Dartmouth

I'm driving over the Toms River bridge in NJ going to Seaside Heights. TPMS red warning lights comes on and my rear passenger tire is losing air fast. I turn around and head back over the fairly long bridge. Tire pressure is going down fast. 20, 18 and I pull into the gas station just off the bridge. I fill up with 36lbs. and take off. I go about a mile or so and pull into another station. I fill up with 45 lbs and take off. I go a mile or two, pull next station. Air pump there is broken. I'm losing air fast. I take off. I'm down to 13 lbs and pull into parking lot. It's flat. OK, get my pump out, I hook up the air pump and turn it on. It goes on and off. Blown fuse. I change the 7.5 amp fuse. Call my wife, no answer. I turn on the pump, same thing happens. WTF! I call AAA. Put the top up, turn on the air and wait. I decide to up the amp fuse to a 15 amp fuse. I hook up the pump again and turn it on. AAA pulls in. The pump is now working. I pull it off the tire stem and AAA puts 50lbs in. He tells me drive it like a Porsche and you'll make it home and I do with 15 lbs left. I jack the car up, pull the tire off, pull the screw out, get my plug kit out i bought 2 months earlier at Harbor Freight on a hunch I might need it someday. I plug the hole and put 30 lbs in and it holds, no leak. Put the tire back on and let the jack down. Now I want to know why the fuse for the Porsche pump blows the fuse it is supposedly designed for? A long unexpected afternoon for sure.

sclemmons

Did you plug into the lighter as the instructions say, or into the accessory panel, which is a no-no? That is the mistake I made. Then I bought the spare kit, but not sure where I would have hidden your rear wheel on that bridge in downtown New Jersey.

Dartmouth

I did not read where to plug the pump into but obviously it's time to open the manual and read where to plug it in. I believe the first time I plugged it into the outlet in the console, the second time in the outlet on the wall of the passenger leg compartment above the amplifier bump. My guess is it was a mistake on both plugs and the cigarette lighter plug was the correct one and runs on the 7.5 amp fuse. Time to move that 15 amp fuse back to the reserve spot and replace it with the correct one - 7.5 amp fuse.

simsgw

Definitely replace that fuse with a correct one. It is so inconvenient having a car burn down around one's ears.

The pump is supposed to be plugged into the cigarette lighter because that's the only outlet with the capacity for the amps the pump pulls.

Gary

Edgy01

Congratulations--this is an exercise that all should learn from. Why Porsche wired that side electrical plug with lower gauge wire is beyond me--it's a natural place for anyone to plug into. We should all learn from your lesson--and be prepared for this event for ourselves. I have also plugged my own tires at times and it is highly effective. Leapfrogging it from station to station was a proactive way to get her home to an environment much more conducive to an effective repair. Good for you!

Fin Fever

I have been carrying a plug kit with me. plan will be to plug it in a safe location, even before driving home.


btw, dont leave it plugged too long. Get the tire to a pro shop to have the plug removed and an internal patch applied.

NC 997

+1!

POOR-SCHE

I just plugged my tire the other day in my 08 Cayman...As soon as i started it it said the right rear tire was flat...it said it had 24 lbs in it...I hopped out and felt it...[ felt good].....I thought it was the computer....then I drove it down to my garage and put a TIRE gauge on it and DAMN..It was 24 lbs.....It was a screw....i plugged it .Tires holdin fine...

Dartmouth

I'm wondering if I should patch my tire from the inside. The plug I put in is holding 40 lbs just fine. Would you guys?

mjsporsche

I would patch the tire from the inside. That is the best way to permanently repair any tire let alone a high performance tire.

Mark

Fahrer

If it is holding air leave it as-is unless you plan to track or drive a high speeds ( > 90 mph for extended time).

Dartmouth

BTW - I went through my manual page after page looking for where it says to plug the in the air compressor or even use it to fill the tire. The manual describes how to use a sealant quite well. After not being able to locate it by searching - flat tire, air compressor, tire pressure etc etc, I looked up the cigarette lighter (only after reading it here after my first post where to plug it in). It says worded basically this way - do not plug anything into this except for the air compressor. What a way to advise owners where to plug in the air compressor. You've got to be kidding. Is there another place I didn't see?

tbrom

On plugging tires: I've been doing this for years with my Griot's plug kit and air compressor. I carry one in two cars! I've plugged at least 4 or 5 tires and run them with those plugs till I replaced the tires at the normal interval! They are fine and used to be the standard untill the garrages and tire places started selling everyone on the idea of repairing from the inside like the old bicycle repairs. Fixed my 993 tires at least twice...

So before I bought my plug kit let me recount for you guys my experience wth Firestone "fixing" my flat! It was my 530i - took in the tire - they took it off the rim "roughed" up the rubber inside where the hole was - they used some power tool - back on the rim and it still leaked - they repeated this 2 more times till they got it to hold - I watched as I always do the entire process! I said at on the last time to the manager - this can't be good for my tire - he agreed - I said if this doesn't hold you are replacing my tire! It held....

Needless to say that when I saw the kit in Griot's catalogue that routinely comes to my house I jumped on it. I bought the air compressor and tire kit.
I had an ocassion to use it myself when on the road - had a flat immediately pulled over, hopped out, jacked up the car - whipped out the kit - never took the tire off - rotated it to the spot, pulled the screw - plugged it - filled it and went on to my destination and never worried about flats again! I carry that repair kit wherever I go! It has more than paid for itself after about the 4th time - I realized how much of my time it was saving too! If you shave off the plug it is as good as new! Well almost - maybe not for tracking but for usual road going fun I worried not one iota! If you don't have one - get one - of course nothing fixes a sidewall failure...soooo that's what they make AAA and cell phones for, right...

Fahrer

I had a visitor to my home a few years ago who upon parking innmy driveway noticed a screw embedded in the tread of the tire on their SUV. After moving the screw out of the tread a bit we could hear a bit of air coming out. I offered to plug the tire with the one of these tire kits. Upon agreement, I quickly and permanently plugged the tire without removing the tire/wheel from the vehicle or even needing to add any air. These kits are very good.

Fin Fever

agreed, these tire plug kits are great. I used a cheap kit to plug my BF goodrich TA radial on my Excursion, and I put another 70.000 miles on that tire with the plug in it (max speed ever was about 90 mph). The problem on our 911s is that the potential speed of the car now exceeds the new safe speed rating of the plugged tire. The safe speed rating of a patched tire is somewhat higher than that of a plugged tire. Neither is as high as the safe speed rating of an undamaged tire. So if you want your tire to be safer at a little bit higher speed, have the plug removed and replaced by a patch. If you don't plan to exceed about 90 mph, then just leave the plug. JM2c