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When I put on my Big Red brakes, I will no longer be able to use the 16" collapsable spare tire for the front wheels. So, I'm thinking through my options, and one is to just dispense with carrying a spare altogether.



I'll be interested in what others think about this. Over the past decade, I can only recall two flat tire incidents we've had with our various cars and in both cases, they occured on our workhorse riceburner that gets driven far more often and frankly, doesn't enjoy newer, high-quality tires. Since I am the only driver of the Porsche, my calculation doesn't need to take into account stranding someone else because of my decision.



Most of my 968 miles are in town, so if I had a spare wheel at the house, then the scenario could be to go home, get it, my floor jack and a torque wrench, and go back and change it. With an opportunity to change clothes and get the proper tools, it wouldn't be the end of the world. And maybe simpler than trying out the air pump for the first time?



If I'm traveling somewhere far from home, then it gets more complicated. I would have AAA to come help me ... maybe they would take off the flat and take it somewhere to be repaired and then go back and put it on my car. Not sure about that one. Or they could also just tow the car to a place that can get the tire repaired, but that could have some complications too.



Are the collapsable spares re-usable? Is it difficult to collapse the spare after use to store it back in the car?



I suppose I could find a newer, 17" collapsable tire and switch it out for my 16", and maybe that's the best bet? That would proabably also sooth some future buyer of my car someday who might be shocked that I didn't have a spare any longer. Or who thought a 90s Porsche without the collapsable tire and pump was somehow emasculted.



All things considered, when I think about the probability of actually needing the thing and the existence of some halfway resonable alternative solutions, I'm not sure why I really want to lug the extra weight around.



Thoughts?

cell phone and a AAA card does it for me



consider too that new porsches don't even come with a spare

How about a can of Fix-a-Flat?

i think that is actually what they put in the cars now



i hate that stuff, and so does evey tire guy i know, but it works sometimes

[quote name='flash' date='Mar 14 2006, 03:26 PM']i think that is actually what they put in the cars now



i hate that stuff, and so does evey tire guy i know, but it works sometimes

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I second that last remark, you are going to put a tire out of balance immediately and force a return trip to a tire shop in the near future in any event.



How about run flat tires if you take the car on an extended road trip?



When I turned wrenches professionally, I read (from a major manufacturer in Stuttgart who will remain nameless <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />) that the average time between flats is an average of 130k miles. That's a statistical average of nill for me to worry about it. I've been running sans spare for the last year.

hmmm - i got a screw in a sidewall of a brand new tire - good thing i always buy the road hazard warranty



run flats are getting better - still awfully heavy though



ah - the good old days of tubes

I cast my vote for losing the spare as well. The only time I've ever used a spare was when I ran my beater car down to the threads. Doh! Gotta pay better attention to that stuff!

the only time I will likely put the spare back in the car is on long trips where a significant portion of the drive is trough canyons, hills, etc.. areas known for weak or no cell phone signal ( in those cases, " Murphy " would undoubtedly be riding in my trunk, sitting where the spare should be...and I don't feel like waiting 2 hrs for a car to pass by so I can flag them down and ask if they can call AAA for me when they have cell signal.. and then wait another 2 hrs..)



otherwise, no reason to carry the spare, IMO.



btw, I have had one single flat tire in about 30 years... out of countless cars, several of which were clonkers with not-so-great tires.. unbelievable as that

may sound, and I realize the probabilities are remarkably low, it's absolutely true !

Interesting topic. I, too have Big Reds, and never thought to check if the spare will fit over them. I'll have to check when I take my front wheels off when I do my engine mounts.



As far as run flats, the big drawback I see, besides the weight factor, is that there's no sure way to tell if you have a flat, other than checking the pressure periodically, which would be a real hassle.



It seems that the consensus here is that the spare is unnecessary in this age of cell phones, and greatly improved tires. Between losing the spare, and a full RS Barn exhaust, the weight savings would be quite significant.

[quote name='Tom in Austin' date='Mar 14 2006, 11:40 AM']When I put on my Big Red brakes, I will no longer be able to use the 16" collapsable spare tire for the front wheels.[/quote]



Tom,



I have (or at least thought I had) Big Reds, along with some pretty hefty ~12" Zimmerman cross-drilled rotors, so I checked to see if my 16" collapsable spare fits my front wheels. It fits with plenty of clearance. Your rotors and calipers must be huge! Not that I have "brake envy" or anything, because this car has by far the best brakes of any car I have ever owned, but I just thought I'd compare notes.