What do I need to to have an extra set of wheels?

[Spanky Deluxe]

Ok, this could be a daft question but is there anything else I'd need to have a second set of wheels apart from the tyres and the alloys? I'd like to have a set of winter tyres so I'm thinking of buying a set of used alloys on eBay or wherever and then getting some winter tyres put on them. Is there anything else I'd need to get? Pressure sensors or anything? If yes, what kind of costs are we talking about?

[LeMansX5]

Get the genuine BMW wheels, preferably light weight. If you get the heavy replicas, you will be spending more in gas on the additional weight which increases with rotational mass.
What year is your X5? that will tell what TPM's you need.

[Spanky Deluxe]

Thanks! I'm looking for used genuine BMW wheels. I've seen some sell for relatively cheap providing they're not the 20 inchers. The car will be a late 2007 - I think it might be MY2008.

[gen2c4s]

Originally Posted by Spanky Deluxe

Ok, this could be a daft question but is there anything else I'd need to have a second set of wheels apart from the tyres and the alloys? I'd like to have a set of winter tyres so I'm thinking of buying a set of used alloys on eBay or wherever and then getting some winter tyres put on them. Is there anything else I'd need to get? Pressure sensors or anything? If yes, what kind of costs are we talking about?

If the snow tyres are non run flats then you will need the mobility kit (gunk and compressor). I went the whole hog on my 30d m sport and bought 19" M sport wheels, vredestein wintracs, mobility kit and the space saver that has a wheel brace and jack with it. If you have the 5 seater you can lift the rear floor and un pop the carpet, underneath is the screw thread that lets you attach the space saver (the screw comes with the space saver).

[Spanky Deluxe]

Originally Posted by gen2c4s

If the snow tyres are non run flats then you will need the mobility kit (gunk and compressor). I went the whole hog on my 30d m sport and bought 19" M sport wheels, vredestein wintracs, mobility kit and the space saver that has a wheel brace and jack with it. If you have the 5 seater you can lift the rear floor and un pop the carpet, underneath is the screw thread that lets you attach the space saver (the screw comes with the space saver).

I think I'll probably go for run flats. The car I'm getting is a seven seater so no space for Run Flats. I know the tyres cost more but they should last quite a while. I've agonised over getting non run flats but since their main purpose will be for when we drive to the alps to go skiing (i.e. long journeys), there's even more reason for wanting the extra protection. :-(

[motordavid]

Why not 19s, for the winter wheel/tire pkg, instead of 20s? Cheaper wheels and tires in 19", comparatively/potentially better grip, etc.

As for RFTs vs non-RFTs, besides potentially higher cost/limited selection of RFTs, how many 'on the road flats' have you had in memory? Didn't think so...a non-RFT set, with either the goop and compressor, or a decent plug/patch kit and compressor should salve your worries.

And, if you get a nasty nail with the RFTs, is the next town in the Alps gonna have a replacement tire, or do you cancel vacay and drive it all the way back to London?

Not dissing RFTs; they are getting better and better, in terms of performance, but it is simply a ~50 safety net, and one still has to find a replacement, often taking a couple three days. Fwiw, we just did a 13,000 mile Road Trip around America, in a'02 VettVert with non-RFTs...never gave it much concern, and had the plug kit & comp with me.
My 50Cts...
GL, mD

[Spanky Deluxe]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Why not 19s, for the winter wheel/tire pkg, instead of 20s? Cheaper wheels and tires in 19", comparatively/potentially better grip, etc.

As for RFTs vs non-RFTs, besides potentially higher cost/limited selection of RFTs, how many 'on the road flats' have you had in memory? Didn't think so...a non-RFT set, with either the goop and compressor, or a decent plug/patch kit and compressor should salve your worries.

And, if you get a nasty nail with the RFTs, is the next town in the Alps gonna have a replacement tire, or do you cancel vacay and drive it all the way back to London?

Not dissing RFTs; they are getting better and better, in terms of performance, but it is simply a ~50 safety net, and one still has to find a replacement, often taking a couple three days. Fwiw, we just did a 13,000 mile Road Trip around America, in a'02 VettVert with non-RFTs...never gave it much concern, and had the plug kit & comp with me.
My 50Cts...
GL, mD

Haha, now you're confusing me again! I asked people about the run flat vs non run flat tyre malarkey a few weeks ago here. Couldn't really get a consensus obviously.

I'll probably go for 19" alloys for the winter wheels. From what I've seen, 19 inch tyres only a little cheaper than 20 inch tyres, however, used 20" E70 alloys sell for a hell of a lot more than use 19" E70 alloys on eBay. Since the main use would be driving a lot of people in the car all the way to the Alps, the added comfort of 19" wheels would be useful too.

In terms of how many flat tyres I've had, I've only ever had one and that was a blowout of a non RFT whilst doing 90 on the motorway in our X3. The main reason for that blowout was that the tyres were pants, the person we'd bought them off had put a used set of tyres on that had loads of thread but were something close to 10 years old and the rubber was buggered.

We don't do many miles. In fact, because we're trading in our X3 now I've got all the mileage paperwork to hand and we've done ~18,000 miles in the 2 years and 5 months that we've had it so that's about 7500 miles a year. We'll likely do pretty much the same in the X5 but with winter tyres that'd obviously be split between wheel sets.

If we had space for a spare wheel then I wouldn't hesitate in getting non RFTs.

19" non RFT winter tyres look to start at ~£150 each and 19" RFT winter tyres look to start at ~£265 each. So going non RFT could save me £460 odd. I can confidently change a tyre in a couple of minutes but I've never used a plug/patch kit or goo type thing.

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by Spanky Deluxe

Haha, now you're confusing me again! I asked people about the run flat vs non run flat tyre malarkey a few weeks ago here. Couldn't really get a consensus obviously.

...I'll probably go for 19" alloys for the winter wheels. From what I've seen, 19 inch tyres only a little cheaper than 20 inch tyres, however, used 20" E70 alloys sell for a hell of a lot more than use 19" E70 alloys on eBay. Since the main use would be driving a lot of people in the car all the way to the Alps, the added comfort of 19" wheels would be useful too.


...If we had space for a spare wheel then I wouldn't hesitate in getting non RFTs.

19" non RFT winter tyres look to start at ~£150 each and 19" RFT winter tyres look to start at ~£265 each. So going non RFT could save me £460 odd. I can confidently change a tyre in a couple of minutes but I've never used a plug/patch kit or goo type thing.

That was my thought in pushing 19s over 20s, and non-RFTs over RFTs...in the end it comes down to your comfort factor/safety net needs, imo.

Though the underlying problem is getting a RFT replaced anywhere handy during travels other than 'front of the dlr', or at a large, big box tire store, that happens to have your tire size in stock...of course, the same holds true for non-RFTs in the bigger sizes. At least any decent tire joint could patch/plug either the RFT or non, to get you where you need to be, regardless of the 'don't patch/plug a RFT tire', imo.

The 'goo' is a last ditch effort, imo...I have never personally used it, but I have seen fellow riders use it on m'cycle tires to get them to a cycle shop.
It tends to wreak havoc on tpms and is often not adequate on the very large street car tires...the plug kit is cake, though still an outside/side of the road DIY deal; I have done/seen it done on both m'cycles and cars. But, maybe not fun on the side of a snowy alpine road.

NEway, good luck with your decision and hunt; sometimes a safety net is good comfort...I was not trying to dissuade you from big tires/ non-RFTs.

My opin on 'flats' in general is: have had maybe 2, 'on the road', in 46 yrs of driving; most are discovered in my driveway. Never had a blowout in all that time. And, even in the non-RFT Vette, I do not go out for a drive or, a trip wringing my hands about it. RFTs, aside from the performance discussion, are here to stay, but offer only a modicum of ability to get to a tire joint, or home. The lack of convenience/timely replacement problem for a RFT, has not really improved, at least here in the larger geographical sized Colonies.
BR, mD

[Spanky Deluxe]

Thanks David, I really appreciate your input. Maybe I should go for non RFTs. £460 is pretty much the same cost as a vanity plate or an engine chip after all. I don't mind doing some emergency work at the side of the road. That blow out I had was the first time I've ever changed a tyre and it was on the side of the M25 (probably the busiest motorway in the UK). Using a plug kit on the side of a relatively quiet snowy road is probably more fun than changing a tyre on the side of a busy motorway with juggernauts zipping past a few feet away!

Are the plug kits better than the tyre weld type products that you spray into the inside? I'm guessing the plug kits are a bit more effort but should last the life of the tyre compared to the tyre weld stuff that's more of a temporary thing but is easy and quick.

[motordavid]

Plug kits here in the Colonies, range from cheap azz pos kits, to kits with blacksmith like tools, and more plugs than they could use in the Baja 1000, lol!

I have an m'cycle type kit for my scoots, and a 'heavier duty' version for the Vette. Doubtful that you can get the same brand over in AngleLand...
Here are a few I have/have used/have seen used/helped in using:
BlackJack Tire Repair | The Leading Manufacturer and Worldwide Distributor of Tire Repair Products the one I have in Vette

Nealey Tire Repair Kit - Repair Kits

All over the Amazon site, though most look like bicycle repair kits:
Amazon.com: Tire Repair Kits



Here's a list of 'stuff', but it is slightly to really overkill, imo:
Tech Tips


It isn't difficult, just not fun: get the tire rotated so the nail/object is right there in your face, extract the nail/object, ream the hole with reamer, dab of glue on plug, push the plug in with tool, let it sit awhile...pump the sumbitch up. Head down the road, and eventually find a tire joint to do a proper patch & plug or, buy a new tire.

Sound easy...a couple of times it was, on m'cycles, a couple of times it was not.

The Slime stuff is reportedly 'very improved' over the crap they sold a decade ago...
Dunno. YMMV.

M25: have driven it several times in rentals; fun outer ring road, esp in rush hour traffic, ;>)
GL, mD