[Chel.c.boy335is]

I have run flats on my 335is and planning to go to Michelins super sport with out the run flat capability for an easier ride etc ... My question is that there is not a spare or compressor or anything other than AAA in the case of a flat .... Interested in what others have done / would do etc...

[BeastMode335i]

Many do the spare tire kit, but it takes up most of the trunk space.. I'm putting a Zenclosure in my E92 and don't believe the spare tire kit will even fit after that!!

[buzzard]

I've been driving around with one of my old wheels in the trunk, but I finally ordered a used 5 series emergency spare off ebay for $150. It will clear my future BBK. That, plus a $20 scissor jack and $10 breaker bar from Harbor Freight.

[335idle]

I just stick with crappy RFT, i need my trunk space.

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

I picked up:

1. Tiny air compressor (Autozone, $9)
2. Tire patch kit (Autozone, $10, comes in a storage case that fits snugly above the tool compartment)
3. Scissor jack (Harbor Freight, $20, fits perfectly in the jack pads)
4. Breaker bar, 17mm socket, cheapo torque wrench (~$35 in total)
5. Wheel chock ($5)
5. All fits nicely in a nylon bag that I have velcro'd to the left side of my trunk

[david in germany]

Get the Continental conticomfortkit. I have the OEM bmw kit in my 118i, the Conti kit in my wife's 328i and a OEM Hyundai (made by conti just like the Oem BMW kit and costs a quarter of the price of the bmw kit) kit in my 335i. I keep them in the car even when I am running runflats because I can temp fix all the tires and can get them to a tire shop for a real plugging. The Conti fluid rinses right out of the tire with water and does not harm TPMS sensors. I have used the kits before and will not hesitate to use them again.

[1chanc3]

I just got a slime kit from walmart. Comes with an electric pump (very handy and I've used plenty of times already) and a bottle of slime. $8
This will only take care of small screws and holes but I have AAA as backup too.

Then again, I also don't take my car on very long road trips. Longest I've done is to San Diego which is about 130mi away.

[PDX-335i]

Originally Posted by Chel.c.Boy

I have run flats on my 335is and planning to go to Michelins super sport with out the run flat capability for an easier ride etc ... My question is that there is not a spare or compressor or anything other than AAA in the case of a flat .... Interested in what others have done / would do etc...

It takes a little getting used to driving around without a spare, but there's nothing wrong with it. I think I've had to use the spare only once on any of my cars in the last 20 years. Buy the slime kit as mentioned above and it will give a little piece of mind. I don't think it's worth having a spare take up half the trunk. AAA can be added for additional protection fairly cheap.

[Dan Villa]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

I picked up:

1. Tiny air compressor (Autozone, $9)
2. Tire patch kit (Autozone, $10, comes in a storage case that fits snugly above the tool compartment)
3. Scissor jack (Harbor Freight, $20, fits perfectly in the jack pads)
4. Breaker bar, 17mm socket, cheapo torque wrench (~$35 in total)
5. Wheel chock ($5)
5. All fits nicely in a nylon bag that I have velcro'd to the left side of my trunk

That's all good just don't get a blow out...

[buzzard]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

I picked up:

1. Tiny air compressor (Autozone, $9)
2. Tire patch kit (Autozone, $10, comes in a storage case that fits snugly above the tool compartment)
3. Scissor jack (Harbor Freight, $20, fits perfectly in the jack pads)
4. Breaker bar, 17mm socket, cheapo torque wrench (~$35 in total)
5. Wheel chock ($5)
5. All fits nicely in a nylon bag that I have velcro'd to the left side of my trunk

I don't understand why you carry a breaker bar, a torque wrench and a 17mm socket if you don't have a spare to put on.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Dan Villa

That's all good just don't get a blow out...

With TPMS the risk of a blow out is quite low, since you get almost immediate notification that a tire is losing air, which gives you time to get it fixed before it overheats and blows out. If you do get a blow out from a road hazard, it usually means a bent/broken rim and hurt suspension components, which come with a tow truck anyway.

[jon_335]

Originally Posted by buzzard

I don't understand why you carry a breaker bar, a torque wrench and a 17mm socket if you don't have a spare to put on.

Take the tire off in order to patch it?

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Originally Posted by buzzard

I don't understand why you carry a breaker bar, a torque wrench and a 17mm socket if you don't have a spare to put on.

Patching a tire isn't easy with the wheel on the car.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

With TPMS the risk of a blow out is quite low, since you get almost immediate notification that a tire is losing air, which gives you time to get it fixed before it overheats and blows out. If you do get a blow out from a road hazard, it usually means a bent/broken rim and hurt suspension components, which come with a tow truck anyway.

This. That's when I exercise AAA

[buzzard]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

Patching a tire isn't easy with the wheel on the car.

Patching a tire isn't easy with the wheel OFF the car. What a PITA. If the rim to tire seal is broken, the small compressor probably won't even work. I'd rather throw on a good spare any day. Quicker, easier. To each his own.

[buzzard]

With TPMS the risk of a blow out is quite low, since you get almost immediate notification that a tire is losing air, which gives you time to get it fixed before it overheats and blows out.

This makes no sense. Do you know what a "blow-out" is?

[AcesUp]

I've blown 3 tires in less than a year thanks to the potholes in the NYC area, so I just keep a spare in the trunk now. I don't think run flats would help when the rim puts a 6 inch gash in the sidewall of the tire.

[Douche]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

With TPMS the risk of a blow out is quite low, since you get almost immediate notification that a tire is losing air, which gives you time to get it fixed before it overheats and blows out. If you do get a blow out from a road hazard, it usually means a bent/broken rim and hurt suspension components, which come with a tow truck anyway.

Sometimes you push it dude......................... Swear to God...

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Originally Posted by buzzard

Patching a tire isn't easy with the wheel OFF the car. What a PITA. If the rim to tire seal is broken, the small compressor probably won't even work. I'd rather throw on a good spare any day. Quicker, easier. To each his own.

While I do agree with you, blowouts are rare, and nails are more common. I haven't found plugs that bad to install in the past. It's a risk I'm willing to take. Worst case scenario, I wait a short while for AAA to show up.

Effthreeoh is correct is his statement. TPMS significantly increases safety.

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811617.pdf

Maintaining correct tire pressure and repairing damage that compromises the tire's integrity (or replacing it) is the best thing that you can do to prevent a blowout. Most tire related crashes occur because of over/under inflation, or below safe tread depth.

[Dan Villa]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

With TPMS the risk of a blow out is quite low, since you get almost immediate notification that a tire is losing air, which gives you time to get it fixed before it overheats and blows out. If you do get a blow out from a road hazard, it usually means a bent/broken rim and hurt suspension components, which come with a tow truck anyway.

Not true at all. I hit a pot hole and blew a hole in side wall my rim was totally undamaged. Had to tow the car even with run flats so now I have a real spare and ditched the crappy runflats.

[drewnel22]

Originally Posted by Dan Villa

Not true at all. I hit a pot hole and blew a hole in side wall my rim was totally undamaged. Had to tow the car even with run flats so now I have a real spare and ditched the crappy runflats.

+1. I've hit something in the road that just put a hole in the sidewall. Runflats wouldn't have done anything. Luckily it was in my Accord which had a spare and I was able to make it home.

I would say a good tire repair kit, jack, tools to take the wheel off, and small air compressor would be all you need. Then have AAA as a back up for anything bigger. If you want to be more prepared, a spare is the only option.

[Nitrousbird]

Last time I needed a spare tire was in the late 90's and I drive a decent amount. Well, that is excluding trailer tires (always have a spare trailer tire).

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Nitrousbird

Last time I needed a spare tire was in the late 90's and I drive a decent amount. Well, that is excluding trailer tires (always have a spare trailer tire).

I've driven 250,000 miles in my E90 without run flats and had to stop twice to add air to one tire after notification from the TPMS. I carry a Continental flat-repair kit and a plug kit. I've been driving since 1978 and I can remember of just twice needing to actually change a tire on the side of the road (which now a days is dangerous as hell with everyone texting and driving). That's been over a million miles of driving.

One last note. Christmas day 2007 about 12 midnight about 25 miles from home I hit a big piece of wood in the road with both left-side tires. I live in the boonies and where I hit the wood there is no cell phone service. About 5 minutes later the TPMS came on. Being that my wife was 3-sheets to the wind and the road I was on apparently is the driveway for the Virginia State Police (don't ask), the last thing I was going to do was pull over and fix the tire (besides it was cold as shit out). So I drove home on it. The next day I found the right rear tire had a hole in it large enough that the tire completely lost air in about 5 minutes. So I drove home about 20 miles or so on zero air pressure. The saving grace is I swapped to 18's when I ditched my OE run-flats at 22,000 miles. I run a 235/40-18 high performance all-season XL load rated tire (the tire that went flat was a Yokohama W4s). So XL load rated tires have a pretty decent sidewall you can drive flat on for some distance.

But then I've am a motorcyclist too, so I'm used to not carrying a spare tire anyway.