996.2 C4 Spare Fail

Yesterday I noticed that my rear left tire on my 2002 C4 cabriolet was flat. Roadside assistance came out and put the spare from the frunk on, and after ordering the correct Sumitomo 285 30 ZR 18 replacement tire, I drove it to the tire shop five minutes away. At least it should have been five minutes away, but it took 15 nailbiting, white-knuckle minutes this time, because the compact spare was squeaky and rough to drive on, and after a few minutes I got my first everer Before Flat spare Before replacement ror codes, regarding ABS and another code regarding the brakes in general. When I arrived here at the shop a few minutes ago, the first thing the tire tech asked is why I didn't inflate the spare. So I'm the genius who did not remember that the spare needed to be inflated, and that a compressor is included in the spare kit. And yes, I RTFM soon after I got the car a year ago, but apparently that detail didn't stick. I asked the installers if the spare and/or brakes were damaged due to driving 1 to 2 miles (never more than 25 miles an hour) without having been inflated. They said everything looked fine and should be, and the error codes disappeared as soon as I drove away with the new tire installed. Anyway, aside from a bruised ego, do any of you think the spare and/or brakes need to be looked at properly? Here are a few photos; I didn't see anything out of order but want to make sure I'm not missing anything. Thanks

First, LOL. Second, you got the ABS/ESP code because the deflated spare's diameter was throwing off the computer. If your codes went away, you are fine. Third, buy a new spare now. As you most likely have destroyed the old one.

Brakes should be fine. The codes and lights were PSM and the AWD systems freaking out over the situation. Definitely bad for the transfer case, but 1-2 miles *should* be ok. I personally wouldn't trust that spare again. You'll find that to be an expensive "senior moment". At a minimum, inflate it and inspect it for wear other than on the tread. If there is any, again, I would not trust it.

Thanks guys, I will inflate and inspect the spare tomorrow first, and if necessary I'll do some spare shopping.

I think when you get a flat in a rear tire, you're supposed to move the front to the rear and use the spare on the front.

good grief man...Also, FYI you are supposed to put the spare tire on the front of the car and put the front tire on the back. I would not trust that spare tire anymore. the worst part of this is that the spare tire is going to cost you more to replace than the original tire that went flat.

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^this^... Also, props for admitting your foibles...

Where did you transport the original flat tire after roadside replaced it with the spare?

Dude, you get major props for sacking up and admitting that you neglected to inflate the spare. That's an epic story. Good on you. It's cathartic to just admit it when you do something idiotic - or at least I found this to be true after installing my oil filter on top of the previous filter gasket and carefully distributing 3 quarts across the garage, the floor, and the bottom of the engine.

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Yet you still can't admit that you have no idea where your drain plug is

Drain plug? I have a 996, man - we just drain the oil out of the coolant tank every couple of weeks. Drain plug. That's a good one.

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Speaking of ways I have rankled some of Rennlist's most accomplished bad mechanics (maybe that's UNFAIR of me), I reused the crush ring when I changed my oil a week ago. NO VIRGIN MATING SURFACES WERE INVOLVED IN MY LATEST OIL CHANGE. It feels good to let that out. What do I owe, two Hail Mary's and an Our Father?

@ourkind, I had the roadside assist guy put the flat on a blanket on the reclined passenger seat. Now considering bugging the insurance company USAA (who provided the roadside assistance) to pay for a replacement spare. However, I seem to only be able to find used spares online; anyone know where to get a new one, or if it's possible to have the rubber replaced?

Inflate the spare to 110% of its rated inflation. Leave it alone for 5 minutes. If the pressure is unchanged 5 minutes later, deflate it and put it back in your frunk. It deserves to live. If it leaks, chuck it and find another one...

You would think you'd find plenty in the junkyard. They are hardly ever used, let alone without inflating them first! Sorry... Still, how come the roadside assistance did not see that the tire was not inflated?? Another thought: before calling road assistance I would use the compressor to inflate the flat tire first, it might as well hold until you get to the shop. If it is just a nail or something it should have been OK. Volkert

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No you can not just replace the rubber. There was a recent thread on this subject. You can still get them new, but they are like $600 or something from the dealer. The consensus seems to be that (at this point) age doesn't really matter. It's more about the condition of the wheel/tire. I still wouldn't go with a used one though, but that's just me. This is something that you need to depend on in an emergency situation to keep you safe until you get to a safer situation. Not something to skimp on in my book. Just cause it doesn't leak doesn't mean it's safe. He likely damaged the sidewalls and maybe the rim. It's definitely not something I'd want to be relying on out in the middle of nowhere if I got a flat.

@5CHN3LL, OK I just inflated to 40PSI instead of recommended 36PSI; pressure held fine for more than 5 minutes. I inspected the tire carefully and didn't see anything remotely suspicious. Here are a few photos.

That would rate "good enough" in my book, given how often I've had to use it (exactly once, when I was short a jack stand), but if you're worried about its integrity, you should do what is going to allay those fears. The whole thing increases in volume pretty drastically as the walls get pushed out and the OD increases; this makes me think there are probably not any rigid structures that got broken up when you were driving on the deflated spare. From messing with it, it seems like it's just a thick rubber donut with no shoulders or other reinforcements. The tread is the only thing that seems like it could get ripped up, but that would be pretty apparent. Seems like it's probably still up for the job of finding the nearest gas station if you pick up a nail in the future... If you decide you want to replace it, sell that one to John Ireland. He loves 'em and may or may not be collecting them.

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I'm with USAA too - am curious what type of coverage do you have that might cover replacement spare?

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Shouldn't be against his insurance. Should be their liability which they would seek to recover from the road side assistance guy/company that they sub contracted to.

@5CHN3LL: yeah tire looks fine and holds air so I'll probably keep it, not that I plan to use it much. Thanks again for the help. Can't help wondering if anyone puts new rubber on these, shame to throw the whole thing in the garbage. @jhbrennan and gnat: Yeah makes sense that USAA would claim to the roadside assistance sub. Still, with no evidence of damage Im not sure its worth pursuing. And by the way, the whole inflation/deflation process on these spares is pretty cool to watch. Clever design.

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I haven't seen one disassembled, but I have to assume that the bead is captured into the rim in a manner that makes it fool proof for the user, but also makes it not possible to replace. If you change your mind and replace it, maybe you could cut the rubber off and show us pics of that it looks like Did your's pop/bang at you? First time I inflated ours (I do it every few years to make sure it still looks good) it made a loud bang that made me (and it since that side was on the floor) jump as the side wall snapped in place. My Cayenne's did the same thing, but neither has done it on subsequent inflations.

@gnat: Haha yes it audibly popped out after being stuck at 20psi for a few minutes of inflation. I was maintaining safe distance just in case. I doubt I'll be cutting it up as it seems viable.

Check with John Ireland - he has posted extensively about removing tires from rims, probably with no tools beyond a nail file and a paper sack full of buffalo foreskins. Both just both happened to be in his pocket the day he had the flat. *edit* If I claim that "buffalo foreskins" was auto-corrected from "buffalo wings," does that somehow make it less offensive? If so, does it offset the karmic loss produced during the act of lying about it? I realize this sounds unimportant, but I'm trying to keep my notes in order in case the discussion with St. Peter turns into more of a finger-pointing session... Most importantly, when I first scanned post 22, I thought it said "Did your pop bang you?"

@5CHN3LL: Haha where's the damn Like button when I need it.

Took Schnell till page 2 to post it. Now, JI has proof that he needs a car with a spare! Where is he BTW?

Probably selling a kidney and four units of blood for a down payment on 911 #14. Or 27. I quit counting.

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Fixed that for Gonzo.

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Inflated my full size spare the other day I heard a snap/bang after I inflated it, it was very deflated though. I'd say it was just re seating the bead.