Hmm. Maybe use a vacuum pump Actually - I still have an inflated one too. After inflating it, it began to stink quite badly (overbearing rubber smell). So I never deflated it to put it back in the car. In light of your post I should try and see if I have more luck than you. If I find out anything I'll let you know.

 

I have read that this method is successful, but as yet have not tried it myself.
Use a rope, or a strap, to wrap around the tire. Tie it off. Take a stick, or a screw driver and twist the rope like a twist tie until tight. Depress the valve stem and twist the rope as tight as you can to press out all of the air. The tire should then "fold down" as it was prior to inflation and with a bit of luck it will fit snuggly back in it's rightful place.
Hope this helps. I would be interested in hearing how it goes.
Cheers,
Ross.

 

The tyre should have deflated back into its original shape on its own without any assistance of any kind.

Did you leave it inflated for any length of time?

I assume you fully removed the valve stem to let the air out [without losing the pesky thing as the air blew out!].

Have you tried blowing it up again and then letting it down straightaway?

Do it on a hard clean surface - concrete or tarmac otherwise it "eats" stuff and keep your fingers out of the way too.

 

Just to clarify - when you let the tyre down, may I suggest that you do it by removing the valve stem quickly and completely while the wheel it is fully inflated which is what I meant about not losing the darned thing as the air rushes out, so do be careful here.

 

Have anyone tried using the car's air pump and switching the + and - around? Im curious but I dont want to be the guinea pig

 

Why would you do this?

 

I would NOT attempt that... but heck as Lt. Worf says "it's a good day to die, fire the photon torpedoes!"

siberian

 

Are you thinking that is would suck the air out then?

Not likely......

 

Not to mention blow a few gaskets in the process...

siberian

 

This is what a cargo strap is good for. Actuate the valve to deflate, wrap the strap around it and ratchet it down until the spare is fully collapsed.

Knew there was a reason why I kept those 10K rated cargo straps from the Air Force

 

Sorry, but that is plain wrong.

Under normal circumstances the tyre folds itself and any strap or other external forces would stop it doing that.

 

what gaskets are you referring to? I was just talking about switching the polarity on the air compressor that was used to inflate the tire in the first place.

 

Your reversing the compressor ... it's not meant to act as a vacuum cleaner...

siberian

 

Im not suggesting someone tries it and burns up their air compressor. If its a piston type with 2 check valves on each side - switching polarity will NOT work, however if it is a rotary type compressor (same one that is uses on Bosch fuel pumps) - it should. Switching polarity on a fuel pump some times helps free up a seized up pump if there is debris stuck in it.
I have a old tire compressor from my 928 laying around that i dont mind sacrificing and an old battery, so i might just try it once im off.

 

What a POS - the tire will just not fit back in the carrier in the back after taking it out and using as a crutch while I repaired a flat. kaboom

They seriously couldn't have designed that thing any better than this? Plenty of room on the left side, just not enough for it to fit all the way in on the right. The accessory tray is all the way in to the right where it's supposed to be.

Edit:
Apparently I don't have all the air out. I took it out, unscrewed the valve stem and will let it sit overnight, still a ever so slight hiss coming out of it.

 

If it still doesn't fit:

Reinflate the tire to the correct pressure.

Lay it flat on a concrete floor [no dirt, no gravel] underneath.

Then carefully remove the valve core making sure it doesn't fly off into your face or disappear.

Stand back and watch the tyre fold itself up.

KEEP YOUR FINGERS AND BYSTANDERS AWAY! The moving tyrewalls can bite!!

Then refit the valve core.

 

Thanks for the help, I think there is was still just a tad too much air in the tire when I compared the photos, and that was the issue. Unscrewed the valve stem and let it go for a little longer and when I came back half hour later, it looked like it was where it needs to be. Thanks for your help!

 

The tire company that fixed my last flat removed the valve core to shrink the tire back to its small size and fir in the spare compartment. Unfortunately, I found out this weekend, that they did not replace the valve core!

Luckily, I got a ride into the next small town, where, even though there was nobody available to fix my flat tire, they had a valve core that I put into the spare, inflated it and took back to my stranded Treg.

 

I picked up a couple of spare valve cores when I had a new set of tires fitted tho' since then I have used tire strings so I can now fix a flat without removing the wheel and be going again in about 10 minutes.

 

Can you please explain what "tire strings" are?

 

Yup, those are the kiddies.

 

I have a 2012 Touareg Sport TDI, and the "spare tire " is a farce! I love this vehicle, well not in a Biblical way, but am really rluctant to take advantage of its "off road" capabilities considering the Mickey Mouse, spare tire! So I have spent many hours researching how to provide myself with a "full sized" spare! I have viewed many posts on this site, and others, and the solution for my concerns has been addressed by many, everything from a $1300 plus factory kit to a trailer hitch mounted carrier! Today I hit on a solution! Most of us don't go off roading with our Touaregs very often, so to seek a costly solution seems futile. So what I have decided to do is:
1. Purchase a wheel capable of off road use.
2. Purchase a full sized tire to put on that wheel able to withstand limited off road use.
4. Install tire on wheel, test fit so that I am confident this all works!
5. Store that tire and rim in my garage until I am going to embark on an off road adventure, in which case, I just plop the "spare" into the cargo area, pack my camping equipment around it, if necessary and I don't have more than one passenger, drop down the rear seats, stow and sally forth.
6. If I decide I need more cargo space, purchase a rooftop cargo thing. It's a lot easier to lift a few suitcases and/or camping gear, one at a time, then to lift a spare tire up there and hope it doesn't perform a load shift while in transit!
Problem solved, with minimum cost, maximum safety and reliability! Far cheaper than the ugly, spare tire add ons available from various venders on the internet .
Around town where there is usually an area to spend an hour or so utilizing VW's "Space saver" spare might make sense, but If stranded on the side of the San Fransisco Peaks outside Flagstaff, AZ a full sized spare can be a comfort! Now all I have to do is evaluate the VW jack on uneven terrain! But first of all, I have to dig through 2 layers of black painted Styrofoam to find the jack! BTW, if you insist on gunuine VW parts, the dealer quote for OEM rim and tire is about $440.00. You can probably do better by shopping around. Just remember you don't have to have an OEM rim or tire, just one that is full sized and meets your confidence criteria!
Happy trails to you!
Rich

 

Unless the full sized spare wheel tire is IDENTICAL to the four tires on the car [which themselves must be the same make, same size, same model, same tread pattern and with similar tread depth [no more than 2mm tread depth difference on the same axle and no more than 3 mm tread depth difference between front and rear axles] so the spare is the same diameter, then, if you fit the new spare wheel and tire, you should limit your speed to the same maximum as that which applies to your spacesaver [which is much more robust than you think by the way!] of 50 mph/80 kph to avoid transmission wind up and potential long term damage to your gearbox.

Carry tire strings too - these really are the quickest and easiest way to stay on the four original wheels!

 

I'm right there with you. I tried inflating it and deflating it rapidly several times and it does not fold completely back up. It is still several inches too wide to fit. I even put two ratchet straps on it to try and collapse it but that didn't work either. I think the person who owned it before me had it inflated for at least a couple months. I spent about 4 hours trying to get it to fit and I was covered in sweat and literally bleeding before I said f$ck it and threw it across the garage. I really don't want to spend $$$ on another one of these worthless POS tires. I am thinking of converting my r12 vacuum pump into a tire vacuum. If that doesn't work I guess I am just going to enjoy all the extra storage space I will have. Below is a pic of the the tire and how much more clearance I need to fit it. The valve core is off in this pic.

 

Go to your local tire shop and see if they can help you.

 

It's strange that it didn't go all the way back after an hour. I tested mine a couple years ago, just to see what it looks like, and after I pulled the valve core to deflate, it only took an hour (maybe less, I didn't watch the entire hour). I was able to put it back in the trunk.
Your idea for vacuum should work. Maybe hand held brake fluid vacuum pump tool, but it would take a while to pull that much air left over in the tire.