Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[Bimmer13]

As I read more and more people are getting away from the run flat tires. Anyone else looking for the kit? Can we do a group buy?

[Joeyb7]

Count me in.

[3002 tii]

Best to see if Tischer or United could arrange something. As long as it clears the front brakes on a 135i I'm game. Else I'll just carry a jack, breaker bar and one of my winter tires in the trunk always.

[Surferboy]

Count me in as well.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by 3002 Tii

Best to see if Tischer or United could arrange something. As long as it clears the front brakes on a 135i I'm game. Else I'll just carry a jack, breaker bar and one of my winter tires in the trunk always.

You just need a 17" wheel or larger diameter to clear the 135i's front brakes. I went with an e46 330i steel wheel for my "spare tire" after having to use the mini donut for a few kms. I wowed never again - and bought a full size spare!



spare tire threads....
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=823770

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462265

Run Flat tires vs Normal tires - dealer cut away carcus...
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412903

[lastMleft]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

You just need a 17" wheel or larger diameter to clear the 135i's front brakes. I went with an e46 330i steel wheel for my "spare tire" after having to use the mini donut for a few kms. I wowed never again - and bought a full size spare!



spare tire threads....
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=823770

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462265

Run Flat tires vs Normal tires - dealer cut away carcus...
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412903

Good idea, thanks!

[EnlightenedOne]

Where does the "spare" tire go? Just sitting in the trunk using up all the trunk space?

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by EnlightenedOne

Where does the "spare" tire go? Just sitting in the trunk using up all the trunk space?

Yup. Some guys buy the cargo net and tie it down. But the front tie down tabs are missing in most cars... so you have to retrofit those as well.

It would have been nice IF under the trunk floor we could stow a spare tire. I think this is a big FAIL on bmw's part. Even on ///M cars which come without RFT they don't have room for a spare tire. You only get a can of glue/ooze and and an air pump.

Having a full size spare is the way to go... At first I thought I could make do with a mini donut - until I had to use one! Then I quickly found out how scary and limited (you can only drive 100 miles on one, at 45 mph max!) IF you are like me and travel a lot with your car to Timbuktu and back - a full size spare tire is the way to go!

[JimD]

I don't love it but I do not have run flats but carry a compressor and plugging kit. If that won't fix it, I have AAA. My SUV is the family car for trips and has a full sized spare. I feel more secure with it but the only times it has been used in 8 years was a slow leak the compressor would have dealt with. So for the 1, I do not plan to carry a spare. Trunk space is limited already.

[Bimmer13]

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking about a group buy on the kit that Bavarian Auto sells or something like that. I can piece together something to try and save a buck but I'd rather just buy the entire kit and be done with it. Yes including the bag to cover up that ugly "donut" just sitting there in the trunk! :-)

[New21er]

If you completely remove the cover over the battery and look to the front, you will see some threaded holes that are in a cross piece that are close to the hinge point for the rear seats. I punched two corresponding holes in the cardboard battery cover, replaced the cover, installed 2 metric eye bolts, install spare tire and I use a ratchet tie down to keep the spare secure.

[dragon1761]

depends on cost. I am very interested

[Joeyb7]

Just got MPSS installed today. Def looking for a space saver spare.

[gregthegr8]

Hey guys, I am in the same boat as most of you after ditching the runflats, but I've been seriously considering using a used stock 135 front rim and putting a cheap tire on it and using that as a full size spare.

Seemed like a cheaper and better option than a couple hundred bucks on a lil donut. My question though is, does anyone know if the front size rim - 7.5x18 with a 215/40-18 will fit and clear if I had to put it on the rear in case of a flat? I'm about 95% sure it will since it seems bigger and wider than BMW recommended winter wheels, but nobody knows for sure and don't want to find out the hard way the one time I might need it.

It's pretty easy to find used 264s and 261s on the cheap, so seemed like that might be a good viable option compared to say bav auto's $200 donut that I wouldn't feel very safe driving much on other than to get to a tire place to take care of the flat. If anyone has any thoughts on that, I'd love to hear them since I think most, if not all of you are more knowledgeable than me when it comes to wheel sizes, offsets, and what might or might not fit. So, any input would be greatly appreciated.

[CAVU]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Hey guys, I am in the same boat as most of you after ditching the runflats, but I've been seriously considering using a used stock 135 front rim and putting a cheap tire on it and using that as a full size spare.

Seemed like a cheaper and better option than a couple hundred bucks on a lil donut. My question though is, does anyone know if the front size rim - 7.5x18 with a 215/40-18 will fit and clear if I had to put it on the rear in case of a flat? I'm about 95% sure it will since it seems bigger and wider than BMW recommended winter wheels, but nobody knows for sure and don't want to find out the hard way the one time I might need it.

It's pretty easy to find used 264s and 261s on the cheap, so seemed like that might be a good viable option compared to say bav auto's $200 donut that I wouldn't feel very safe driving much on other than to get to a tire place to take care of the flat. If anyone has any thoughts on that, I'd love to hear them since I think most, if not all of you are more knowledgeable than me when it comes to wheel sizes, offsets, and what might or might not fit. So, any input would be greatly appreciated.

I just ordered Michelin PSSs yesterday. My plan is to get a compressor and plug kit to keep in the boot at all times. For longer trips I would like to get a full-sized spare as you propose, but I have the same concerns about a single sized wheel properly fitting both the front and rear axles. I think any rim that fits the front will fit on the rear, but I'm not sure about a wheel that fits the rear will clear the brakes if the IS in the front. Any thoughts?

[IEDEI]

there is no need for a full size spare. the purpose of a spare is to temporarily get you back on the road......you're not trying to race Le Mans in it! lol

a full size spare will take up way too much room in the trunk. I am interested in a space saver group buy though!!

I do agree that a space saver seems expensive, however I still want to maintain some utility in the trunk

[New21er]

What he said^^^. The "Emergency" donut spare is small enough so as not to take up to much space. I got mine from a junk yard for $25.00 jack included. I would feel better knowing I had a spare tire and not some compressor and plug kit.

[CAVU]

Originally Posted by New21er

What he said^^^. The "Emergency" donut spare is small enough so as not to take up to much space. I got mine from a junk yard for $25.00 jack included. I would feel better knowing I had a spare tire and not some compressor and plug kit.

I've done the analysis and weighed all factors for my situation, which is probably much different than most. Full-sized spare stays in the garage. If I was really anal about the issue I would stick with the runflats and move on.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by rikMsport

I just ordered Michelin PSSs yesterday. My plan is to get a compressor and plug kit to keep in the boot at all times. For longer trips I would like to get a full-sized spare as you propose, but I have the same concerns about a single sized wheel properly fitting both the front and rear axles. I think any rim that fits the front will fit on the rear, but I'm not sure about a wheel that fits the rear will clear the brakes if the IS in the front. Any thoughts?

rik - I think you'd be fine running a front size on the back, but think if you tried to put a back size on the front, it'd stick out and/or rub based on my limited knowledge and what others have said trying to fit larger rims/tires up front. Tirerack seems to list a 7.5" x 18" with a 40 or 45 offset as fitting all 4 corners of our car. But, when they install your michelins, you should have them quickly just test mount a front in the rear to make sure there are no clearance issues.

I've already bought the lined luggage mat for the trunk, a tire bag (with handles), and ordered a tire, so will be trying the setup out next weekend to see how bad it is back there.

Originally Posted by IEDEI

there is no need for a full size spare. the purpose of a spare is to temporarily get you back on the road......you're not trying to race Le Mans in it! lol

a full size spare will take up way too much room in the trunk. I am interested in a space saver group buy though!!

I do agree that a space saver seems expensive, however I still want to maintain some utility in the trunk

I am going to try it out and see what I think. I may only do it for long road trips, but I don't really ever have anything in the trunk, so won't be a huge loss for me and I know I can put together a full size spare for cheap. I also feel that if I had a donut in the back, I wouldn't be able to or wouldn't want to put anything on top of that (unless I bought the expensive bag), so in my mind I'd still lose that whole area of the trunk...it just wouldn't be as much of a VERTICAL loss.

In my last car though, thanks to awful LA drivers and roads, I had to replace 3 rims and 2 tires in a year and a half in a horrible streak of bad luck. I also know the 313 rims may take up to a week to get a replacement of, heaven forbid you get a damaged or bent rim. And as I found out with my last car, I really don't want to have to drive 15-20 miles on the freeway in a donut to get to the one dealer that has the rim in stock.

I hope none of us though ever have to use a donut or a full size spare.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

there is no need for a full size spare. the purpose of a spare is to temporarily get you back on the road......you're not trying to race Le Mans in it! lol

a full size spare will take up way too much room in the trunk. I am interested in a space saver group buy though!!

I do agree that a space saver seems expensive, however I still want to maintain some utility in the trunk

I too, thought there was no need for a full size spare tire. UNTIL the day I used my spare tire donut and found out how much the car wiggles and moves around on that 3.5inch wide tire. It was pure hell driving on the autobahn at 80kph. Never again. Plus a donut can only be driven for about 100 miles - and when your in the middle of no where on a weekend with a flat tire... your a dead duck. That is why I went with a "real" full size tire. Really its not that much larger than the donut, and I flipped it over so I store stuff on the inside of the wheel.

Driving with a full size spare thru out Europe gives me peace of mind. There is no way I would leave home without a real spare tire option. Even BMW Assist told me when you use the glue/temp fix... your gonna ruin the tire and you can only (also) drive at 80 kph max - bc the glue will make the wheel off balance. That is why I say the ONLY option is having a full size spare tire.

[gregthegr8]

Dackel - the pictures of your trunk inspired to get the luggage mat and try this, but based on the two spares I've seen you run, an old stock 7.5 x 18" front 135 rim with a 215/40-18 should fit no problem on the back, right? I have to assume so if a donut and 7x17" steel wheel fit, but want to be 100% sure.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Dackel - the pictures of your trunk inspired to get the luggage mat and try this, but based on the two spares I've seen you run, an old stock 7.5 x 18" front 135 rim with a 215/40-18 should fit no problem on the back, right? I have to assume so if a donut and 7x17" steel wheel fit, but want to be 100% sure.

Yes, a full size 18" wheel would fit in the trunk no problem. You can order the cargo net from any BMW dealer along with the front hooks. Someone made a DIY on 1Addicts - look it up.

My spare steel wheel is a 7j x 17"

Bellow are some pics of my 18" summers vs that donut vs my new steel spare.


17 steel spare sitting in my e39's trunk...