Where can I store the spare tire?
 

I have run-flats and don't have a 3rd row, so I'm thinking I can have a spare wheel and have non run-flats but I don't think a spare can feet under the compartment in the back. What to do...

What's your rationale for getting rid of the run flats?

I have the 3rd row also and changed to non run flats so what I did was bought a small electrical air compressor and keep it in the rear compartment together with a sealant spray in case I have a flat tire. Hopefully in the event that I loose all the air in the tire.
Even if you change to non run flats you would still have the tire pressure sensor working, so make sure they don´t change it when they change the tires, so in the event of loosing air you should really pay attention and monitor it.

Pricing, wheel upgrade, tire needs change, smoother ride, just to mention some reasons.

you didn't have the 3rd row and it didn't come with a spare? I had runflats too and it still came with a spare.

As I understand if you don´t have the 3rd row you can buy a spare tire kit from your dealer, since mine have the 3rd row, there is no room for the spare, so I had to go to plan B

Nooo it didn't come with a spare and no 3rd row here.

My biggest reason for the change would be the ride quality and less road noise. I heard so many positive reviews on Michelin Latitude HP. It's not like I need the tires right away, but when I do change them in the future, I'd like to be able to switch to non runflats.

Does the spare tire kit have electrical compressor and sealant spray? or just a spare tire?

Thanks.

As far as I know you cannot have a spare wheel if you have 3rd row of seats, as there is no dedicated space to put it.
Here in France you do not get a spare wheel. It is an option.
A kit is available from BMW which includes the wheel and jack etc. The wheel is a space saver wheel and the kit fits under the floor of the trunk.
It costs 240 Euros.

RealOEM.com BMW E70 X5 3.0d Retrofit emergency wheel

I was thinking of getting this as I had a set of non RFT winter wheels from my old E53. But as they do not fit on the E70 I am now thinking of selling my Winter wheels and getting a good set of all-season RFT tyres. That way I will not need to change my wheels in Winter and I do not need to get the spare wheel.

Don't mean to sound dense, but... are you SURE it does not have a spare?? I thought all X5s without 3rd row seats came with a spare? As far as I knew, only 3rd-row equipped X5s had no spare. :dunno:

Yep sure. It wasn't there last time I looked. ;)
Below the floor of the trunk I have a carpeted storage area. This is where the spare goes.
It is not included in the car......in France anyway. I guess it's the same in continental Europe.
UK is different (and US too). In the UK there are a number of things that are included in the car. Here they are a cost option...like the spare wheel, alarm, metallic paint.
The alarm and spare wheel annoyed me. How BMW can have such an expensive car and then charge for these items.
The spare wheel cost 150 euros when you spec it with the car and and alarm cost 500 euros.
When I was looking to buy a new X5 these items were at the top of my options list as I thought them to be mandatory. As I ended up buying a used car I have neither. I can get them fitted after but it costs more.

Furthermore, the car costs alot more here too.
To get an X5 3.0D without any option (no alarm or spare wheel, no leather, no metallic paint) would costs 58,000 euros including charges to get the car on the road. (3,000 euros to get the car on the road)
58,000 euros = 51,000 UK pounds = 77,000 US Dollars

To get the car how I wanted it would have cost me over 100,000 dollars !!

I've been test driving the X5 35d. Both vehicles I've test driven did not have 3rd row seats and did NOT have a spare. The space where the 3rd row seats would have been, was a large rectanglular "bin" covered by the cargo floor.

Funf Dreisig

If you don't have the 3rd row seat then there should be a big hole for a storage area under the carpeted cargo in the back. You should be able to have your dealer order it from bmw and get it within 3 days. I've had some spare parts ordered that way.

> I thought all X5s without 3rd row seats came with a spare?

Decisions like this are country/market specific for Marketing reasons, e.g., BMW NA may decide to have the spare as standard, while BMW Europe may decide it's an option.

My dealer is confirming whether the spare retrofit is possible in the US diesels. It is a factory retrofit for European cars, but not sure if they have the urea tank in them or not. Trying to determine if that tank uses up some of the space needed for the spare or not.

They give you a choice of spare or storage package. This is what it looks like in the back.

Interesting.... learn something new every day, I guess...

In that case, I'd stick to the runflats, if I were you. I don't know I'd be willing to take the chance of running on non RFTs without a spare.

Juan

You could also try to get the rear wheel carrier and travel with a full size spare at all times.

http://www.startrektowbars.co.za/ima...20Carrier).jpg

If you must carry a spare wheel even with RFT's, here your best solution. It's called a Spare Wheel Carrier. ;)

Where do you get one of those?

:iagree:

:iagree: I did that with my Corvette and wouldn't you know, the wife curbed it and bent a wheel, tires goes flat and I had to have it flat-bedded home!

BMW's cost savings response to economic downturn - no spare with runflat setup, no rechargeable dash flashlight, no complete tool kit, etc - all things that came included at no charge on my E46 3 series...

You probably already know this by now, but... The factory installed Space Saver Spare does NOT use up any space needed for the urea tanks. Here's what a factory installed spare on a diesel look like...

Funf Dreisig

Here's the OEM version of BMW. Which do you like better? I like the center mounted version better.

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

http://www.startrektowbars.co.za/ima...Carrier%29.jpg

:stickpokeOnly if I were TRULY going off-roading somewhere.

I guess you can't have a rear camera with that option? looks like it would block the rear camera.

Just some info for anyone interested in getting a spare. I've been trying to get the spare kit and it is not available.

I know the part is listed on Real OEM, but if you look there is no price listed. I know the parts manager at a dealer and he is trying to figure out what the deal is.

He said it doesn't happen often that a part has a part number and it is unavailable to purchase. I will post if I get more info.

He even tried to "build" a kit with separate part numbers and it turned out to be a little on the pricey side and he could not order the spare insert for the trunk or the jack?!?!

Anyway, it's an option for $150 on your X if you order it for now there is no other way to get it.

Its been discussed hundreds of time
but for the newcomer
I changed My RFT for regular
and I first bought aspare kit from BM
and first time I tried to use it in he country the cheap jack failed
the parts guy told me its the same from car
so too flimsy for the big X5, so he took it back
although it was damaged
and lukily I had a compressor with some plugs, and after over 1 year
it still run fine, I did not use the liquid in the can

I ordered the spare to give me more flexibility with tire choices in the future and a little more peace of mind on trips until then. My bet was that I could always take it out and find some way to use that space if I decided that I needed the space more than the spare.

As you can see from the picture I posted, there really isn't much to the factory installed Space Saver Spare tire kit. It's only a:
* black painted steel wheel and temporary use tire
* a scissor jack, with handle
* an L shaped lug wrench
* an insert to hold the jack and lug wrench (think black ice chest material)
* a bolt with a large washer and wing nut to hold the tire down

FWIW the spare just barely fits in the space so it would probably stay put in all but a roll over. Scissor jacks and lug wrenches are dirt cheap.

There have to be E70s that have been totaled by now. So surely there are a few with Space Saver Spare tire kits sitting in junk yards.

Funf Dreisig

I found this out the hard way. Ordered my X5 and did not realize it doesn't come with a spare tire. Space saver tire is a $150 option but the price doubles if you buy it after the fact.

I asked my dealer in NJ. The price is $280 and it is available for pick up anytime. I bought my car used with 3rd row and never use them. Just changed from RFT to regular tires, put aircompressor in the back and probably will buy spare and put it in the cargo area. Regular tires smoothness and noiselessness does not compare to RFT's. Spare tire in the back is small price to pay for BMW's greed.

do you have the part#? Is it the same as the one shown on realoem? I asked the parts guy at the dealer and it says no availability in the US. Which dealer did you go to?

Search for Park avenue BMW in NJ. Get the phone of service/parts department and ask. I don't know the part # ..sorry.

I believe starting in model year 2009 in the US the spare was a $150 option on all x5's and X6's. In 2008 it was standard in non 3 rd row cars.

Nope - no X5 comes with a spare - maybe it did years ago, but has not for a while now, even if you order it with the non runflat tires, the spare is an option that you have to order with the car.

You can pickup the spare tire kit from the dealer and if you don't have the 3rd row, it will fit under the floor in the back - if you have the 3rd Row, there is no room for it.

I actually have a full size spare which I like to take with me when towing a trailer (I don't trust any tire fill and don't want to get stuck somewhere). Can I get either of these in the US? The space for the license plate looks just right for an EU plate... :)

i have a 2011 X5 without 3rd row and now spare tire

im buying this on monday, ill post price then....

thank you

YS

Please do. I'm in the same situation as you. Ordered the vehicle not realizing that there is no spare tire but the car is already done.

I bought mine off the lot without the spare and want it as well.

I bought this set from Tischer BMW (http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=MorePartInfo&PartID=876046&siteid =214672&catalogid=4462) and it fits the storage perfectly. Did not actually test the spare in action, but it is exactly the same size as the spare size recommended on the car door sill.
The spare tire storage in my car was lined with the fabric but underneath the carpet fabric was everything ready for installing the wheel bracket. The set includes all the parts provided when ordered from the factory at the time of car purchase. Very easy to mount the spare under the cargo floor, it is secured to the car body (in case of rollover). Not sure how good the supplied lifting jack is, however all the parts are OEM.
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.

Because they suck and BMW will flat bed your car to dealer for free. Doesn't matter for me. runflat or not, the tires I run are never carried by anyone. They have to be overnighted by Tirerack. So even with runflats, I still have to drive to a dealer an get another car.

M

I will never put myself in a situation where a flat tire could end my trip, or cause a 4 to 24 hour delay. Crazy.

Spare in the trunk, have a new tire drop-shipped to where I will be tomorrow or the next day....

I kept the spare out of my 2008 X5 Sport with 20" wheels and now carry it with my X5 M becasue it did not come with one. Does anyone know if it will fit my M or becasue of the different hubs will it no work?

X5M uses different hubs sizes front and rear. So it will work if you get a flat in the front, but not the rear.

So did anyone find out where to buy one of these, or are these available in Europe only?

Also, do normal X5's (ie. e70 with sport package) have different hubs front and rear also, or just the X5 M's? Basically wondering if I carried an extra front wheel, it would work either in the front and rear as well.

The first pictured option would be ideal, as the rear-view camera would still be functional...

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.

I have third row seats, and would love to get rid of the run-flats.

It seems like the most practical solution (aside from finding an OEM X5 spare) would be to sort out a space saver-type wheel option that would fit in the rear, and mount a space saver tire that compresses a little when not inflated/in use (my allroad has one).

Something like that would potentially fit in the cargo area. Sure, it would take up some space, but for the most part it wouldn't be a big deal. Put it in a nice bag and find a way to secure it to the side frame (i.e. standing up, mounted to the side).

For those who don't understand the hatred for the runflats: Reducing the unsprung weight and rotational weight improves suspension performance, increases fuel economy slightly, and improves acceleration/braking performance slightly. Most importantly, it smooths out the ride a good bit, and makes everything the car does 'better'.

That said, it's not worth risking a flat unless you have a spare. Even if the space saver spare costs $400, run-flats are usually $100 more per tire, so the spare pays for itself up front.

Like I said, I would not miss the run-flats...

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?

BNW option # 300 - Spare tire
 

This is the spare tire option..........Space Saver Spare............ It's not a donut, yet it is for limited mileage/speed........but much better than a donut......

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 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.

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 :dunno:.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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

I did not ship to Canada. Usually I use general delivery place in the first town behind the Canada/US border and pay only for US domestic delivery.

Anybody has pics how the spare look and fit in the trunk ?

Post #50 in this thread.

If you ever want to buy separately, or if in Canada and can't buy the kit, then you could ask the dealer all these part numbers and buy in Canada.

That's too bad. I was going to try this route to save on shipping from the U.S. I'll ask them though and see what they reply with.

It is definitely worth to try. Let us know how it went. GL

Were you able to install the spare kit yourselves or did you get the dealer to do it for you? The cost of labor must've almost matched the cost of the kit itself, if done at the dealer.

No need to pay dealer to install. If you get the complete kit, the installation is super easy.

Can you use an 18in spare tire with 20 inch rims on the other tires?

If the 20 inch are the original factory size, then yes, as they have the same rolling circumference.

That said, the narrower tire won't handle the same, so watch your speed and don't push it anywhere near a cornering limit.

To the owner that posted this photo: Can you PLEASE measure the top of the scissor jack. I meaning the rectangular top that engages the jacking points along the sides of the vehicle. Here is why. I want to see if an X5 jack will work on my E90 335 sedan. They sell this querky (in my opinion) jobs that work on the sedans that are known to fall and are unstable. I have been using a scissor style from my Honda to lift up my 335D. I want to have a long term solution while on the road and think the X5 scissor will work. What i don't know is whether the X5 E53 or E70 jack point (the little plastic rectangle thing) is bigger than my E90 one is.
thanks