bad idea.
3 - Pen and Paper on board.
4 - Plan your route and pre-determince locations of Porsche Dealers and other suitable tire service centers than would have your tire and could do the work correctly. Have a list with phone numbers.
5 - Have plenty of water along in case you get stuck and have to sit a while.
6 - Have some cash on hand.
7 - Have a flash light.
8 - Avoid traveling at night/friday afternoon/weekends if you can.
BTW, if a tire can be plugged, it is not so hard to do it - well worth a try and you will have plenty of time to give it a shot while you wait for any other solution to come together. If it works great, if not - you're no worse off.
1 - Have all your RA / tow service phone numbers handy.
2 - Cell phone charged - spare battery not a bad idea.
3 - Pen and Paper on board.
4 - Plan your route and pre-determince locations of Porsche Dealers and other suitable tire service centers than would have your tire and could do the work correctly. Have a list with phone numbers.
5 - Have plenty of water along in case you get stuck and have to sit a while.
6 - Have some cash on hand.
7 - Have a flash light.
8 - Avoid traveling at night/friday afternoon/weekends if you can.
BTW, if a tire can be plugged, it is not so hard to do it - well worth a try and you will have plenty of time to give it a shot while you wait for any other solution to come together. If it works great, if not - you're no worse off.
I have my wife follow me with a flatbed that I just purchased
12-23-2010, 08:07 AM
#33
Burning Brakes
The precautions you should take are plan as if you will have a flat and know what you are going to do. Even then, it might not be so fun.
1 - Have all your RA / tow service phone numbers handy.
2 - Cell phone charged - spare battery not a bad idea.
3 - Pen and Paper on board.
4 - Plan your route and pre-determince locations of Porsche Dealers and other suitable tire service centers than would have your tire and could do the work correctly. Have a list with phone numbers.
5 - Have plenty of water along in case you get stuck and have to sit a while.
6 - Have some cash on hand.
7 - Have a flash light.
8 - Avoid traveling at night/friday afternoon/weekends if you can.:-)
BTW, if a tire can be plugged, it is not so hard to do it - well worth a try and you will have plenty of time to give it a shot while you wait for any other solution to come together. If it works great, if not - you're no worse off.
1 - Have all your RA / tow service phone numbers handy.
2 - Cell phone charged - spare battery not a bad idea.
3 - Pen and Paper on board.
4 - Plan your route and pre-determince locations of Porsche Dealers and other suitable tire service centers than would have your tire and could do the work correctly. Have a list with phone numbers.
5 - Have plenty of water along in case you get stuck and have to sit a while.
6 - Have some cash on hand.
7 - Have a flash light.
8 - Avoid traveling at night/friday afternoon/weekends if you can.:-)
BTW, if a tire can be plugged, it is not so hard to do it - well worth a try and you will have plenty of time to give it a shot while you wait for any other solution to come together. If it works great, if not - you're no worse off.
12-23-2010, 04:21 PM
#35
Three Wheelin'
http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...y_Code=9972int
Those guys are truly a service to Porsche owners.
Optionally that tire can also be placed in the frunk, but it doesn't mount to anything. For frunk storage, a Das Schild frunk hood liner is probably a good precautiom - in fact Das Schild seems like a good idea to me regardless of the spare.
12-23-2010, 05:03 PM
#36
And I for one was happy with the 996 set up--I am not a big fan of 19" wheels. The 18" hollow spokes on my 996 Turbo that had an inflatable spare in the floor of the trunk were great.
12-23-2010, 05:31 PM
#37
Drifting
If its a life or death emergency - as in I die if I stop to fix my flat... the maybe.
But otherwise, no way would I drive on the flat and sacrifice the rim. Because it doesn't stop there.
Beyond the fact that any handling is shot and you are crawling along (you must assume its a rear driving wheel that has gone out)... the tire will break up as will the rim and begin to destroy the body of the car in the process.
The $1000 fine Porsche makes us pay to Suncoast (kit here )(kuodos to them for assembling the kit) is preferable to any other option unless I see its just a nail hole and the goop will work in it.
Its not really a European spare. The Autobahn is clean and clear.. you won't find the amount of debris and chunks of stuff on German highways that you encounter on the vastly larger US highway network. Its a price we pay for having the wide open space and lower taxes.
But otherwise, no way would I drive on the flat and sacrifice the rim. Because it doesn't stop there.
Beyond the fact that any handling is shot and you are crawling along (you must assume its a rear driving wheel that has gone out)... the tire will break up as will the rim and begin to destroy the body of the car in the process.
The $1000 fine Porsche makes us pay to Suncoast (kit here )(kuodos to them for assembling the kit) is preferable to any other option unless I see its just a nail hole and the goop will work in it.
Its not really a European spare. The Autobahn is clean and clear.. you won't find the amount of debris and chunks of stuff on German highways that you encounter on the vastly larger US highway network. Its a price we pay for having the wide open space and lower taxes.
12-23-2010, 05:46 PM
#38
Rennlist Member
1 - Have all your RA / tow service phone numbers handy.
2 - Cell phone charged - spare battery not a bad idea.
3 - Pen and Paper on board.
4 - Plan your route and pre-determince locations of Porsche Dealers and other suitable tire service centers than would have your tire and could do the work correctly. Have a list with phone numbers.
5 - Have plenty of water along in case you get stuck and have to sit a while.
6 - Have some cash on hand.
7 - Have a flash light.
8 - Avoid traveling at night/friday afternoon/weekends if you can.
12-24-2010, 02:46 AM
#39
Three Wheelin'
12-24-2010, 04:32 AM
#40
Instructor
Join Date: May 2010
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 164
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CA roadways used to be a model for the nation 30 years ago. Today they are abyssmal. And we are being taxed and "fee'd" up the wazoo.
Tennessee went to privatizing theirs and they are incredible both in repair, condition and cleanliness- compared to what the Golden State has today. (A bunch of goat trails and trash all over.)
12-24-2010, 10:03 AM
#41
My wife and I drove cross-country to Monterey in summer 2009. She had the same hesitation about a flat, getting stuck, etc. We had zero problems driving in all conditions (day, night, clear, rain, etc.). One thing to certainly do is to stay on major highways in less populated areas. You'll always have cell coverage and at a minimum, plenty of passersby. The other thing I haven't seen mentioned here is diligence in watching the road. I am always scanning in 3 modes - near, middle, far - near to check for potholes, debris; middle - 2-3 seconds ahead to see what traffic is doing; far - 6-7 seconds ahead for police, accidents, etc.
12-24-2010, 01:33 PM
#42
Race Car
No it's a price we taxpayers pay for both State and Federal graft, greed and mismanagement. And I'm not paying any higher taxes so they can waste more of it. Some states have privatized their roads and guess what... they are by and large the best in the country.
CA roadways used to be a model for the nation 30 years ago. Today they are abyssmal. And we are being taxed and "fee'd" up the wazoo.
Tennessee went to privatizing theirs and they are incredible both in repair, condition and cleanliness- compared to what the Golden State has today. (A bunch of goat trails and trash all over.)
CA roadways used to be a model for the nation 30 years ago. Today they are abyssmal. And we are being taxed and "fee'd" up the wazoo.
Tennessee went to privatizing theirs and they are incredible both in repair, condition and cleanliness- compared to what the Golden State has today. (A bunch of goat trails and trash all over.)
12-25-2010, 02:56 PM
#44
Rennlist Member
12-26-2010, 02:29 PM
#45
Guys, shop this darn thing around... I paid under $300. for the same setup you're willing to pay 1K$ for.
The tire, tools, cover, etc. and it was new..... No reason to pay three times the money for the same thing.
Suncoast is a great resource and I love em' but......
The tire, tools, cover, etc. and it was new..... No reason to pay three times the money for the same thing.
Suncoast is a great resource and I love em' but......