E70 Replacement tires
 

I have a 2012 X5d w/ staggered 20" wheels. 315 on back, 275 on front. I'm looking at replacing my run-flats for conventional, either Michelin or Conti DWS 06. It appears that Michelins run about 25% pricier than the Contis (on TireRack). Any preferences to either of these tires??

As well, I will go to a space-saver spare (I have no 3rd row seating). Are these space-savers (wheel & tire) available aftermarket??. As well I'd like to have it securely mounted in the trunk cutout. Does any after market company make these?? Is there a secondary market, i.e. "used" for these spares???

Thanks

Hi,
I have the same wheel setup on my 2008 4.8i and have had great luck with the Toyo Proxes STIIs. I'm on my third set of them now and use them for all year driving in the Midwest. Great in Snow and good grip level in the dry. They are a lot cheaper too, and look pretty cool, if you care for that sort of thing: https://www.toyotires.com/tire/patte...l-season-tires

Here is an option for getting the space saver spare:
getBMWparts.com - Exceptional Pricing | Unparalleled Service | Genuine BMW Parts

Enjoy!
John

The E70 had a spare tire option when there was no 3rd row seating. I have too much crap in the back of my truck to take a picture at the moment, however, my E70 has the spare tire option and I recall it is not really a space saver, but I could be wrong, it is just not a wide tire.

I have the Conti DWS on my E70, they were on it when I bought it, seemed to fine in the snow we had in Feb.

I'm considering a spare tire too. So far I found bavauto to have only the tire for $249 plus shipping. That's if you already have a jack and a 17mm key

E70 Spare Tire

I have the same setup, I was just going to get this vs. carrying a spare.

http://amzn.com/B001DZFZPG

I'm pretty happen with my Conti DWS tires. Highway cruising they are pretty quiet and I haven't noticed any tram lining. Overall I'm very pleased with them.

Not a bad idea, but more often than not if you get a flat while driving, it always seems that there is a hole in the sidewall or some problem that is not a slow and simple leak to repair.

using conti dws front. no issues. just ordered rear tires. $708 OTD including ca tax

Extremely bad idea, if you use the slime goop to try to repair the flat ... Why? Because while it may plug the puncture, it will also clog and render the $200 TPMS uselesss ...

Have you looked on Ebay for the tires? There are some good deals on there, even on name brand tires and its usually free shipping and no tax if you get it from a state you arent in.

True, but imagine being stranded in the woods with your kids in the car. Or in the middle of the night on the highway. I can give you countless reasons of why $200 is a small price to pay to be on four wheels again.
On the other hand, I don't trust the slime thingy.

I've used the slime on a Grand Cherokee with TPMS. I was charged $20 to clean out the tire and clean off the TPMS sensor. The sensor didn't report properly when I had it in there but after it was cleaned out, it worked fine until I sold the vehicle a year and a half later.

Heck, even BMW offers a kit that uses sealant:
ShopBMWUSA.com: BMW MOBILITY KIT

The sealant is also water soluble.

Perhaps years ago you didn't want to use these products but there really isn't a problem anymore. If you really want buy the BMW version and if your TPMS sensor gets killed (it won't) then ask BMW to replace it.

With any tire, IMHO, this stuff should only be used to get you out of a situation and to a tire shop - not as a fix.

^^^Correct. Most tire sealants on sale today are advertised as TPS safe.
I tow a lot and my X5 didnt come with a spare. I was having the trailer spare in the spot for the space saver-they are the same size. But in case i have a trailer hooked-up I cannot use the tiny spare tire in the back. So I was sticking with the runflats for a long time and having a full size spare in the trunk for this occasions. Until I forgot it once and I destroyed a tire in the middle of nowhere. So now I have space saver spare(it is from E53 with 20" wheels, I just grinded the center bore bit), mobility kit and a full size spare for a long tows. I have to make a brackets for the spares on both trailers.
I went with Toyo Proxes ST2 and I am pleased with them. Ride quality is good, noise is Ok, but i feel their wet performance may be not on par with Bridgestone RFTs. Bridgestones were good for less than 15 k miles on the rear(with minimum camber setting) hope that Toyos will make at least double that for half the price.

I have Michilins on the X5 now but will switch to Contis (DWS) as soon as the Mich's are worn a bit more. I've used Contis on my e53 for 4 years and they perform well in all respects, plus they really are great in snow (even deep snow).

For the OP, the answer depends in part on whether you need snows/winters, can get by with all seasons (as I can), or live the luxurious life of summer tires year-round. No matter the tire options, I never scrimp on tires or brakes, two areas where a few bucks saved could result in a serious accident. I don't run my tires down to the wear bars, I run them until they start to lose grip in the wet at normal speeds on my drive - this is always a bit more tread than the wear bars for me. So I don't buy used tires anywhere except in an emergency, and those get replaced asap. Others may be more expert in evaluating a used tire, or willing to take more risk.

Interesting. I didn't know that. I learned something new!

Thanks!

I purchased the spare tires from bavauto for $249 and went to harbor freight to purchase the jack for $10.00.

hated the stock michelin Run flats, switch them with Conti DWS. Loving it, softer ride, but lost the handling a little bit, conti DWS has soft side-walls.