Spare Tire Delete?

I was interested in possibly removing my spare tire to make room for some stereo amplifiers. What about just carry a couple of cans of tire sealant/inflator and get rid of the spare? Most of my driving is in town - would not be in the middle of nowhere if I got a flat. Anyone done this or offer suggestions? I know Techart has a $520 spare delete kit, but I do not want to spend that kind of cash. Thanks, Gregg

I've gotten stranded with my previous e46 M3, which did not have a spare tire and substituted the BMW mobility kit. This is just a tire sealant and air pump that is driven by electrical power from the cigarette lighter. I had a very large puncture that could not be sealed by the tire sealant and I had to have the car flat bedded to the dealership. This is the risk that you will be taking by removing your spare tire. I would explore alternate mounting locations for the amps and keep your spare tire. I wouldn't buy a $500 spare tire delete kit if all it contains is a pump and sealant. You can by this stuff for less than $40.

Here's the one downside to no spare: 8 months into my old 996, I ran over something in the road (the cops thought it was rebar), and it punctured the tire AND the wheel! Took out a fist sized chunk of interior wheel. There's not enough goo in the world to patch that and fill the tire with air. For me, I'd rather have the spare and live with the added weight. But if you want to take that chance, go for it!

My left rear tire shredded on the freeway on monday. All the tire sealant in the world would not put it back together (I guess you could say it got Humpty-Dumptied). Spare saved me from towing. Although I hear the 997 S will not have a spare.

Depending on how big of an amp you get there is a spot where the stock amp sits. I didn't want to loose any trunk space and was able to tuck a 340 watt Audison there.

OK, maybe it's me. But I've had several flat tires with 2001 C4 (none with the C4S cab so far, cross my fingers) and here is what I don't understand: You get a flat, you take off your wheel, you put the spare on - what do you do with the flat?? Leave it on the side of the road, there's no room for it. Rob

Hi raid, Regarding where to put the flat tire, I had the same issue so I had my car flatbedded when I got a flat (fix-a-flat couldn't do it for me, the tire was shredded). I was sort of frustrated at having to explain to every passing cop and non-flatbed tow truck that "Yes, I know how to change a tire but where am I going to put the flat?". When I finally got my car back home, I found a big plastic bag in the Porsche toolkit and it had something like "fur die platter Reifen" (excuse my bad Deutsch). I guess you're supposed to put the flat tire in the bag and then put the whole thing in the passenger seat.

I don't mean to be polically incorrect or offend anyone, but that's retarded. Guess you're SOL if you have a friend in the car... I find the Porsche spare tire a waste you might as well find use for the space.

It must fit in the back seat? I have a harness bar so I'd be screwed if I had a front seat passenger.

Yes, if you have a friend in the car, (jokingly) something or someone has to be left by the roadside.... ;-)

A real friend would understand!!!

A week ago Sunday evening I hit a pothole and no way to fix one tire. I had been thinking about leaving the spare in my garage but was very glad I had it. Yes, had to put the flat in my passenger seat but I was alone. But anyway, we have two rear "passenger" seats, so why worry.

i too had a PIA experience with a flat in our E46 M3 owing to no spare. bad news is porsche is also deleting their spare beginning in the 05 model :-(

Obviously none of us ever carry 4 people in the car

In case you haven't noticed, the new 997 is not going to carry a spare tire. Presumably Porsche is going over to the run flat technology that Corvettes and other cars now have.

Anyone thought about run flat tires? I don't know much about them at all or what sizes do they come in as well as the performance setbacks...

Run flats have very stiff side walls that allow them to support the vehicle's weight. They have yet to equal the performance of traditional tires. I don't see any corvette owners running their run flats on the track or in autocrosses. Manufacturers seam to be looking at run flats to save space and weight (no spare required) in their vehicles that seam to be forever getting bigger and heavier (BMW and now Porsche's 997!). This is why my next Porsche will be a 911SC and not a 997.

If run flats decrease performance, then it seems really stupid to delete the spare to save weight. Porsche is a performance car. If someone wants to save weight for performance, they can temporarily remove the spare. Porsche is also a damn good daily driver, and for that its pretty inconvenient not to have a spare. BTW, I guess my wife's Cayenne S doesn't have a spare??? It know it does have a can of temporary flat fix. HMMM, going on a long drive with it the end of next week, makes me worry now.

FYI, in the 993 the spare tire was part of the crash protection designed into the car. I know that the location of the tire has changed in the 996 but it's something that you may want to consider (ie. in an accident, would/could the insurance company give you a hard time?). Also, do you really want to put metal boxes with sharp edges anywhere close to your gas tank?