2003 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA tires

Storing
yourPorsche
IfyouintendtostoreyourPorscheforapro-
longedperiod,pleaseconsultyourauthorized
Porschedealer.Thestaffwillbegladtoadvise
youonthemostsuitableandnecessary
methods.
I>Cleanyourvehiclethoroughlyinsideandout-
side.
Cleantheenginecompartment.
Theundercarriageandchassiscomponents
shouldbefreeofdirtandsaltdeposits.
I>Fillupthefueltank.
I>Changetheoilandoilfilter,andruntheen-
gineforseveralminutes.
I>Increasethetirepressureto58psi(4bar).
Itisnotrecommendedtoliftthevehicle,due
tothepossibilityofcorrosiononshockabsor-
berpistonshafts.
Thevehicleshouldbemovedslightly,approxi-
matelyeveryfourweeks,topreventflatspot
onthetires.
Climatecontrol
Theairconditioningsystemshouldbeingood
workingconditionandfullycharged.
Windshield/Headlightwasher
I>Checkandcorrectantifreeze/cleaningsolu-
tionlevelasnecessary.
Electricalsystem
I>Removethebatteryfromthevehicleand
storeitinacooldryplace,notonacement
floor.
Whenthebatteryisdisconnected,the
alarmsystemisdeactivated.
I>Rechargethebatteryevery3months.Ifthe
batteryremainsinthevehiclewiththecables
connected,itisnecessarytocheck,remove
andrechargethebatteryevery2-3weeks.

Donotfastchargethebattery.
I>
Followtheinstructionsinthe"Battery"chap-
ter.
Vehicle
interior
The
interiormustbedry,especiallyinthearea
ofthefloorcarpets.Theuseofdryingagents
(Silica-Gel)isrecommendedinvehicleswith
leatherinteriorandinareaswithhighhumidity.
Therecommendedamountis3fabricbagsof
1.1Ibs.(500grams)eachplacedonthefloor
carpets.
Windows,doors,lidsandroofmustbeclosed.
Theairflapsshouldbeopened.
Maintenance,CarCare
193

PracticalTips,EmergencyService
Cautions196
Tires,wheels197-204
Jack,tools204
Liftingthevehicle205
Sparewheel206,207
Spacerrings,wheelbolts207,208
Changingwheels209-211
Electricalsystem,fuses,relays212-214
Battery215-219
Emergencystarting
withjumpercables220,221
Lights,replacingbulbs222-235
Adjustingheadlights236,237
Towing238,239
PracticalTips,EmergencyService
195

TiresIWheels
Theoriginalequipmenttiresandwheelrimson
yourPorschecomplywithallapplicableFederal
MotorVehicleSafetyStandards.
Foryoursafetyrememberthefollowing:
-Wheelrimsandwheelboltsarematchedtofit
yourPorsche.
-Ifyouintendtouseotherthanoriginalequip-
mentwheels,besurethattheyconformto
Porschespecificationsforyourmodel.
Onlytireswiththesamemakeandwiththe
samespecificationcode(e.g."NO","Nl"...J
canbemounted.
-Theuseofwheelrimsandwheelboltsthatdo
notmeetspecificationsoftheoriginalfactory
installedequipmentwillaffectthesafeoper-
ationofyourvehicle.
-Beforeyouplanonexchangingwheels,or
snowtiresalreadymountedonthewheel
rims,consultyourauthorizedPorschedealer.
Yourdealerhasthetechnicalinformation
necessarytoadviseyouwhichwheelrimsand
wheelboltsarecompatiblewiththeoriginal
factoryinstallations.
/!\Warning!
Riskoflossofcontrolandseriouspersonal
injury.
t>Ifwhiledriving,yourvehicleexperiencesa
suddenvibrationorridedisturbance,and/or
yoususpectthatpossibledamagetoyour
tiresorvehiclehasoccurred,youshouldim-
mediatelyreduceyourspeedwithoutex-
cessiveuseofthebrakes.
t>Stopthevehicleassoonaspossible,andin-
spectthetires.
Ifyoucannotdeterminethecauseforthedis-
turbance,haveyourvehicletowedtothe
nearestPorscheortiredealertohaveyour
vehicleortire(s)inspected.
t>Continuingtooperatethevehiclewithoutcor-
rectioncouldresultinalossofcontroland
seriouspersonalinjury.
t>t>t>
PracticalTips,EmergencyService
197

UniformTireQualityGrading
Qualitygradescanbefoundwhereapplicableon
thetiresidewallbetweentreadshoulderand
maximumsectionwidth.
198PracticalTips,EmergencyService
Example
AllpassengercartiresmustconformtoFederal
SafetyRequirementsinadditiontothesegrades.
Treadwear
Thetreadweargradeisacomparativerating
basedonthewearrateofthetirewhentested
undercontrolledconditionsonaspecificgovern-
menttestcourse.
Forexample,atiregraded150wouldwearone
andahalf(1-112)timesaswellonthegovern-
mentcourseasatiregraded100.
Therelativeperformanceoftiresdependsupon
theactualconditionsoftheiruse,however,and
maydepartsignificantlyfromthenormdueto
variationsindrivinghabits,servicepracticesand
differencesinroadcharacteristicsandclimate.
TractionAA,A,B,C
Thetractiongrades,fromhighesttolowest,are
AA,A,B,andCandtheyrepresentthetire's
abilitytostoponwetpavementasmeasured
undercontrolledconditionsonspecifiedgovern-
menttestsurfacesofasphaltandconcrete.
AtiremarkedCmayhavepoortractionperfor-
mance.
/?\.Warning!
Thetractiongradeassignedtothisisbasedon
braking(straight-ahead)tractiontestsanddoes
notincludecornering(turned)traction,accelera-
tion,hydroplaningorpeaktractioncharac-
teristics.

Temperature
A,B,C
ThetemperaturegradesareA(thehighest),B
andC,representingthetire'sresistancetothe
generationofheatanditsabilitytodissipate
heatwhentestedundercontrolledconditionson
aspecifiedindoorlaboratorytestwheel.
Sustainedhightemperaturescancausethema-
terialofthetiretodegenerateandreducetire
life,andexcessivetemperaturecanleadtosud-
dentirefailure.
ThegradeCcorrespondstoalevelofperfor-
mancewhichallpassengercartiresmustmeet
undertheFederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard
No.109.
GradesBandArepresenthigherlevelsofper-
formanceonthelaboratorytestwheelthanthe
minimumrequiredbylaw.
A
Warning!
Thetemperaturegradeforthistireisestab-
lishedforatirethatisproperlyinflatedandnot
overloaded.
Excessivespeed,underinflation,orexcessive
loading,eitherseparatelyorincombination,can
causeheatbuildupandpossibletirefailure.
Tirepressures
A
Warning!
Incorrecttirepressurecausesincreased
tirewearandadverselyaffectsroadhand-
ling.
I>Alwaysuseanaccuratetirepressuregauge
whencheckinginflationpressures.
I>Donotexceedthemaximumtirepressure
listedonthetiresidewall.(Alsoreferto"Tech-
nicaldata").
I>Coldtireinflationpressuremeans:alltires
mustbecold,ambienttemperaturemaximum

68°F
(20°C),whenadjustingtheinflation
pressure.
Avoidsunlightstrikingthetiresbefore
measuringcoldpressures,sincethepress-
ureswouldrisefromtemperatureinfluence.
I>Valvecapsprotectthevalvefromdustand
dirt,andthusfromleakage.
Alwaysscrewcapstightlydown.
Replacemissingcapsimmediately.
I>Forsafetyreasons,don'tusetireinflating
bottles.

Tiretraction

A
Warning!
Whendrivingonwetorslushyroads,a
wedgeofwatermaybuild
up
betweenthe
tiresandtheroad.Thisphenomenonis
knownas"hydroplane"andmaycausepar-
tialorcompletelossoftraction,vehicle
controlorstoppingability.
I>Reducespeedonwetsurfacetopreventthis.

Tirelife

Tirelifedependsonvariousfactors,i.e.,road
surfaces,trafficandweatherconditions,driving
habits,typeoftiresandtirecare.
I>Inspectyourtiresforwearanddamagebe-
foredrivingoff.Ifyounoticeunevenorsub-
stantialwear,wheelsmightneedalignmentor
tiresshouldbebalancedorreplaced.
I>I>I>
PracticalTips,EmergencyService
199

Tire
wear
TheoriginalequipmenttiresonyourPorsche
havebuilt-intirewearindicators.Theyare
moldedintothebottomofthetreadgrooves
andwillappearasapproximately1/2in(12mm)
bandswhenthetiretreaddepthisdownto
1/16ofanin(1.6mm).
Whentheindicatorsappearintwoormoread-
jacentgrooves,itistimetoreplacethetires.
Werecommend,however,thatyoudonotlet
thetiresweardowntothisextent.
Worntirescannotgriptheroadsurfaceproperly
andareevenlesseffectiveonwetroads.
IntheUnitedStates,statelawsmaygovernthe
minimumtreaddepthpermissible.Followall
suchlaws.
200PracticalTips,EmergencyService
/!\Warning!
Drivingonworntirescanresultinlossof
controlofthevehicleandcouldcause
severepersonalinjuries.
~Donotdrivewithworntiresortiresshowing
cutsorbruisesastheymayleadtosudden
deflationandlossofcontrolwhichcould
causeseverepersonalinjury.
~Specializedhighperformancetiresonhigh
performancesportscarsexhibitmorewear
thanthoseonafamilysedan,orevenahigh
performancesedan.
Therefore,itisimportanttocheckyourtire
pressureandconditionatleasteverytwo
weeks.
Ifyounoticethattiresarewearingunevenly,
consultyourPorschedealer.
Unevenwearmaynotalwaysbeduetoim-
properwheelalignment.Itcanbetheresultof
individualdrivinghabitssuchascorneringat
highspeeds.Ifthetirepressureisnotchecked
andadjustedregularly,abnormaltirewearcan
alsooccur.
Tirecare
~Avoiddamagingtiresandwheelrims.
~Ifyoumustdriveoveracurborotherob-
stacle,driveslowlyandatanobtuseangle.
~Checktiresforunevenwearanddamagebe-
foredrivingoff.
~Removeimbeddedmaterial.
~Replacewornordamagedtiresimmediately.
~Keepoil,fuel,brakefluid,etc.awayfrom
tires.
~Replacemissingvalvestemcaps.
~Keeptiresinflatedcorrectly.

Tiredamage,puncture

I>Checktiresforimbeddedmaterial,cuts,punc-
tures,cracksandbulges(sidewall)before
drivingoff.
Incaseoftiredamage,whereitisuncertain
whetherthereisabreakintheplywithallits
consequencesortiredamagecausedbyther-
malormechanicaloverloadingduetolossof
pressureoranyotherpriordamage,werecom-
mendthatthetirebereplacedforsafetyrea-
sons.
Ifonefaultytireisreplaceditshouldbenoted
thatthedifferenceintreaddepthononeaxle
mustnotexceed30%.
Handlinginconsistenciesmayresult.
I>Performavisualinspectionifnecessary.

Tirereplacements

Ifindoubt,contactyourPorschedealeror
PorscheImporterofyourcountry.
Useonlytiremakesandtypestestedby
Porsche.

IfyoudonotuseaPorscherecommended
replacementtire,makesurethatyoupur-
chaseyournewtiresfromareputabletire
dealerandthatthedealercomplieswithall
manufacturerswarningsforthosetires.
Onlytireswiththesamemakeandwiththe
samespecificationcode(e.g."NO","Nl"...)
canbemounted.
Beforemountingnewtires,checkwithyour
Porschedealeraboutthecurrentrelease
status.
Usetireswith"ZR"qualitystandards.
There
arecurrentlynostandardsconcerningtire
strengthatspeedsabove150mph
(240
kmjhJ.
Tiresshouldbereplacednolessthanononeaxleat
thetime.
Onlytiresofthesamemakeandtypemustbeused.
Mixedtiresarenotpermissible.
Initially,newtiresdonothavetheirfulltraction.
Youshouldthereforedriveatmoderatespeeds
duringthefirst
60-120
miles(100-200kmJ.
Ifnewtiresareinstalledonlyononeaxle,ano-
ticeablechangeinhandlingoccursduetothe
differenttreaddepthoftheothertires.
Thishappensespeciallyifonlyreartiresarere-
placed.However,thisconditiondisappearsas
thenewtiresarebrokenin.
I>Pleaseadjustyourdrivingstyleaccordingly.
Installationofnewtiresshouldonlybedoneby
aqualifiedtiretechnician.

Valves

Rubbervalvestemsmustbereplacedevery
timeatireisreplaced.
Forsteelvalves,theinstallationandreplacement
instructionsmustbeobserved.
UseonlygenuinePorschesteelvalves.

Parkingatthecurb
A
Warning!
Hardimpactsagainstcurbs(ortraffic
islands)aredangerousandmaycausehid-
dentiredamagewhichisnotnoticeable
untillater.Suchdamagecanresultinacci-
dentsathighspeedscausingsevereper-
sonalinjury.
Dependingontheforceofimpact,theedge
oftherimcanalso
bedamaged.
I>Ifyouareindoubt,havethewheelchecked
byanexpert,particularlyifyoususpectdam-
ageontheinside.
I>Ifyoumustdriveoveracurborotherob-
stacle,driveslowlyandatanobtuseangle.
Exercisecarewhenparkingalongcurbs.
PracticalTips,EmergencyService
201

Wheelalignment,wheelbalancing

Alsoreferto"Four-Wheeldrive".
Asaprecaution,havewheelswithsummertires
balancedinthespring,andthosewithmudand
snowtiresbeforewinter.
Unbalancedwheelsmayaffectcarhandlingand
tirelife.
Onlythespecifiedweightsmaybeusedfor
wheelbalancing.
Self-adhesiveweightsmustnotcomeintocon-
tactwithcleaningagents,sincetheycoulddrop
off.
Awheelshouldalwaysbebalancedafteratire
repair.
Uneventreadwearindicateswheelimbalance.In
thisevent,thevehicleshouldbecheckedatan
authorizedPorschedealer.
/!\.Warning!
If,duringajourney,unevenrunningorvi-
brationsoccurthatcouldbecausedby
damagetotiresorthecar,thespeedmust
bereducedimmediately,butwithoutbrak-
ingsharply.
Ifyoucontinueyourtripwithouthavingthe
causeofthefaultremedied,youmightlose
controlofyourvehiclewhichcouldcause
severepersonalinjury.
I>Stopthevehicleandcheckthetires.
202PracticalTips,EmergencyService
I>Ifnocauseforthefaultcanbefound,drive
carefullytothenearestauthorizedPorsche
dealer.

Removingandstoringtires

I>Afterchanging,adjusttirepressureand
torquewheelboltsdiagonallyto94ftlb
(130

Nm).
See"Changingwheels".

Tiresmustalwaysremainonthesameside
ofthevehicle.

Whenwheelsareremoved,thedirectionofrota-
tionandpositionofeachwheelshouldbe
marked.
Example
FR(frontright),FL,RRandRL.
Wheelsmustalwaysbefittedinaccordancewith
theirmarking.
Thepreceptionthattiredurabilityandperfor-
manceareimmunetotheeffectsofstorageand
ageisunfounded.
Chemicaladditives,whichmaketherubberelastic,
losetheireffectivenessinthecourseoftimeand
therubberbecomesbrittleandcracks.

Therefore,thetires,especiallythespare
tire,shouldbeinspectedfromtimetotime.
Note

Undernocircumstancesshouldtiresolderthan
6yearsbeusedonyourPorsche.
Theageofthetirecanbeobtainedfromthe
"DOT"codenumber.If,forexample,thelast
threenumbersread1202,thenthetirewaspro-
ducedinthe12thweekof2002.

Storetiresinacoolanddryplace.
Snowtires

Forabettergriponsnowandice,useradialM+S
tireswithstuds.
CheckwithyourlocalMotorVehicleBureaufor
possiblerestricTIons.

/!\.Warning!
Riskoflossofcontrolanddamagetothe
vehicleaswellasseverepersonalinjury.
Thestandardtiresprofileandrubbermix-
tureareoptimizedforwetanddrydriving
conditions,andmaynotprovefavorablefor
snowconditions.

I>ThereforeinstallM+Stiresbeforedrivingin
suchconditions.