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Does not having a real spare tire impact on how and when you use your 997?
I've had very view flats in my life time but when they happened they sucked and always caused a change in plans.
Even assuming that the can of goop worked and you were able to drive for 50 very slow miles (somewhere between LA and Vegas in 100 degree heat)...you're still without a usuable tire and the odds are you are going to be on the flatbed sooner or later to somewhere.
Is that potential of a flat in your 997 enough to make you take the "other car" for a road trip to Oregon...or through Death Valley...or from Dallas to Miami?
For me, that thought put a big dent in the pleasure of the modern 911.
Not for me I drive it everywhere I have gone from Chicago to Miami at least three times this year alone, and also to Cincinnati twice I have had a tire blowout on me cause of it being defective but that's life it happens I don't let little insecurities take the opportunity out from me
I drove an E90 335i for 7.5 years before getting my 997. No spare tire and no run-flats. I took it on multiple road trips across desolate areas including Highway 395 and I-10 and I-40 to Arizona in 110F+ heat.
Get yourself an upgraded AAA membership and put a bunch of bottled water in the frunk before you go. Life's short. Don't worry.
Its something that I think about when contemplating long trips but it has never stopped me. I drove my former 996 and 993 from Connecticut to Florida [Jax and Orlando] and back many times. Granted that is not a trip through rural ares. I done the same with my E430 Mercedes and had the same concerns. I think that it's ok to think about it ... but them prepare as much as is possible before hitting the road. My current ride has done Maryland to Jacksonville FL and Jacksonville to Ft Lauderdale a couple of times. Will be doing Jax to Atlanta and back in a week or two. I bought my Porsche cars to drive them and that I do.
Thanks to all for your replies. I have an absolute hate of breaking down...and waiting four hour for a flatbed from somewhere in the middle of the night...and then ending up at the Bate Motel...etc. I will try to absorb some of your optimism.
The issue here is not so much the wait as the possibility of getting held up if you're stranded. Folks here in general are very friendly and helpful, but there are thieves who prey on stranded motorists along highways. The gov't has designated a fleet of highway assistance pick ups to assist motorists on highways, but you don't know who will get there first.
Long story short, the best option is usually going to be to get moving asap. That means a can of fix a flat. I carry two as well as a slime kit, tire plug gun and compressor. I had a highway flat a few months ago in a Mini GP and was able to apply the factory goop in about 6-7 minutes and limp to a tire repair shop about 6 miles down the road where I wound up getting a used tire to complete the trip.
I have the optional 911 spare tire too, but coincidentally until last Saturday I'd never bothered to take it anywhere since my first line of defense is the goop cans. I did a day-long mountain loop with 8 other P cars and was pleasantly surprised to see how the kit remains firmly planted in the rear seat.
Yeah for me here in Australia - having no spare only really limits me if I wanted to say drive to Sydney (1300km) or Canberra (1600km) for work. For everyday use and within a couple of hundred kilometres around Brisbane, its no problem the RACQ or Porsche Assist will help out.
You wouldn't really take the 997 anywhere near the 'outback' as it could handle the unsealed roads and getting stranded can be, quite literally life and death - you all know Mad Max was a documentary right? ;-)
Get a collapsible orange spare from 994 C4S (to clear red brakes) that fit in frunk or even behind rear seats and done with that. Or just get a 18" full size tire and treat it as silent AAA passenger. And always carry essentials including small jack, tire plugger,..
The issue here is not so much the wait as the possibility of getting held up if you're stranded. Folks here in general are very friendly and helpful, but there are thieves who prey on stranded motorists along highways. The gov't has designated a fleet of highway assistance pick ups to assist motorists on highways, but you don't want to know who will get there first.
Long story short, the best option is usually going to be to get moving asap. That means a can of fix a flat. I carry two as well as a slime kit, tire plug gun and compressor. I had a highway flat a few months ago in a Mini GP and was able to apply the factory goop in about 6-7 minutes and limp to a tire repair shop about 6 miles down the road where I wound up getting a used tire to complete the trip.
I have the optional 911 spare tire too, but coincidentally until last Saturday I'd never bothered to take it anywhere since my first line of defense is the goop cans. I did a day-ling mountain loop with 8 other P cars and was pleasantly surprised to see how the kit remains firmly planted in the rear seat.
I'm curious if anyone with the spare have test-fitted it to make sure it clears the calipers etc. I believe I also read that the spare only works on front (or rear, sorry I can't remember which) and that you might have to remove and replace two wheels when fixing a flat.
I take two long trips per month and always the ''back roads'', so to speak. I'd rather have a spare, but I don't avoid doing anything without one.
I have a tire plug kit (used once) and AAA Premium.
Road trip flats are mostly tire punctures in the tread. These are fixable. Yes, some won't be, but we're down to very rare circumstances.
I remember travelling 1,000 miles without a cell phone. I'd rather have a cell phone and no spare, instead of a spare and no cell phone.... and no one thought twice about taking road trips back in the day.
I'm curious if anyone with the spare have test-fitted it to make sure it clears the calipers etc. I believe I also read that the spare only works on front (or rear, sorry I can't remember which) and that you might have to remove and replace two wheels when fixing a flat.
I have not tested mine but am sure it fits since it was included in the original factory order and supplied with the car. Having said that, I've also read that it may only fit FR or RR (don't recall but I would think FR since I can't imagine the RR would work FR) so I might have to change two tires to get going.
08-02-2015, 10:20 PM
Does not having a real spare tire impact on how and when you use your 997?
