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[330iE90spt]

Wondering same thing myself. I need to get a spare as well.

Originally Posted by Edbert

For those of us with the staggered setup (F=225/40-18 R=255/35-18) would I need a different offset to be able to use the spare on any corner? Wondering about caliper and fender clearances primarilly.

[driverman]

I keep a compact spare in the trunk and store the jack and spacers in compartment under the floor. I bought a spare wheel and mounted a used tire for long trips.

The compact spare is about 1/2 as tall as the full tire so it doesn't dominate the trunk as much.

[DrRobert]

Warning - I bought the same E60 spare others have mentioned above (BMW P/N 36-11-6-758-778) with a 135/80/17 tire and carted it around in my trunk for a year. Then recently I got a flat rear tire and went to put it on and guess what - it rubbed badly against the brake caliper and was completely unusable! If you carry that spare you might want to try it out before you need it, I think it needs spacers on an E90 (LCI at least). I wound up getting a tow.

I have since bought new wheels and am carrying one of my old OEM front wheels for a spare. It has a 225/40/18 tire on an 18x8" wheel. I keep it strapped in place with a ratcheting strap with hooks on the ends from the hardware store. The hooks are placed in some large oblong holes located on both ends of a metal crossbar that runs across the roof of the trunk where it meets the rear seats. The ratchet keeps it held firmly in place even during spirited driving. There is enough room for my briefcase, the kids backpacks, groceries etc (but not a full sized suitcase). My car has split folding rear seats; if I need more trunk space I just fold down the rear seats, unhook the spare and shove it forward.

[papajetta]

Haven't tried the e60 donut yet, but the rubbing problem might not happen with the back caliper.....

[elh0102]

This is the spare kit I made from the BMW wheel, tire from Tire Rack, and a compact BMW jack. And yes it cost well over $300. I put it together for use with a E92 M3 with Stop Tech brakes, so there is plenty of brake clearance for the 335i I now drive. In fact, I would use a 17" wheel if I were putting one together for this car. $300 will seem like a great deal when you're sitting by the road waiting for a AAA truck.

[maddmatth]

I have a cheap air compressor I bought for NZ$70 which came with a neat carry bag. Plugs into the cigarette lighter socket for power. As a bonus it means I can check and set tyre pressures at home.
And have a can of that green tyre slime stuff.

Also have AA roadside assistance included with the aftermarket warranty I have. If it wasn't for that I'd get another roadside assist deal anyway, they're cheap, insurance companies over here bundle them in for very little extra cost.

[DrRobert]

Originally Posted by maddmatth

I have a cheap air compressor I bought for NZ$70 which came with a neat carry bag. Plugs into the cigarette lighter socket for power. As a bonus it means I can check and set tyre pressures at home.
And have a can of that green tyre slime stuff.

Also have AA roadside assistance included with the aftermarket warranty I have. If it wasn't for that I'd get another roadside assist deal anyway, they're cheap, insurance companies over here bundle them in for very little extra cost.

I got a flat front tire 6 months ago when I hit a big pothole. I thought I was prepared as I had a compact spare tire kit that was supposed to fit my car plus I had one of those cigarette lighter air compressors with can of goo (the BMW version of that kit). The kit was useless as was the spare tire - the temporary wheel rubbed against the brake caliper. Luckily I had just ordered a new set of wheels and tires, which were waiting for me at my local shop. I got towed to the shop and had the new stuff installed, now I carry my old full sized front tire/wheel as a spare.

Moral of the story: If you buy one of those compact spares you should try installing it on your car BEFORE YOU NEED IT to make sure it fits.

[elh0102]

Originally Posted by maddmatth

I have a cheap air compressor I bought for NZ$70 which came with a neat carry bag. Plugs into the cigarette lighter socket for power. As a bonus it means I can check and set tyre pressures at home.
And have a can of that green tyre slime stuff.

Also have AA roadside assistance included with the aftermarket warranty I have. If it wasn't for that I'd get another roadside assist deal anyway, they're cheap, insurance companies over here bundle them in for very little extra cost.

The fix-a-flat stuff will not work on certain punctures, and it often ruins the TPM sensor. I have not had the best experience with the various roadside assistance programs, but maybe that's just my bad luck.

[DrRobert]

Originally Posted by elh0102

The fix-a-flat stuff will not work on certain punctures, and it often ruins the TPM sensor. I have not had the best experience with the various roadside assistance programs, but maybe that's just my bad luck.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention I have a bad TPM sensor now too. When I got the new wheels I had the old sensors installed in the new tire, the sensors were not malfunctioning at that time. But now I get an annoying TPM sensor malfunction warning light almost every time I drive, I'm sure it was the one that got goo on it when I had the flat but I don't want to pay to have them replaced til I get new tires again. I won't be using the fix-a-flat goo stuff any more - it didn't work anyway!

[maddmatth]

Originally Posted by elh0102

The fix-a-flat stuff will not work on certain punctures, and it often ruins the TPM sensor. I have not had the best experience with the various roadside assistance programs, but maybe that's just my bad luck.

No TPM sensor here, just the ABS based flat tyre monitor as I'm not in the US.
But of course, that's something for some people to be aware of.

Might get a proper spare some day.

[RPW44]

Sorry to dig up old thread.
I recently got a crack in my rear drivers side Style 95 wheel, and had to put my E60 space saver spare on.
My question is: while I wait for a new wheel to arrive in the mail where (front/back driver/passenger side) should I keep the tire mounted while I limp around to work and back? Was curious if one spot was better than another?
I have e90 xdrive, w/ 19" 235/35 tires (hence I used the E60 spare so rolling diameter is almost the same). For now I'm keeping it on the rear and driving gingerly - it's awful btw... having to drive like my wife in traffic haha!
But seriously if anyone knows the best place to keep the donut ON the car while I wait, it's greatly appreciated.

[SackOHammers]

Put it on the rear. But you shouldn't do this. Those donuts are good for about 50 miles.
Better to rent a car, carpool, or take an uber. Be safe.

[rogerdiaz]

Does this steel wheel p/n rub/issues with the FRONT CALIPERS 36 11 6 758 778?

Also, BAVAUTO sport sells with a 135/80/17 tire versus 125/80/17. Does it matter?

[spac3]

135/80/17 is slightly larger than stock (225/40/18) and 125/80 is slightly smaller than stock. If you're lowered etc probably want to lean towards the 125, otherwise I'd recommend the 135

[rogerdiaz]

Originally Posted by spac3

135/80/17 is slightly larger than stock (225/40/18) and 125/80 is slightly smaller than stock. If you're lowered etc probably want to lean towards the 125, otherwise I'd recommend the 135

Thanks!

If this E60 steel wheel rubs calipers/undriveable, why are people using as spare?

[rothwem]

I used the E60 spare when I ran over a brick in my old BMW, a 2006 E90 325i and it worked just fine.

I wonder if the difference is due to the larger calipers on the 335i?

I included the spare when I sold my E90. For my current wagon, I've got a full size wheel that I toss in when I'm doing a long trip. I put it in a plastic garbage bag and throw a pillow in it...My dog loves it.

[burnrbr]

Originally Posted by elh0102

This is the spare kit I made from the BMW wheel, tire from Tire Rack, and a compact BMW jack. And yes it cost well over $300. I put it together for use with a E92 M3 with Stop Tech brakes, so there is plenty of brake clearance for the 335i I now drive. In fact, I would use a 17" wheel if I were putting one together for this car. $300 will seem like a great deal when you're sitting by the road waiting for a AAA truck.

What specific spare wheel did you use? I have an E90 M3 with Stoptech 380 ST60 fronts and ST40 rears and I want to get a spare tire for longer trips.

[delmarco]

FACT: Switching from RFT to NON-RFT is 1000x easier than finding an E90 spare tire kit!

In the month since I did my switch I've been all over eBay, the internet and local junkyards trying to get a spare kit for the E90.

Sellers on eBay want over $200 for used 10 year old E60 spare tires and kits. One guy stated, in reply to my best offer of $150 for his rusty thread-worn E60 spare tire ensemble, that he would not go below $200 best offer because demand was too high.

Needless to say within hours of him listing it the auction had a dozen watchers and his tire spare quickly sold for $250!

I'm watching a few E60 tires on eBay right now and it seems like they sell off quickly of have a gigantic audience of Watchers saving the auction!


Why are these E60 spare kits so hot and who exactly is buying them?

As for the proper E90 spare kit they either cost $500 and up or if you get one overseas it will cost you much more.

By comparison I got my four Continental DWS tires brand new and installed for a little over $500 so I refuse to pay half of that for a used, worn and beat up 10 year old tire spare ( tire rubber officially expires 10 years after the stamp production date anyway [When properly stored in a climate controlled warehouse, tires have an almost unlimited shelf life, and once they're on the road, proper care can add many years to a tire's life. "In general, we see six years of service with no more than 10 years of total life since manufacture."])

[driverman]

If you don't need all the space in your trunk and don't mind the added weight, you could buy a new or refurbished front (or rear if not staggered) wheel that matches the others and mount one of the old front (or rear if not staggered) tires the next time you buy a set of tires and you've got a real spare tire and wheel that's much better than a compact spare. It's not perfect because if you need to mount the spare in the back, it will be undersized, but you need to make sure you can mount a front wheel on the back. Someone told me I could so I went with this solution. Maybe someone will chime in here.

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by driverman

If you don't need all the space in your trunk and don't mind the added weight, you could buy a new or refurbished front (or rear if not staggered) wheel that matches the others and mount one of the old front (or rear if not staggered) tires the next time you buy a set of tires and you've got a real spare tire and wheel that's much better than a compact spare. It's not perfect because if you need to mount the spare in the back, it will be undersized, but you need to make sure you can mount a front wheel on the back. Someone told me I could so I went with this solution. Maybe someone will chime in here.

Exactly my reasoning!

Because most of the time you get a flat where you need to put a spare on chance are the rim needs to be replaced.

In FACT it is actually cheaper to buy a used good condition BMW rim and tire than a buying an E60/E90 spare tire set for the BMW E90!



I may go this route and keep a jack and slime kit in the trunk for 99% of my driving and that 1% where I am doing extended trips I will put the tire in my trunk....

...but wait? extended trips require luggage!

ugh!

Maybe roof rack and tray! Argh spending way too much money because of not wanting run flats!

[driverman]

Originally Posted by delmarco

Exactly my reasoning!

Because most of the time you get a flat where you need to put a spare on chance are the rim needs to be replaced.

In FACT it is actually cheaper to buy a used good condition BMW rim and tire than a buying an E60/E90 spare tire set for the BMW E90!



I may go this route and keep a jack and slime kit in the trunk for 99% of my driving and that 1% where I am doing extended trips I will put the tire in my trunk....

...but wait? extended trips require luggage!

ugh!

Maybe roof rack and tray! Argh spending way too much money because of not wanting run flats!

AGREED.

I had a compact spare AND a full spare with a reconditioned wheel and worn tire. I kept the compact spare in the trunk except when I went on a trip. Then I'd take the full spare. But it dominated my trunk and I'd have put more stuff on the back seat! Plus it's heavy. But it's worth it to get rid of the RFT.

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by DrRobert

I got a flat front tire 6 months ago when I hit a big pothole. I thought I was prepared as I had a compact spare tire kit that was supposed to fit my car plus I had one of those cigarette lighter air compressors with can of goo (the BMW version of that kit). The kit was useless as was the spare tire - the temporary wheel rubbed against the brake caliper. Luckily I had just ordered a new set of wheels and tires, which were waiting for me at my local shop. I got towed to the shop and had the new stuff installed, now I carry my old full sized front tire/wheel as a spare.

Moral of the story: If you buy one of those compact spares you should try installing it on your car BEFORE YOU NEED IT to make sure it fits.

What car do you have the sport package set up ( I see you have or had 18" rims)????

Asking because I have a 2011 335i xDrive as well non-sport and just found an 2010 E60 535xiT Wagon spare tire for $30 at a local junk yard.

The thing was brand new and I picked it up but now I'm wondering if it was a wise decision!


But I saw this video and it made me think the 135 80 R17 on the steel rim was okay....