Options after i get rid of RFT

[Ash83]

I did some research and i found couple of places where i can buy a spare tire for my car.. I am just wondering if you got rid if your RFT what is your spare plan :

- Spare in the trunk? where did you mount? full size or not?
- M mobility Kit? does it really work and reliable? how long it take to perform the procedure.
- Just call AAA.. This is not an option for me at all..

[cooler2442]

Just get AAA, it's like 50$ a year.

[ken1137]

Nothing in the Summer but BMW Mobility kit. I just bought this for the Winter from Bavauto.com...fits nicely in the trunk.

125/80/17

[TX78666]

Had an alloy spare from Europe lined up. Then, I decided to go with the Slime kit, instead.

[1speedbike]

I have three towing services, haha. AAA, BMW Assist, and All-State. I have a slime kit, but I'm wary of using it because I heard when you "plug" a hole and not patch it, you can damage your wheels and tires in the long run. Since you're pretty much just injecting slime everywhere into the tire cavity and just waiting til enough accumulates to plug the hole, a lot of slime is going everywhere and it's not the best thing for your wheel's finish and to dry up on the inner walls of your tire. I don't know how factual this is, but so far I've only had one slow leak and I made it to get the tire patched properly and haven't needed it... hopefully I won't need it at all. I might just get a spare, but I hate the thought of added weight (even though I'm not really concerned performance wise, it's some kind of OCD hah).

[TX78666]

Yeah, I'd use the slime as a last resort.

I was talking about the plugs in the kit. (in a different thread, apparently)

http://www.alpharubicon.com/bovstuff/tirepluguzi.htm

Assuming I can't just inflate the tire and drive to Discount Tire for a repair, that is.

[doublegbmw]

I got two different types of the 'slime' inflate containers & never had to used them...same goes for the spare tire. Only time I've ever used spare tire was to rotate the tires.
Once it's time to get rid of RFT's, that's what auto insurance or BMW assist is for.

[IDBMW]

I have been driving BMW’s with non RFT’s and no spare since 2000 (3 BMW’s). When I buy a new BMW I ditch the RFT’s and put non RFT’s on it. I have the BMW mobility kit which is an air compressor and slime. I also have a small plug kit I keep in the car. I have had a few flats in these cars but never stranded. Every time the TPMS has informed me of the low tire and I was able to fill the tire with air to get it to a repair facility.

I am not at all worried about not having a spare. With the mobility kit, AAA, BMW Assist, my insurance roadside assistance I feel I am covered. In my 38 years of driving I think I have had one tire event where the tire was so badly damaged slime or a patch kit would not help so I will take my chances. And I drive mountain roads with no cell service but BMW Assist is satellite based so it works anywhere you can see the sky.

In all five BMW’s I have owned I had two water pumps strand me where I had to be towed to a repair facility but never had a tow in the BMW for a tire. Perhaps I should carry a water pump, toolkit and coolant. Perhaps a HPFP as well since I have had three replaced in my 135i.

And about the slime doing damage, I use it in my Mountain Bike and it cleans up with no issues. Most likely damage is to the TPMS but I know someone that used slime in his tire and it did not damage his TPMS.

[ZIPNBYE]

Mobility kit (just for the compressor), jack kit (BMW doesn't give you one of those either anymore), Dynaplug kit (plus a pair of pliers to actually remove the nail/screw/what-have-you that caused the flat), and for long road-trips, a BMW space-saver spare tire.

[chowbox]

None of my cars have run flats anymore. I have 3 tow trucks.

I just picked up a dedicated spare wheel & tire for when i travel i throw it in the trunk with my BMW jack kit. but for daily use there's no real need

[Angry3]

I ran without RFTs on my car for 2 years, have them back on the car now for lease turn-in coming up. Did end up getting a flat last week. Hit the BMW Assist button, had the car flatbedded to my local tire shop, had the RFTs I had stored re-mounted, done.

Then again I don't travel from the city much so the worst case scenario for me was the loss of a couple of hours of time.

Not sure where the discussion about AAA comes in, if you have a '10 model you have BMW Roadside that provides for free flatbed tows as needed.

There's definitely no perfect solution with this car not having a spare, it's just a matter of your wants/needs and risk tolerance.

[RoundelM3]

M Mobility kit in both cars...haven't had a flat in years.

[singular]

I've got a plug kit, slime, compressor, and a donut tire in the trunk.

Call me paranoid, but...About a year ago I had a flat on my RFT's in the middle of nowhere more than thirty miles from cell service or a filling station. The RFT's helped me limp to the nearest filling station where my BMW Assist and cell phone were finally operable. Took six hours before the tow truck arrived. Not a pleasant experience.

If you're only driving around town, BMW Assist or AAA is probably enough. But if you want to take your 1'er anywhere adventurous, get a spare.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by roundel335

M Mobility kit in both cars...haven't had a flat in years.

That's the real issue - how often do you get a flat? Every puncture I've had over the past 10 years has resulted in a relatively slow leak, so I simply carry a compressor with a plug kit if needed.

Tom

[germ]

1. Kumhos
2. Slime kit in trunk
3. Added Road service to my insurance policy (it's cheap)

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

That's the real issue - how often do you get a flat? Every puncture I've had over the past 10 years has resulted in a relatively slow leak, so I simply carry a compressor with a plug kit if needed.

Tom

I'm going to add the plug kit to both cars...just in case. Thanks for the idea.

[Eyeman]

I don't see how anyone can get by without at least an air compressor. I'm paranoid like a few above, I carry a jack, breaker bar, pump, donut spare, and plug kit. About all I don't carry is slime, I don't like to use slime if I can help it.