Will full size spare fit?
 

Hey everyone! My first post!

Just bought my first X5 yesterday. I've had 4 e36s prior to this, 3 of which were M3's: 96 328i Boston, 98 M3/4 Black, 99 M3 Estoril and a 98 M3 Alpine Convertible.

Now rolling in a 2002 4.6is, Black on Black... loving it.

Anyway... the previous owner gave me a 20" tire (front size), no rim. He said it could be used as a spare instead of the spare that it comes with. My question is, if I get a 20" rim to fit it, will it even fit in the spare compartment or will it be too wide/rim too deep/etc. I don't want to buy a rim just to see if it works. I have 20" 5 spokes.

I guess I could take the front wheel off to test, but I figured this would be easier.

Thanks for any help!

-Brian

No, when I had the 17" spare on the X5 the 18" regular week caused floor in the trunk not to close properly. That said, it's not bad. you could live with it that way.

So long as the spare is no more than 255 width (as front wheels) it should fit ok in the trunk regardless of rim diameter. The rear wheels width will not allow the trunk floor to close.

If you have the oe 17" spare tire/wheel setup in your trunk, it will work/run ok as a spare, even with oe 20s. The rolling dia is damn close. All the E53s had that 17" spare, if my mem hasn't faded.
GL, mD

The OP says he has a 4.6iS which should preclude using a 17" as spare since it would not clear the front brake caliper. As posted above any 18 or 19 with a 255 should fit in the spare well.

Welcome Brian, I have the exact same vehicle. But if I were you I'd be seriously checking into other stuff on your X, forget about the full size spare for now. You live in Virginia and you'll soon find out these things (all model X5's) don't like cold weather. So start feeling it out and get any repairs, that won't drain your bank account, done right away. Unfortunately the X5 is probably one of the least reliable vehicles BMW has come out with lately, so start searching and reading the threads here on the site, good luck!

Yea, I got rid of the tire that night. I wasn't that interested in it anyway. I wouldn't ride around on the spare for more than a day anyway.

I have all the service records on this one. The previous owner dropped $3K into repairs before I got it. Couple things leaking in the coolant system, so he just had the entire cooling system redone. Which is awesome because I read that the cooling system is a typical issue over 100K.

It gets mighty cold in Virginia, so you may want to start researching threads about the doors freezing so that they can't be closed shut. Plenty of threads here about people having to drive while holding the door shut with the other hand. Also research the CCV, it will freeze up and really ruin your day.

I'll definitely keep that in mine. I live in an apartment with an indoor/underground parking garage, never gets too cold in there. I am 2 blocks from where I work so if its horrible out, I'll just walk. I also have a daily driver as back up.

Thanks for the heads up none the less.