Today I ordered a standard 17 inch steel wheel from my BMW Zentrum. I will buy a
205/55HR17 tire to mount on this steel wheel. I found out that the e46 uses a full size spare tire - that you can order. So I ordered that steel wheel (since its has the SAME offset as our 1er's) for my 135i.
STEEL RIM SILBER
7JX17 ET:47 #36116750254 $111.95
The price form my dealer is ~80 euros w/o tax. Just FYI for anyone looking for a full size spare. I am not gonna go thru this hassle again - being so far from home with just a space saver!
This wheel can/should only be used as a spare since it does not have enough ventilation holes in it. I'll post some pics when I get the wheel/tire next week.
Dack