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E90/E91/E92/E93 OEM Spare Tire source

957K views 709 replies 262 participants last post by  tcphoto 
#1 ·
I know the leather-Z kit has been out for a while. it just never sat right with me that a) it was almost 400 for the kit that fit the 335i ( tire + tools + spacer & bolts)
b) you needed to use a 15mm spacer to get it to work.

digging through the ETK, it looks like the leather-z spare is the spare from the E46 cab.
3.50BX17 ET:30

a little more digging shows that the E60 550i uses front brake rotors the same size (348mm) and thickness as the 335i. brake calipers look to be of approximate same size.

the compact spare for the 550i is:
4BX17 ET:18

the offset is close to that of the E46 spare plus spacer-- ET 15 for the E46 spare wheel + spacer vs ET 18

now the fun part. BMW sells a retrofit spare kit for the E60. it includes:


the wheel +tire diameter is within 2% of stock tires.

total price from tischer BMW, for the whole retrofit kit listed above, before shipping, is $239.

I've ordered up a set, will keep everyone posted as to if it works. if it doesnt, i have a new flower planter. if it does, a spare that works without having to deal with the spacer, and for a lower price.
 
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#362 ·
I have a 2010 328i xDrive sedan. What part # do I need to order for a compact spare? My car has 16" wheels w/RFTs and I want to replace them with 17" wheels w/non-RFTs. i.e. I need a 17" compact spare for summer and a 16" one for winter...
 
#364 ·
you dont need to match rim diameters. the overall diameter is what matters, and its the same regardless of the rim size.

you use the same spare for 16, 17, 18, and 19" rims
 
#572 · (Edited)
Too bad my car only has 2 cargo hooks inside the trunk towards the rear!

The above idea (see earlier post) to bolt the wheel to the ceiling of the trunk worked well without the vinyl wheel cover ... then I added the cover and when zooming around a corner i heard an awful squeak of vinyl on metal from the back seat.

Needlees to say in my otherwise very quiet BMW this was not going to last.

Idea 2 is even simpler and after a test run with no squeaks this will be the end of my tinkering with the spare wheel.

One ratcheting cargo strap attached to two holes already in the top / outer side of the back of the trunk's ceiling. Any other sort of bungie cord etc. can't hold the weight of the wheel.

PK
Very clever!;)
 

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#367 · (Edited)
Mounting spare wheel at angle near rear of seat

[See post below this one]

No warranty / liability expressed or implied :)

Firstly, many many thanks to Orient330iNYC for the research here and the guys at Tischer for pulling this together as a spare wheel package.

Received my order from Tischer this past week and got around to taking it down to Discount Tire who kindly mounted it for $5.

Relevant car config:
- 2006 330i
- Sports package
- Does NOT have the cold weather package

A few photos that may interest the community.

Clockwise from top-left:

36-11-0-306-541 Continental Tire - T 135/80R17 (50 mph max)
36-11-6-758-778 Black Steel Emergency Spare (Rim)
71-11-6-758-778 Oddments Tray
71-12-6-767-944 Articulated Car Jack
71-12-1-179-953 Crank
71-12-6-756-392 Chock, Aluminium
71-15-1-180-625 Bracket for Spare
71-10-6-781-144 Wing Nut (Thread - M8 x 1.25)
36-12-1-116-326 Rubber Valve

I laid the wheel out on the floor of the trunk and decided to try and mount this against the back seat so that I would have more trunk floor space available. This also allows me to open the underfloor compartment without moving the spare wheel. Time will tell if I keep it this way or not but for now this will work best for me.

Since these photos I have attached an acorn / cap nut to the end of the eyebolt to reduce possibility of it scratching something and added a vinyl wheel cover (from Autozone). The eyebolt / cap nut extends past the wheel about 1 inch.

Wing nut that came with the Tischer spare wheel kit is a metric M8 x 1.25. I couldn't find an eyebolt easily in the USA for this so I switched to a 5/16" x 18 wingnut.

Additional parts used (~5 USD):
- 1-inch C-Clamp
- 5/16" x 6-inch eyebolt
- 5/16" x 18 wingnut
- Carabiner - any loop, strong and about 3 inches long - this was just what i happened to have around and it works great because it opens to go through the eyebolt. It's a non-climbing one rated to 150 lbs.

Clamped the C-clamp to a slot at the back of the underside of the trunk ceiling.
Attached carabiner through eyebolt
Clipped carabiner to c-clamp

Threaded 5/16 x 18 wing nut (NOT the metric one that came with the Tischer kit) onto the eyebolt until it was about an inch from the starting end.

Placed oddments tray in spare wheel with outside hole lined up with a wheel hole closest to the rear of the car.

Held wheel up to eyebolt - this is not too difficult to work through - you can reach both the inside and outside of the wheel at this point. Slotted circular bracket that came with the kit over the eyebolt between the wing nut and the wheel and this then held the wheel in place until the wing nut was tightened up finger tight.

I may look into linking the eyebolt to the ceiling of the trunk roof better but the clamp / carabiner works for now. There are various holes up there that may be able to be used for something tidier.

The wheel could feasibily move left/right at the front of the trunk over time but this hasn't happened yet because it's tightly wedged in there. If it does I'll probably move this over to one side of the trunk.

Photos:
- Tischer "spare wheel kit"
- C-clamp, carabiner, eyebolt (without acorn / cap nut)
- view between wheel and seat
- view from rear of trunk without wheel cover

Please let me know if anyone takes this idea further.

Regards,
PK
 

Attachments

#368 ·
The above idea (see earlier post) to bolt the wheel to the ceiling of the trunk worked well without the vinyl wheel cover ... then I added the cover and when zooming around a corner i heard an awful squeak of vinyl on metal from the back seat.

Needlees to say in my otherwise very quiet BMW this was not going to last.

Idea 2 is even simpler and after a test run with no squeaks this will be the end of my tinkering with the spare wheel.

One ratcheting cargo strap attached to two holes already in the top / outer side of the back of the trunk's ceiling. Any other sort of bungie cord etc. can't hold the weight of the wheel.

PK
 

Attachments

#369 ·
This is a great solution... may I ask where do you get (and how much) the wheel cover and the strap?

Tim
 
#370 ·
Tim,

>> This is a great solution... may I ask where do you get (and how much) the wheel cover and the strap?

vinyl tire cover - Autozone for $17.99 made by Bully - this is actually for a 26.5" - 29.5" wheel but tightening the elastic cord on the far side tightens it up enough. Autozone's description is Item #904968 CM-02Z Bully 26.5" - 29.5" Spare Tire Cover. **I now see these on Amazon for significantly less.**

ratchet strap - 2 pack of 6' x 1" from Target for ~$12.99 - sorry I don't recall the exact brand but I think it was a Highland. They are 600 lb straps and were the only orange ones that they had. It has "rubber" coated hooks on either end. Target item number is 092100854.

I had my 330i out for another 50+ miles today and didn't hear any indication of a spare wheel in my trunk (as I shouldn't).

Regards,
PK
 
#372 ·
All:

My wife/daughter got me the kit from Tischler for my birthday. My 61 y.o. wife got the tire mounted for FREE. I just got it all installed in the car last night. One question - I have the BMW cargo net. Will it attach as 2008 335xiPGH shows? Or as timcuculic shows? So far, I've not been able to get it the way 2008 335xiPGH has.
 
#373 · (Edited)
Hi fellas, I'm a new member and just spent the whole morning reading the whole thread and couldn't see anyone using this kit on a stock 2006 325 with 16 inch tires. Would it work with no problems? Planning on ordering the kit from Tischelr, just want to double check before placing the order. I bought this car a few month ago with only 28k miles on it and I didn't know it had RFT, now I want to upgrade to regular tires. What do you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance for any input :thumbup:
 
#374 ·
You should be fine. Just check to see that the height of your existing tire is close to the height of the spare. Any number of tire calculators on the 'net should be able to tell you the answer. Tischler is awesome.
 
#376 ·
Just wanted to say that I just joined this Forum and am totally impressed. This thread has been going on since7/2008 and the input has been incerdible. Orient330i, you're the best. and from wall street too. I just traded in my E46M3 vert for a new 2010 335i Coupe. I added a Dinan Stage 1 ECU and Exhaust. I just purchased the BBS CH R 19'' rims with Nito Invo tires (no more runflats!). I assume the spare tire ticket will work well with 19's as well. If not let me know since I plan on ordering soon.
I will be selling the the Style 93M 18" rims and tires with 2500 miles on them. The rims are perfect and the tires are Bridgestone RE050 Runflats, 225/40 and 255/35 R18. If there is any interest let me know
 
#377 ·
Based on a calculator I used, it looks like there is close to 1/2 inch difference in diameter, comparing 335 stock 18s to the Tischer spare kit. Assuming the calculator is accurate, I presume that the difference in diameter is acceptable for this purpose?
 
#378 ·
yes, for the limited distances you would use it.

i drove on it once 300 miles over the course of a weekend. rest of the tires were stock 18" runflats.

the E60 stock tire sizes range from 25.7-25.9, on both the i and x-drive models, so it appears that even bmw is comfortable with a 0.4" difference in diameter for a temp spare.
 
#381 ·
nope, on the E9x, all the diameters are about 24.9-25.1 regardless of rim size, so the same spare will work for all.
 
#385 ·
compact spare

There is a lot of discussion of compact spares. I only read part of this thread but it appears that some are happy with the Tischer spare. Other forums have been discussing the spare from Bavarian Autosport as a better alternative (no spacer required). I am trying to figure out what will best fit my 2008 335xi, staggared 18" wheels, sport package.
Any feedback will be appreciated for all you guys who have really done this.
 
#386 ·
There is a lot of discussion of compact spares. I only read part of this thread but it appears that some are happy with the Tischer spare. Other forums have been discussing the spare from Bavarian Autosport as a better alternative (no spacer required). I am trying to figure out what will best fit my 2008 335xi, staggered 18" wheels, sport package.
Any feedback will be appreciated for all you guys who have really done this.
I have a 2006 330xi (E90) with staggered 18" wheels and sport package. I bought the BMW spare setup with tools from Tischer, and it fits fine without a spacer, etc. As far as staggered fitments, the computer doesn't care about the size difference so long as the it's less than x% or so (I can't remember if it's 3 or 5%). If you're maneuvering around a parking lot with a lot of sharp turns, the computer might come back with an AWD/4x4 error, but it generally goes away after "normal" driving as the computer averages things out again. This happens from time to time with staggered fitments anyway, just more notably with a smaller doughnut spare.
 
#387 ·
Hi guys. this is a new issue for me because I'm about to lease a new 2011 328i. Pardon my ignorance, but does this spare fit on the 3281 sedan? Will it fit in the wheel well in the trunk? I hate the idea of spending a fortune on RFTs for a leased car! Thanks for any input.
 
#392 ·
:thumbup:
Man Orient this is an awesome thread!! The info here has answered all my questions on fitment of a donut on my 08 e92 as well as some other wheel & tire questions I had. I’m ordering it today! This is just what these forums are for.
Thanks for all the work
:thumbup:
 
#396 ·
follow up to an earlier question

Back in April, I asked a question as to whether a donut spare
would work on my car, given that I have wider rear wheels
(but all wheels are 18" rims).
Orient330iNYC kindly replied that yes it would - as long as the
spare "cleared the brakes".

Can I get guidance on what I have to ask for to ensure that
I get this proper clearance. I would like to buy a complete
spare kit (jack, donut tire, tire wrench, etc... and I would prefer
to NOT have to use spacers).
Is there a complete kit somewhere... for my 335 I with sports option
and the staggered 18" wheel set-up.

Thank, in advance - for any guidance / info you can provide.
 
#398 ·
Back in April, I asked a question as to whether a donut spare
would work on my car, given that I have wider rear wheels
(but all wheels are 18" rims).
Orient330iNYC kindly replied that yes it would - as long as the
spare "cleared the brakes".

Can I get guidance on what I have to ask for to ensure that
I get this proper clearance. I would like to buy a complete
spare kit (jack, donut tire, tire wrench, etc... and I would prefer
to NOT have to use spacers).
Is there a complete kit somewhere... for my 335 I with sports option
and the staggered 18" wheel set-up.

Thank, in advance - for any guidance / info you can provide.
all 335i's use the same brakes, be it coupe/sedan/vert. the kit that tischer has put together clears the brakes with no need for a spacer.

i've used the kit front and rear on both of my 335s without any issues.
 
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