[gryphon]

I finally decided to remove my spare tire. I don't track my car due to my disability, but just want the extra storage space.



Forgive the obvious question, but for those that have also removed the spare, what do you intend to do in the unlikely event of a flat tire. Do roadside services do anything more than change out a flat tire with a spare? Will they transport you and our tire to a shop for repair and return you to your vehicle? If not, what do y'all plan to do if you have a flat?



Tom

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[Anchorman]

I haven't taken the step of dumping the spare, but I do carry a can of Fix-A-Flat (or whatever it's called) as well as a tire plug kit. Since my car is a daily driver that gets lots of use, I plan to keep everything.

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[Greimann]

[quote name='Anchorman' date='Nov 12 2005, 07:08 PM']... as well as a tire plug kit. ...

[right][post="12358"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

Worth it's weight in gold. Has saved many a tire for me. Consider where you drive and access to a AAA tow driver or any other service. If you are in the wild west, it might be a long wait, if you can contact them at all.

   

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[rustech]

dumped the spare tire, now what?

If you have to ask...you best put it back in <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Seriously, keep the cell phone close. You can call friend or family to bring you your spare, you can call AAA, or you can call you insurance company if they offer a couple free tows (most do).

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[flash]

i'm thinking a bottle of cabernet weighs less, takes up less space, and is a great way to kill the time waiting for the tow truck driver - it's also a great calming agent in the process

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[Anchorman]

You'd also need to be careful in planning your driving routes so that you have cell coverage at the place where you get the unplanned flat. Otherwise, you may need a case of cabernet.



That's the tire plug kit I have, Dave.

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[Brian]

anyone ever try using the factory jack?

i tried once and let's just say it was not a pleasant experience.

either i'm missing some kind of stabilizer, or it's a waste, especially on a road side.

i wonder if having a real jack would make sense for those of us with the spare tire?

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[flash]

i know you're supposed to have it in gear and brake on, but i'm not sure why they did not include a set of wheel chocks - i grabbed a set from a nissan 200sx i had a long time ago - best thing i ever did - i use them in my garage all the time

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[Anchorman]

I used the factory jack twice. The second time, the car started moving on it, at which point the jack broke in half - luckily, the tire I was putting on was positioned in such a way that the car came down on it safely, without anything breaking. I have since purchased new jacks, one of which is a scissor that I carry in the car. 'nuff said.

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[flash]

they sure didn't give us much in the way of jack points, and unfortunately, the ones for the facory jack require a perfect point in order to work - a little smashing or bending there and you're in for trouble



a scissor jack sounds like a good approach if you want to carry a jack



i'm still in search of the perfect wine case with 2 glasses for my flat tire emergency - i think i'll get a better lift from the cabernet



safety note - the emergency tire is not good for high speed or more than a few miles - this is serious - also, do not reuse - all of the above are extremely dangerous and can easily result in a much bigger problem - take thee to a tire store immediately

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[rustech]

[quote name='flash' date='Nov 14 2005, 09:56 AM']i grabbed a set from a nissan 200sx i had a long time ago - best thing i ever did - i use them in my garage all the time

[right][post="12401"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Don't post that, you could get morally spanked! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[memphoman]

big question. I couldnt do it if i was on a long trip with unknowns.



I've never actually have tried to change the tire, and inflate the spare. Maybe that'll be an exercise i do soon (man, I'm a geek, and addicted).

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[flash]

ooh - don't do it if you don't have to - collapsing the spare to the point where it fits back in the hole after inflating is no picnic - by all means, play with the jack and see if you can crack loose the lug nuts, but just check the compressor to see if it works on a tire and leave that spare alone if you can

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[Anchorman]

I have used the inflatable spare, and did not find it to be as difficult as I expected. In fact, it was surprisingly easy. Once I started letting the air out, it recollapsed pretty easily and was back in it's proper place the same afternoon. If you feel the exercise of a test run is necessary, I wouldn't stop you - but I found it to be pretty straightforward in a real-life situation. As Flash points out, the biggest thing is to make sure you have the tools needed to loosen the lug nuts. I keep a torque wrench with the proper socket already on it in the trunk at all times.

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[flash]

really? - i have not done it on this car, but a couple of guys at a pca event i was at recently were moaning about how tough it was to get it back in the hole, as we were changing a tire on a boxster that had tossed one - they said they had to stuff and cram the thing back in - i think somebody here was doing the same thing not long ago - that made me thik twoce about testing it - maybe they just didn't try hard enough to get the air out first?

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[SILVY968]

I had the spare out last weekend to see if it still was in good order. After inflation, I unscrewed the air valve from the stem and the tire went down in a minute and returned to it's original shape right away. The hardest thing WAS the nut that holds the spare in place.

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[flash]

cool - good to know - the local pca guys are as a general rule, um, shall we say, not especially mechanically inclined, so i'm going to chalk that one up to that and not worry about it anymore



in retrospect, it did take 4 guys to change that tire, and in the end, i had to track down a compressor from another 968 guy to come to the rescue

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[ds968]

[quote name='flash' date='Nov 20 2005, 12:31 PM']in retrospect, it did take 4 guys to change that tire

[right][post="12600"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



there's a joke in there somewhere.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />





I think other than on long trips, or those drives trough canyons and similar

terrain where you might have cell coverage issues, the spare tire is nothing

but a weight nuisance. In most other cases a 1/2 hour wait for AAA isn't all that bad, IMO..

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[memphoman]

or those drives trough canyons

Oh, to be in SoCal with my 968...makes me miss it. I'll save the test because it sounds like it will be fine. The torque wrench on a long trip is a great idea.

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[Darryl]

Have to agree with most of the above comments, considering the very first thing I ever had to do as a new 968 owner was change the right rear tire. There was a plug in it the was disclosed at purchase time but it didn't last more than 30 minutes in Florida heat at highway speeds. I was extremely lucky for a number of reasons:



1.) No damage to the car when the tire went down rapidly and literally shredded of the rim.



2.) Original compressor and tool kit was in the car.



3.) Flat happened in the left hand lane in a construction zone where the shoulder was almost as wide as the 4 lane stretch of interstate highway where 18 wheelers were zipping by at 75+ MPH.



My experience with the factory jack was just that...an experience. Finding the jack points was the first issue and getting the car to be stable while on the jack was the next trick. The tire was changed without issue and I made it to the next exit in search of a tire place on the temp spare.



Getting it deflated and back in wasn't a huge problem. I do have one question...Flash mentioned not re-using the temp spare. Why not? Isn't that what it's there for? Is it designed to be a one use only? Are you supposed to get a new one if you use it? I wouldn't think that's a cheap proposition and would have to be OEM from the dealer.

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