Is the spare tire safe?
 

Is driving on a 16 year old spare tire safe? I was thinking about substituting the spare with a 12volt air compressor and a can of fix-a-flat, instead.

I carry all 3 incase my 14 year old spare fails

Add a vulcanized tire plug kit and needle nose pliers to the mix, too.

"Fix a flat" is awful stuff. Just ask anyone at a tire shop. ANY type of spare that holds air is better. Tire goo is only useful on small leaks, where a plug/patch kit is a better solution. The whole purpose of the temporary spare is to have something to get you home or to service. Chances are that the spare in your Boxster is just fine, even if it isn't new.

I personally have a plug kit in each of my cars. While it isn't something that I would expect my wife or daughter to be able to use, I have repaired nail/screw holes on the side of the road with them on more than one occasion, and usually didn't bother having them "properly" patched later on. The two times that wouldn't have worked were when the tire had been damaged beyond all help. Once my wife hit a piece of rebar that put a huge hole in the tire and the other I hit a piece of something that came off of a truck that ripped the sidewall open. Without a spare in the car those times it would have meant a tow truck. I tell my wife and daughter that if they have a flat, they call me first and if they can't get a hold of me then call roadside assistance. When my wife hit the piece of rebar on the way to the airport she called me first, then called our insurance company's roadside assistance to see if they could come quicker. I got to her before she was off of hold, switched vehicles with her to get her on her way and then swapped the spare. It was a mere 20 min inconvenience for her, and not a big deal to me either.

Here is another example. A friends daughter picked up a nail while away at school and thought she would be smart and called a friend to bring some fix a flat type stuff to put in the tire. The car had a full size spare, but she didn't know how to change it. She had a hard time with it and while it was mostly inflated, by the time she got to a tire store the sidewalls had been badly worn. On top of that, the fix a flat destroyed the tire pressure monitoring sensor. So, what should have been a simple repair that many tire shops do for free cost a new tire, a new tire pressure sensor and a charge to clean the rim of the "goo" that had been sprayed in. All in all, it cost close to $500 and hours of inconvenience.

My recommendation? Keep the temporary spare and make sure it is pumped up at least to the recommended pressure (when was the last time you checked air in the spare?). I put mine about 5 PSI high and adjust if needed when I put it on. Having an underinflated spare is not much better than not having a spare at all.

If you want to be really good, also keep a plug/patch kit in the car along with a diagonal cutter to pull out nails/screws/whatever and cut off the plug and a compressor.

I'd think just use the spare only to get to somewhere to have the damaged tire repaired. Not many miles, not much speed.

I think there was a more recent Mazda that used the same size tire, but haven't explored obtaining a new tire that way.

New Porsches don't even come with spare tires, just a can of fix it and a compressor. Not saying that's good or bad, just saying.

Is the spare tire safe?
 

I drove on my original spare over this summer when I had a tire blow. Wasn't bad at all for the short time it was needed, felt fine aside from being a littely slippery in first when turning at lights.

I had to use my 38 yr old spare in the 911SC this summer TWICE! Both times I got a flat on a section of freeway that is under construction. I will admit that I was a little hesitant but I drove slowly and the spare was only on the car for a few miles. Its one of those collapsible spares (not a compact spare) so I can't replace it with something newer.

I appreciate a full size spare, but to reduce weight on a daily basis of driving and time in replacing a flat, I have replaced the spare with a can of fix a flat kept in the frank

Is the spare tire safe?
 

The spare tire in m96 cars is by far the best spare Porsche has had in a generation, right b4 they quit including one. That is my single biggest gripe re new cars. The goo stuff is ludicrous. I would not start out on a trip in any car without some sort of usable spare, which is why i have bought 2 additional spares from boxsters. I carry one in my wife's 968 even though it has a collapsible and i am saving the other one for my next purchase, a 991 when the prices get right


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Does anyone know why they are the crazy red color? Some German law?

Similar to human skin UV light is what ages rubber tires. Proper storage of a tire delays the aging, so assuming your spare has been in the fronk most of it's life it Might be ok, check it for cracks etc. Under inflation & excessive speed are the main cause of tire failures so be conservative while driving.

You guys must be single .... I had to remove the spare to give the wife more room for luggage lol haven't had a flat in over four years

Haha, this is what I read at first! :p

Used my spare a couple of weeks ago. It was a little under inflated but worked just fine. Had a blowout on the right rear and let me tell you 265-35-18 will not fit in the frunk worth a damn, but the hood will barely engage the safety latch. 2 matching Connie's on the rear - $650.:(

May not matter to everyone, but if you are thinking of removing the spare keep in mind that it is part of the structural integrity of the car in the event of a front end crash.

It may not be bad, but it sure as hell ain't good. Traveling without a spare is ludicrous, unless you're within range of your local AAA, or other support group.

Last year, at Boxstoberfest, some unfortunate soul suffered a sidewall puncture while driving one of the Twisted Sisters. He sat on that mountain for SEVEN HOURS until he could be towed. Then he had to hole up for THREE DAYS before he could get a proper tire. All because his late model Boxster did not come equipped with a spare tire.

Just yesterday, I saw an abandoned Cayman on the shoulder of a major interstate in Dallas with a flat tire. No spare tire in that model either.

Just sayin'.................

TO

I had a puncture two weeks ago that flattened the RR. AAA came quickly and put on my neverbefore used, 16 year old spare. Drove to the tire store, then home, then back to the tire store when my new PS 2's arrived (had about 20k on them and was almost down to the wear bars so I replaced both). In all I drove about 40 miles, never over 50mph. Never had an issue except for the $$$$.

Larry (the bald eagle)

A year ago, when I still had my 2001 Base, I had a nearly new rear tire sidewall just disintegrate while driving down the highway. Fix a Flat would not have helped. No tire store within 150 miles had a replacement. So I put on the spare (which looked brand new) and continued the 70 miles to my destination. Then drove all weekend on the spare. Then drove 186 miles back to my house averaging 65 mph on the highway. Spare still looked new when I got home! The Boxster spare is a fairly substantial piece of rubber with lots of tread. Just narrow.

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Holy cow! WTF happened with that tire?? Scary, to say the least!