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compact spare for F10

32K views 54 replies 35 participants last post by  frank944 
#1 · (Edited)
The problems with the 245/40-19 Goodyear LS2 were well known to me from this forum before i even ordered my car. But since there were really no options to change them, figured I would just see how it went - 300 miles to first bubble - that was in April with no replacements available. After a lot of conversation with my Goodyear retailer and Goodyear corporate, they replaced all four tires with conventional Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Huge improvement in ride and handling.

Then the issue of what if I get a flat? Ordered BMW Mobility Kit, which easily fits under the floor of the trunk. Signed up for AAA. Ordered the BMW jack and tool kit. Put a full size spare in the trunk - though not happy with the amount of room left.

I began a determined quest to find a compact spare that could work. It began as a fruitless exercise, compact tire manufacturers (Continental and Vredestein) pretty much wouldn't even discuss - somehow liability concerns prohibit them. Managed to get to management at BMWNA but no luck, nothing offered in this or I think any market and nothing planned. Phone calls and tens of email were all dead-ends.

Then I came across a thread about creating a spare from various parts for an E92 M3 by Tom Tarzian and GregW / Oregon here: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253769
Inspired by what they had come up with- I wondered if it could work for my F10.

Well it turns out that it seems to work with only a different tire than they were using in order to match the stock tires OD!
This is of course is not approved by BMW and I make absolutely no warranty or claims of fitness, but it seems to work for me. Did a couple mile test drive and all was fine.

Keep in mind that the reference thread started 2-1/2 years ago and some prices have changed and I'm listing some different sources as well.

Parts Details:

BMW 36-11-6-768-861 black steel wheel (this is for the X5/X6 compact spare); $88.68 list 70.94 plus $14.95 shipping at getBMWparts.com
BMW 36-12-1-116-326 rubber valve stem, $2.85 list 2.28 at getBMWparts.com
Centering Ring (centric ring) 74.1-72.56 mm many sources on the web; in plastic tirerack.com or aluminum justforwheels.com (had to buy four at $45.99- so three left).
Maxxis 155/70-18 26.54 112M TP10676000, 26.54 diameter- slightly shy of new OE tires- as regular tires are worn will match up, direct from Maxxis $139 delivered, go to estore on maxxis.com then automotive tires then compact spare tires. They ship from GA at least for east coast.
as an alternative, Tirerack has a Pirelli 135/80-18 at 26.5 diameter at $95 plus shipping.
mount and road force balance $20
So for $293.16 I have a compact spare that fits my 535i xDrive.

For a neater look and to cover the flat when it comes off, I ordered the Tire Rack Seasonal Tire Tote, a pair is $19.95

If I'm in an uncomfortable location, can always call AAA and get them to put on the spare but otherwise the BMW jack works well on a level hard surface in my test.
BMW Jack Set, MSRP $161.53 for $129.26 plus shipping at http://www.bmwpartsforless.com/index.php?cName=2011--f10-5-series-interior This fits inside the spare wheel.

My Process:

I had posted a number of times to see if anyone with a X5/X6 could try their spare on a F10, also posted in the M3 thread if someone could try on a F10 but never saw a response. So after a few months I went ahead and ordered the wheel from getBMWparts.com They keep it in stock so it came quickly.

Tried the wheel on the front, it cleared the brake parts with no spacer needed, hub was too large but expected that, centric ring solves the difference. Checked the stock lug bolt lengths and they seemed fine, I can get my hand behind and they catch all the treads and go beyond just a touch but less than the OE 351M wheels.

For a tire, I called TireRack about what they had available, they stock a Pirelli 135/80-18 which is close to the stock diameter. From the M3 thread although a different size they referenced Maxxis, a 155/70-18 is a smige closer to the target in diameter and had a higher weight load rating. So went ahead and ordered the tire from Maxxis. I was going to order the centering ring from 1010tires.com but their website was not responding to taking the order. Googled and ordered from justforwheels.com. I wanted metal- though that's just me. Tirerack has them in plastic as well, I'm sure it's just as good and a lot less money. Used clear RTV silicone to tack the ring to the wheel.
FYI OE OD - 245/40-19 OD 26.72 inches, 245/45-18 26.68, 275/35-19 26.58, 275/40-18 26.66
Took the bits to the tire store for mounting and balancing with the Hunter Road Force - overkill for a spare but I've gone this far. Went lock to lock to check clearances, two mile test drive.
Strapped it on one side to one of the hooks in the back of the trunk.

I think that's it.
 

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#2 ·
Thanks for the writeup! Does the tire move around at all in the trunk?

Sent from my HTC EVO using Bimmer App
 
#3 ·
It's strapped tight on the right, so it can slightly pivot but not a lot, two straps would hold it better, one from each side but that would make the space on each side harder to use.
 
#12 ·
Gives you some idea of how many pints I needed to get through it.
 
#17 ·
x2 :thumbup:
 
#16 ·
Brilliant!

...And if you want, you could probably sell your solution all kitted up.
 
#20 ·
Do they??
Where did you find that info....
 
#23 ·
Mad props.
 
#25 ·
Thought I could add this to the original post but guess it's too long ago.
Since my project I've become aware of the following new information:
realOEM.com is listing a BMW part number for a spare and tool kit for the F10, it is 36112159862, however my checks at getBMWparts.com and BMWpartsforless.com does not bring up anything for that number.
Bimmerzone is selling a spare kit, basically what I have done though they've used the 135/80-18 as TireRack sells instead of the Maxxis 155/70-18 for those that don't want to go- à la carte.
 
#26 ·
I'm doing a spare tire with a Maxxis 145/70 R17 for my 2011 335D M sport. I'm wondering if a TPM sensor should be put inside the wheel. I know it's only for a temporary ride but the little screen thing will be going off while one of the 4 sensors is not present. Is this to be expected and I should not worry with the sensor. It might not even fit on the 17x4 rim i'm going to use. The 145/70 R17 pretty much nails the height matching compared to the normal tires which are 225/40R17 front and 255/35R17 rear. The biggest deviation between the two is only .093" or 2.4 mm. The front tire is taller than the rear. The rear tire is only .035" or 0.9 mm taller than the spare. So, the match is best for the most important spot.

Here is little different twist I'm doing though. I'm going with an E53 X5 scissor jack with a long jack handle. I'm getting the jack out of a auto salvage on Ebay ($50 +free shipping) and purchasing the long handle from local dealer for $15. I still need a 17 mm lug wrench.
Wheel & valve stem $82
Maxxis tire $150 ( i got hit with $11 texas sales tax)
Mount and balance $16
Scissor jack for X5 $50
Jack handle $15

$313 and counting. I didn't need a centering ring as the 17" rim fits well. I'm hoping to get a 17 mm wrench for less than $25
 
#28 · (Edited)
Reviving thread with updated information

Just an update on this thread for those of you who want a simple solution.

Genuine BMW F10/F11 Series Space Saver Spare Wheel Kit is available on www.ebay.co.uk web site from a BMW/Mini Dealer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121063607493?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648

Part number 36 11 2 159 862

Total cost with shipping is around $550. (Shipping is about $110 U.S.)

This is the best thing I have seen, it includes the tire, wheel, jack, gloves, etc. and even includes the bag (around $100 alone) to store everything in the trunk.

I am not sure why BMW won't sell this in the U.S. Even if you keep run flats, the kit offers piece of mind on long road trips.
 

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#29 ·
Just an update on this thread for those of you who want a simple solution.

Genuine BMW F10/F11 Series Space Saver Spare Wheel Kit is available on www.ebay.co.uk web site from a BMW/Mini Dealer.

Part number 36 11 2 159 862

Total cost with shipping is around $550. (Shipping is about $110 U.S.)

This is the best thing I have seen, it includes the tire, wheel, jack, gloves, etc. and even includes the bag (around $100 alone) to store everything in the trunk.

I am not sure why BMW won't sell this in the U.S. Even if you keep run flats, the kit offers piece of mind on long road trips.
Clearer pic of the kit.
 

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#34 ·
Large expensive battery is under the trunk floor
 
#35 ·
#37 ·
sucks
 
#39 ·
BMW called me today with a quality survey and I brought this and several other things up
 
#40 · (Edited)
Thank you for the informative write up!!!!. I've totaled my X5 a few months ago and kept the spare tire. I can go ahead and finally find some use for it.
I've also bought 4 Hub Centric Rings. I only need 1, Anyone want one for 4 dollars shipped?
 
#41 ·
I carry a good tire patch kit, a good air compressor and cross my fingers. I've only had one true blow out in my driving career covering hundreds of thousands of miles of among the worst roads in the country. The flip side of that coin is that because of where I live, BMW assist is only minutes away in most cases.
 
#43 ·
Spare tire, my solution

I went a little differently but ended up with basically the same type spare solution. I kept the E60 space saver spare from our 535i when I traded it in on the 'new' F10. The car had almost 140k miles and the dealer didn't care if it had a spare or not. I did leave the one-legged jack and lug wrench in the trunk, they are almost useless anyway.

I had a scissors jack from a previous BMW run-flat situation that I originally bought at a junk yard for $20. I have a 1/2" pull handle with a 17mm socket on it and all that stores in the cubby under the trunk mat. I bought a generic spare tire cover from Amazon and the spare sits in the floor of the trunk taking up room, but where we drive there are places that have little service available, and I've changed tires for over 50 years so I'm good at it now. I would suggest looking in salvage yards for a BMW space saver spare, most yards pull them out of the cars and have them stacked up in their warehouse. Shouldn't be much more than $100 I would think.

I realized how useless the single leg BMW jack was last month when we picked up a nail in our E60 Sport left rear tire. I successfully jacked up the corner and removed the flat, but when I started to mount the spare I had to raise the car a bit more. That's when it fell of the jack, so I ended up calling AAA to come out and jack up the car so we could get the spare on. I told the service tech to put his jack under the front jacking point and it would raise the rear sufficiently, which he did. I was in a level asphalt parking lot and I hate to think how poorly that excuse for a jack would have performed on the side of the road in dirt/mud/sand.
 
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