The disappearing spare tire

So I've seen a few posts talking about moving from run flat tires to non-run flats. This is obviously a bigger issue for those with a third row seat and no spare tire. HOWEVER, just wanted to point out, BMW's solution to not having a spare tire was putting on run flat tires. Other manufacturers have also deleted the spare tire and gone different routes to address the lack of a spare including repair/inflation kits. Here's an article talking about the spare tire removal trend:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/th...pare-tire.html

For any one interested, here's a version of a repair kit like the ones discussed being used by other manufacturers. It might make moving over to non-run flats without a spare, a little less uncomfortable and they claim to be tpms safe:

http://www.slime.com/shop/safety-spair-70005/

For the E70 X5, if you have 3rd row seats, there will be no place to store the spare tire except for laying it on the carpet floor, but a spare is still available

Originally Posted by bimmerzone

For the E70 X5, if you have 3rd row seats, there will be no place to store the spare tire except for laying it on the carpet floor, but a spare is still available

Not sure I understand your response. If you put a spare on the carpet, wouldn't you have the third row folded down?

You could put a spare on the roof if you wanted too also, that wasn't the point. The point was, if you have the third row BMW did not give you a spare, they gave you run flats. Other manufacturers delete spares and give you repair kits instead of run flats. You can do the same thing if you want.

BMW already sells a compressor/sealant kit which is specifically for BMW's w/out run flats and no spare. My M3 has it s well as z's

Originally Posted by MRV99

BMW already sells a compressor/sealant kit which is specifically for BMW's w/out run flats and no spare. My M3 has it s well as z's

In 3 of my 5 flats in my M5 over the course of 143,000 miles, it would not have helped. One was a broken wheel and tire that stranded me for 36 hours.

The other two were blow outs. (Debris)

The last two were simple flats, which slime would have fixed.

However, after the first stranding, I began carrying a jack, lug wrench and spare tire (full size front wheel). Now a flat tire is a 10 minute annoyance. (See note)




Note: Followed by a 'I can order a tire on tirerack to replace the flat, and install it in 3 days'- as opposed to getting bent over locally by the BMW dealer, or worse, putting on a non-matching tire because mine isnt in stock...

Originally Posted by ard

In 3 of my 5 flats in my M5 over the course of 143,000 miles, it would not have helped. One was a broken wheel and tire that stranded me for 36 hours.

The other two were blow outs. (Debris)

The last two were simple flats, which slime would have fixed.

However, after the first stranding, I began carrying a jack, lug wrench and spare tire (full size front wheel). Now a flat tire is a 10 minute annoyance. (See note)




Note: Followed by a 'I can order a tire on tirerack to replace the flat, and install it in 3 days'- as opposed to getting bent over locally by the BMW dealer, or worse, putting on a non-matching tire because mine isnt in stock...

I agree with you. I exploded a style 128 rim in half and this would not have helped me. Actually I destroyed both f/b so the spare did me no good, I had to get my summers out to put on until I got it repaired. I was just posting that BMW has an all inclusive kit which is supposed to not effect your rim when used. My m3 does not have a spare but I do have the kit

For those of us who missed the unique opportunity to order the compact spare with the new car , can anyone point a close equivalent on tire rack or similiar? No fancy rim is required, just plain compact spare. Also, is mounting (or clamping) hardware to keep it in the niche available somewhere other than bmw? I asked my dealer about buying a spare after getting the car and they were like . Why is it so hard to get one after the fact?

For the E70 X5
We do have it in stock



http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Perfor...T-E70-KIT.html


Do take a look.

Originally Posted by bxmxwx

For those of us who missed the unique opportunity to order the compact spare with the new car , can anyone point a close equivalent on tire rack or similiar? No fancy rim is required, just plain compact spare. Also, is mounting (or clamping) hardware to keep it in the niche available somewhere other than bmw? I asked my dealer about buying a spare after getting the car and they were like . Why is it so hard to get one after the fact?

^^^ Much appreciated, I did take a look. Before I get kicked for highjacking the threat, just two questions: does it fit 2013 model (I think it should), and how is it held in the compartment'w tire well (bolt, tie, just the weight and the cover)? I do NOT have a 3rd row. Thanks again!

lol.... i hear you....
it will fit, since its still an E70 X5, pretty much by the weight in the wheel well. If it was going above the carpet, then absolutely strap it down.

Originally Posted by bxmxwx

^^^ Much appreciated, I did take a look. Before I get kicked for highjacking the threat, just two questions: does it fit 2013 model (I think it should), and how is it held in the compartment'w tire well (bolt, tie, just the weight and the cover)? I do NOT have a 3rd row. Thanks again!

My ramblings on the disappearing spare....

IMO, these engineering/design decisions are being driven my statistics and surveys... and therefore, if you - as an end user- are not in the core population, then the decisions made from these analyses will not serve you well.

For example:

BMWs are expensive. They are sold to affluent buyers.
Affluent buyers live in metropolitan areas
Affluent buyers tend to be white collar
Metro areas have dense tow/roadside programs
White collar workers tend not to know how to change tires. or they have no interest in getting dirty.
(Do metropolitan drivers have fewer punctures per mile driven than other areas?)

So in the end, BMW says "they want higher mileage so we reduce weight"...they "dont want to change their own tires"..."in our surveys of cars WITH spares, the mean time between spare use is X years"... and they decide "no spare".

Then the attorneys got involved...if BMW offers roadside assistance, what about tire repair? "Uh Oh, if we go on the record and allow tires to be patched, and one of our dealers repairs a tire that an owner ran flat for two weeks at 70mph, and the tire fails, we could get sued...lets make all tires un-repairable: From the UK:

Can I repair the punctured tyre? BMW recommends that a Run-flat Tyre is not repaired as additional forces and wear have been incurred within the tyre whilst being driven deflated.

Could I repair a non Run-flat Tyre? BMW also recommends that non Run-flat Tyres are also replaced and not repaired, as it is difficult to know exactly what damage has been caused to the tyre once deflated or when the damage was caused.

So there you go. From an owner who can, whilst on an off-highway road 300 miles from a city, change their own tire in 10 minutes ....to someone waiting 7 hours for a tow truck, to be dropped off in the dark at a hotel and wait two days for the local dealer to get the tire in stock....

almost diabolical, IMO

PS not to hijack a sponsor, but getbmwparts also sells a complete kit with jack for less. AND/OR, consider a jack off ebay for $25...

PPS When people ask "why is it so much more from aftermarket?" I wonder if BMW makes a calculus that they will spend less in roadside service for a car that adds the spare- hence the $300 cost is offset down to $150?

...

Looks like my question was covered in several other threads...
Sorry