Space Saver Wheel for 987

[anthonyvickery]

Hi
Does anyone know if it is possible to use a space saver wheel on a 987 Boxster with 18' Boxster S wheels?
Porsche don't sell one.
Does the space saver wheel from a 986 fit?
I have been caught out twice now with a puncture where the tyre has been irrepairable by the time I have been able to safely stop the car.
Puncture repair 'gunk' useless.
Both times, the nearest OPC didn't even have a tyre so I have had to be trailered or borrow a wheel and then long delays getting back on the road.
Thanks.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Porsche do sell one - for the 997.

You should be ok with 18" wheels - it's the 19" that won't fit.

The 986 one should (I think!) fit. only issue I can think of is if the offset is different on 987. (That, and you won't have the braket for the mounting bolt in the front boot)

 

[Nick_USA]

The 986 space saver does fit unless you have PCCBs. However, worthy of a mention is that the PSM may throw an error as the circumference of the spacer saver is outside the acceptable limits of its' software. The error can be cleared (post fitting the repaired wheel) by a simple off/on of the ignition.

More of an issue is that the 986 space saver will not fit in the 987 boot as there is less space due to the extra 'cosmetic' plastic. There is however, a 987 space saver solution:

996 362 020 04 - Emergency Wheel - 320 GBP

There is also a cover and strap for it.

 

[berty987]

I have both...lol. First of all I bought a 986 17" space saver with tools and jack from a breakers yard, it fits snugly in the front luggage compartment. The wheel must be 17" diameter if its to be used on a 987 S as the front discs require this as a minimum size. As Nick points out , the wheel circumference differential between a 986 space saver and 987 rear wheel is more than 5 % which can lead to psm faults , so its probably best to switch PSM off , if using the space saver. Thanks to the wheel being just 5" rim width the 105 section pre inflated tyre fits in the car without issue and still allows luggage to be carried. When touring abroad I can still fit a decent sized suitcase in the front compartment without problem. The issue is what to do with the removed wheel , I found a solution to this , using a rubber mat and some luggage straps. The straps in the picture are for demonstration only, more would be used if the wheel was being transported to a local tyre repairer on the open road.

The official 987 space saver is a "collapsable belt" type wheel and tyre which is a larger rolling radius than the 986 item and sits in the rear luggage compartment. The same issues still remain with the removed wheel , whick must either be carried in the passenger seat or use the luggage rack arrangement I suggested. Porsche offer a plastic bag to protect the seats from dirt and wrap the wheel in.

 

[Nick_USA]

I did have a chuckle at your wheel on the boot.

The 'Normal' (Out of warranty and no RAC) solution is to have my wife bring her 986 with the space saver and fit it then the old wheel fits in her front storage. But I hasten to add it only really works for the stock fronts. My oversize 19s" don't even fit in the passenger seat.

The US solution would be to hide the flat in the bush, go home, collect your SUV and then return to pick up the old wheel ..... now I can hear you saying it would be stolen ..... no.... that's because you left your wife there to guard the wheel whilst you popped home.

 

[anthonyvickery]

Thanks guys -thats been really useful.
Can't understand why OPC Reading told me they didnt sell a space saver for my car?
I was stuck there for four hours while they ordered and fitted two new tyres. (because Continental stopped making the tyres)
I belong to the RAC so they can carry the wheel with the flat, but the space saver means you can get to the nearest tyre depot and wait while they order a tyre and have it delivered.

 

[London987]

thanks berty - the lack of a spare really put me off taking the car across to the algarve. that looks like a relatively good solution. is there really no way of squeezing it in anywhere? i had a similar issue with a lotus esprit - the back tyres were so fat you couldn't get them under the bonnet in the spare wheel well. only way was to pop it onto the passenger seat and/or passenger (when flat). hmm.....come to think of it now i get why the passenger soon became an ex-girlfriend.

 

[berty987]

The wheel on the rear boot cover is the simplest and neatest solution , especially if travelling with a passenger and luggage. If you are on your own then placing the wheel on the passenger seat is probably the next least disruptive. I have both spare wheel options so need to decide if its worth losing the rear boot space to have the perfect fit , or continue with the most space economic solution of a slightly compromised 986 wheel. I think I will end up using the standard 987 space save when in hte Uk and use the 986 when touring abroad.

The wheel strapped to the rear luggage cover (rear boot) works well because the hood can still be raised and lowered and with a 50 mph max speed , the use of a bungee chord or luggage strap is enough to keep it in place. There are also tyre puncture repair kits which use a special chord and a tool that looks a bit like a corkscrew. It is possible to repair punctures using these kits with the wheel still on the car , but i'd suggest you would bet more dirty doing this than changing the wheel or removing it to repair off the car.
Either way , its shows all the options open to 987 owners :

1 Tyre Glue
2 Aftermarket tyre puncture repair twine
3 986 Space saver (skinny 17") in front luggage compartment
4 987/997 space saver in either front or rear luggage compartment (note : foam carrier is designed for rear compartment only)

 

[Nick_USA]

I remember the days of the 986 Boxster roof transport system, it's a shame they never did this for the 987.

 

[Nick_USA]

Thought you may like to see the 987 space saver spare installed in it's cover in the front boot:

 

[berty987]

Pics not displaying Nick. The last picture seems not to link properly on the planetporsche website.

The wheel cover looks very neat , with the carry handle and zipped door. I'm not sure if this is the same spare wheel cover listed in the PET for the spare wheel assembly for the 987 or if its a plain cover like the boxster 986. Reason I query is because the foam insert I have is definitely for the rear trunk so begs the question would the cover have the same zipped edge ? The picture of the tool kit clears up my questions over whats supplied or supposed to fit in the plastic insert. Looks like a wheel hangar, box spanner and lever for the wheel nuts. I have the plastic insert which I bought with the foam cradle and the jack and handle are the same as for the 986 . Do you have a link to the article so i can find out from the post what part numbers they bought ? Thanks

 

[Nick_USA]

ORIGINAL: berty987

Pics not displaying nick. Can you edit and change to "image" in the brackets either side of the text string, so they display in the web page. Seems to be a peculiarity with the PCGB web site.

The parts catalogue lists the foam insert That i have in my car, cant see how it would fit in the front luggage compartment , do you know if there is a different part number ? Thanks

I see the images, don't you ???

Here is the link though to another forum with the pics:

http://www.planet-9.com/porsche-tires-wheels/11719-spare-tire-kit-value.html

The part number for the tool insert is:

996 722 101 00

 

[berty987]

Thanks for the link Nick. Confused by this option as it seems different from what suncoast and myself have , in that it fits in the front trunk. Beginning to wonder if the fittment was intended for the rear trunk with the foam cradle , but this owner fitted it in the front as an alternative ? I could understand that the strap arrangement may be the only solution for a 997 as the rear seats would be lost if the spare was carried inside the car. Could this be a 997 kit we see installed in a cayman , since the spare tyres and front compartments are the same for both models? Certainly interested to know the part numbers for the zipper bag , the strap , strap anchors and differences between 955 722 631 00 compressor (listed for the emergency wheel) and the standard compressor supplied in a 987 ? Thanks

 

[Nick_USA]

The cover, insert and wheel are straight out of the 987 PET.

The front boot solution is for cars produced for Greece.

 

[berty987]

Thanks Nick. Any idea of the part number for the strap and anchors ?
The 997 gen 2 offers two tyes of mounting , one for cab the other for the tin tops. I'm wondering if this is the same mounting / strap kit ?

996 362 020 04 ?

996 361 521 00 is this the zipped cover ?

 

[Nick_USA]

ORIGINAL: berty987

Thanks Nick. Any idea of the part number for the strap and anchors ?
The 997 gen 2 offers two tyes of mounting , one for cab the other for the tin tops. I'm wondering if this is the same mounting / strap kit ?

996 362 020 04 ?

996 361 521 00 is this the zipped cover ?

The strap is part of the cover I believe, the anchors do not appear in the PET although the maybe part of the existing tool/compressor cover for Greece. The guy who bought the cover made two right angled brackets with holes which sits under the quick connectors from the tool/compressor cover.

 

[berty987]

Thanks for the reply Nick. This would make sense , as the suncoast website mentions the wheel being secured by straps in the rear boot (trunk). Strange they only list the space saver under the gen 2 cayman pages ? So from what you've said so far, the zipped bag that holds the spare is universal, ie not country specific and will have the retaining strap as part of the item ? All I need to to secure it in the front luggage compartment is to make up the angled brackets as fixings ? I need to see how this fits with my existing luggage , but the rear trunk option isnt really ideal when travelling , though is fine in the Uk. I've priced up the wheel hangar, tube spanner and lever bar, they work out about 30 pounds , the zipped cover is about 100 from memory. I already have the jack , jack handle , plastic cover for removed wheel and foam insert which is the same as the 986. The other tools, such as screwdriver, warning triangle , headlight key , small spanner and tyre pump are supplied in the existing 987 toolkit.