Where can I store the spare tire?

[autoque]

The spare tire size is 155/90D18. And I can't find a replacement spare on Tirerack. Where are you supposed to get one other than dealer?

[JA330xi]

I too have 3rd row and RFTs. The OE Bridgestones cupped (rear ties) after 18k and got increasingly noisy. I was thinking about non-RFTs, but wound up getting the Michelin HP Touring RFTs. Couldn't be happier with the tires! Much quieter, ride is very smooth, but firm. In other words, you can feel the bumps. Only have a few 100 miles on them. Will report in later if things change, but for now the Mich. HP Touring are working very well. Glad I did not try to go with non-RFTs and jury-rig a non-RFT spare.

[Treeboy]

Originally Posted by NotEnough

Got a question for you Treeboy (or anybody else who might know).

I've got an order in for a new 35d. No production date yet, so I'm thinking of adding the spare. I would probably leave it out normally (ie driving around town) and only put it in on a road trip where you might be a ways away from a dealer or suitable replacement tire. At $300+ for the spare wheel kit (plus mounting/balancing), it's probably cheaper to spec the truck with the spare ($150) and then source the black carpet. What else comes out after you installed the spare kit?

I actually left the black carpet liner in when I installed the spare wheel. You do not need to remove anything from the spare wheel bay under the cargo floor in order to install the spare after delivery. Even the liner can stay in place.
It is pretty simple procedure to mount it in the storage area. And also remove it, so I guess you do not need to carry it around all the time. In my case I would need more space (under the cargo floor) only on the longer road trips, but on those I also need the spare wheel, so I carry it around all the time. I also have non-RFT installed, so this is must for me now.
Adding the spare to you order now is definitely cheaper option. I wouldn't miss the liner that much if this option was available in Canada .

[Treeboy]

Originally Posted by autoque

The spare tire size is 155/90D18. And I can't find a replacement spare on Tirerack. Where are you supposed to get one other than dealer?

I bought mine from Tischer here: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=MorePartInfo&PartID=876046&siteid =214672&catalogid=4462
Perfect fit.

[autoque]

JA330xi,

You mean Michelin Latitude Tour HP? It's supposed to be one of the top rated RFT tires.

But what I'm thinking is, if Michelin RFT tire can provide that much improvement, then what can the non-RFT Tichelin tire do? However, I don't want to add the weight of the spare on the vehicle. So there are cons and pros.

BTW, what does it mean by tires being cupped?

[autoque]

Originally Posted by Treeboy

I bought mine from Tischer here: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=MorePartInfo&PartID=876046&siteid =214672&catalogid=4462
Perfect fit.

What I was asking was, if you have to replace only the spare tire, the rubber, not the whole kit, then is the dealer the only option to purchase it from?

[NotEnough]

Thanks treeboy. I was hoping that there wasn't much more too it as I had the dealer add it to my truck this morning. I'll see about finding the carpet later.

I started looking into this when a friend asked me to help him with his M5 (previous generation). He had a large screw in the front left tire and wanted to get it fixed. No spare tire, no jack, no mention in the owners manual on how to change a tire so no jack point (just a 12v compressor). Did a quick online search and found where to put the jack. No problem there but, where does the jack stand go once we had it up since the jack was using the jack point. So that got me to thinking about the 35d that we ordered, w/o the spare tire option. Thanks guys.

[roadkillrob]

Originally Posted by JCL

They are available from BMW Australia. Here is the accessory PDF.

http://www.bmw.com.au/com/en/owners/...el_carrier.pdf

The carrier mounts to the frame of the hitch, so you need a hitch as well. It includes lighting, and park distance sensors. It keeps the same back-up camera. It obscures part of the rear window. The license plate space is Euro sized, not North American sized. And, it is rumoured to cost $3000, but I haven't seen a quote so you would need to check. Add in shipping costs.

X5 hub sizes are the same front and rear, unlike the X5M. They are not the same as the E53.

That is the dumbest thing I have ever seen, what a PITA every time you need to open the hatch, you have to get out and move your tire out of the way - I would rather have it strapped to the roof baja style (if I could lift the damn things!)

[JCL]

Originally Posted by roadkillrob

That is the dumbest thing I have ever seen, what a PITA every time you need to open the hatch, you have to get out and move your tire out of the way - I would rather have it strapped to the roof baja style (if I could lift the damn things!)

I think buying one of these is a lot of trouble to avoid having run flat tires. However, the rack itself isn't any more trouble than similar racks on Jeeps, Toyotas, Isuzus, etc.

[autoque]

Originally Posted by Treeboy

Recommend getting this set if you can justify the cost. $335.00 plus shipping + tire mounting (tire comes separate from the wheel, so you have to mount it). It is a bit pricey; however for me this was the only option how to get the OEM spare tire here in Canada.

How much was the shipping to Canada? The spare tire is an 18 incher, correct?