Spare Tire

Probably the most stupid question...
Do the new X3s come with a spare tire? If not, what happens if we run flat (without run-flat tires)

RFTs on the all the new X3s. No spare. If you change out the RFTs for "go-flats" it's up to you to provide for a possible flat. Various owners have done differnet things to achieve that, personally I have not worried about it.

Europe
The base 20d comes with 17" non-RFT summer tires as standard, and includes a mobility kit in the boot (trunk). All other models come with RFT summer tires as standard with no mobility kit.

North America
All models come with RFT all-season tires as standard. The 19" summer tires on the 35i are available.

If you go for non-RF tires, it's up to you to provide "backup". In my mother's 325i, she has a can of sealant and a compressor that plugs into the 12V outlet.

Originally Posted by Shaw

Probably the most stupid question...
Do the new X3s come with a spare tire? If not, what happens if we run flat (without run-flat tires)

Buy an Audi Q3?

very funny Evlengr!!! :-D

The X3 will be my fifth BMW with run flats. I have had one go flat on me on a trip far from home, late on a Friday... was a hassle. So I carry this in both vehicles now:

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...rrivals&page=1

Thanks for the tips...
First of all I thought we are getting normal tires (non RFT) with the car, and that is why I was a bit surprised that it has no spare.
I went back and checked the config, and you are right they offer 18"wheel , A/S RFT Tire...
so I think it was my fault not paying attention to what is being offered.

LEDZEP, I think that's a very handy set... I may go for one. thx for the link

I was told by the CA that you can drive 150 miles with your run flats which is sufficient amount of miles to get yourself to the nearest tire shop.

Originally Posted by Occhi

I was told by the CA that you can drive 150 miles with your run flats which is sufficient amount of miles to get yourself to the nearest tire shop.

That's quite a bit optimistic. The owner's manual and general guides state that under optimal conditions*, a flat RFT can carry you an additional 80km/h (50mi). There are a lot of places where that's not far enough to get to a tire store.

*defined as: Max speed of 80km/h (50mph), no additional load in trunk, careful driving

My pop's X5 has the RF and a spare, but because it is driven in urban and well-serviced areas, I ditched the spare tire. It's sitting in the garage and I would sell it if the vehicle wasn't a lease.

As long as the RFT is a proven technology, then I guess we are good.
But I have the impression that there are still debates on this very feature...
As my wife will be mostly driving this car, I think the primary concern is the control and handling of the car when the incident (flat tire) happens... has anyone ever had the experience with flat tire while driving. Can you share it?

But of course once you run that 50 miles on a flat, run flat, the inside of the tire looks like black spaghetti and the tire is ruined. The Griot kit is good, they have good stuff, there is also a kit by Slime called "Safety Spair (sic) Tire Repair Kit" that allows the sealant to be pumped in at the same time the air goes in the flat tire. I always had trouble getting those cans of sealant into the flat tire, the junk squirted all over the place.; this kit seems to solve that problem. In any event, like the Griot ad says, get the tire checked at a reputable shop as soon as possible. I have to say, that I have driven for thousands of miles on a tire that was repaired with a sealant and never had a problem -- just lucky I guess.

Originally Posted by Shaw

As long as the RFT is a proven technology, then I guess we are good.
But I have the impression that there are still debates on this very feature...
As my wife will be mostly driving this car, I think the primary concern is the control and handling of the car when the incident (flat tire) happens... has anyone ever had the experience with flat tire while driving. Can you share it?

There will always be debates about RFTs, mostly due to the harsher ride they offer (stiffer sidewall is what makes them able to run flat). I don't want to fuel a debate about that - but suffice to say that everything in life is compromise.

Last year in our E91 (3 Series wagon) we got a flat tire while heading to our vacation destination. Hundreds of miles from home, doing between 75 and 80 MPH on the Ohio turnpike... suddenly the Tire Pressure warning lit up and a chime alerted. Had this not occured, I would literally have had no idea I had a flat. There was no different feel to the car in any way. Pulled off at the next (and luckily close) service plaza and put a gauge on the tire - zero pressure.

Now, there were things about that experience that I didn't like, and it prompted me to stock both cars with the tire repair kit referenced somewhere above, but in terms of safety and reliability I feel very confident about the run flats.

If my wife were to have a flat tire I like the idea that she can drive to safety (or even home) without having to stop the car.

well pointed about wives being able to drive to safety... it is a good point!