Remove Spare Tire Bolt?

Hi all, How do I remove the spare tire bolt from inside the trunk? My wife & I have chosen to drive without a spare (at, least, locally) because we need the room for regular trips to/from the airport. Everything came out fine except the bolt which holds the spare in place. It's very much in the way of things, protruding a good 6" to 8" into the trunk space. Though it's dangling and feels like it should pop out, I can't seem to make it happen. Any advice is appreciated. Dave

You slide it over to the passenger side and the mounting bolt pulls away.

Thanks a million! Dave

the spare tire is an integral part of the safety structure of the front of the car. by removing it you compromise the strength of the front of the car in an accident. i don't know about you, but i like to be safe in my car!

I don't think that is true with the vertically mounted 996 spare. The older horizontally mounted spares, that may have been true. Do you have a source of info otherwise? (I don't, I'm just basing the conclusions to which I'm jumping on wild speculation and conjecture)

There was a TSB issued for the Boxster years ago that says the spare is part of the front crash safety thing and should not be removed. Boxster is the same as a C2.

Jeff, would you happen to have access to a copy? (Loren?)

I find the Porsche spare very interesting, this is why.... In both my C4 and my C4S the spare is the inflatable one so that it becomes full size, all well and good, no problems. However, in the 2 or 3 times I have had a flat on highway I had to call Porsche Roadside assistance, why? What the hell do you do with the rim that's on your car now? There's no room for it, should I leave it on the side of the road? So it's, in my opinion, completely pointless. Rob

Since the GT2 & GT3 don't come with a spare I'd be surprised the spare is part of the crash safety design for the 996. Although that the GT3 is based on the C4 chassis may cause it to be rated differently than the Boxster and C2.

TSB 1/98 4427 Spare Wheel Removal (dated 9-11-98) Vehicle Type: Boxster Model Year: As of 1997 (V) Concern: Removing the spare wheel from the luggage compartment. Information: In countries where it is not legally required to carry a spare wheel in the vehicle at all times, for example in Germany, the question is occasionally asked whether the spare wheel may be removed to increase the storage capacity in the luggage compartment. Please respond to this question with the following information: "In addition to its intended purpose, the spare wheel fitted in the luggage compartment also serves to absorb some of the impact energy introduced into the front of the vehicle in serious frontal collisions. Please take this into consideration and drive with the appropriate care when, in exceptional cases, the spare wheel is not carried in the luggage compartment."

Does the spare have to be properly inflated to provide proper collision absorption? Reminds me, I ought to go check that there is more than 10 psi in it.

Thanks Loren. I'd always heard this, but haven't seen it in writing. Thought it might just be tribal knowledge.

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I�d say that it�s not that Porsche considered it needed for safety, but it was there when they tested, so removing it invalidates the test. Just my thoughts.

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How in the world do you dig up a 18 year old thread and give your thoughts? Nobody has given this a "thought" in 18 years. Huh... **Congratulations** you win the RL award of the year for bringing up a necro thread from 18 years ago.