[abhi182]

While I shared similar concerns as expressed in this thread, after 5 years with RFTs, I think I can safely say that I was just being paranoid
Unless you spend a lot of time driving through very remote areas , I think RFTs and lack of a spare are a non issue
Just get a good quality tyre inflator (and maybe a set of puncture repair tools)

(1) In five years, I had two flats - Either it is a gradual improvement in the quality of our roads or better quality of tyres but the incidence of flats seems to be reducing

(2) The first time I got a flat, I got a tyre puncture display on my cluster - The know-it-all idiot that I am, I assumed it to be a brake pad change indication
I continued to drive my car for a good 4-5 days on my daily commute (around 20kms) without even realizing anything is wrong !
It was only after my dad who was visiting spotted that the tyre pressure seems low after which we got the tyre fixed (total cost - 100 Rs - no damage to the tyre which went on to serve its full life)

(3) post this incident, I ordered a Coido inflator and a puncture repair tool (the latter never got used)
A few years later, I got the tyre flat indicator on the Mumbai Pune xpressway between lonavala and Pune
I reinflated the tyres to 30 and drove at slightly reduced speeds to Pune

In my replacement car , BMW included a space saver which I have promptly put in storage and will probably pull it out when going on my next long distance remote road trip

[lancer_maniac]

I got a preowned 2012 BMW 520d recently.Previous owner gave the space saver he had brought from BMW which was not used even for one time .
He had lost one key and we were negotiating on the price wen he said instead of the second key ,which cost around 30k as per him (Not sure though have to check with the company) he will give the brand new space saver which costed around 37k (As per him)from BMW. (Again not sure of the price)

The other four tyres have been replaced to tubeless tyres along with MoMo Alloys.I just want to know the space savers BMW sells is all the same brand tyres or will they change it.Mine came with Continental Tyres for the space saver with all the tools.

[KMT]

I got the same 'space saver' conti tyre that eats up 1/2 the boot space. Price was 36-37k from memory.

[NKR]

The BMW Space savers may be of different make than the ones shod on the four wheels. I have Pirellis as the main tyres and Hankook as the Space Saver.

The Cost of the entire space saver kit it is about 33-35K if I remember. The Space saver Tyre and the alloy however is about 20 K without the kit

[gk1234]

Speaking of spare tyres, here’s an idea that could be resuscitated by the manufacturers:

https://youtu.be/fJrGKHMXtVU

No, but seriously, I really wish the big German brands take our requirements with a bit more seriousness. Heck, if the Skoda Superb and the VW Passat, which are large saloons in their own right, can be offered with a dedicated wheel well, then why not the bigger companies!? Also, I have seen various European reviews on YouTube which show that if you don’t want to carry the spare wheel, you can use that space as additional storage, or even to place additional music equipment like the sub-woofer, like this:


Now that’s proper thinking! Why can’t this be the norm and the other way around be the exception? That way, if you want to save on CO2 emissions, leave the spare wheel out and carry less weight, if you’re keen to take the risk, or, just give the customer the option.

[landcruiser123]

Just had a major issue with capped lug nuts. TL;DR version: Couldn't remove the spare on my Ford Fusion with my tools. https://driving.ca/new-car-preview/s...ped-wheel-nuts

While getting my tire replaced the next day, here's the reasoning the tire repair guy shared:
1. BMWs are RWD or biased towards RWD (if AWD). This makes it dangerous to drive with space savers on the rear, especially during wet/snowy conditions.
2. The space saver can't be used in the front as handling & braking will be significantly poor

BMWs solution: Remove the spare. What a dumb idea as it means that the car can't be driven too far, especially in remote areas.

[itwasntme]

Casually reached out to BMW to check their indicative rate for a single 17" 775 style OEM alloy rim to keep in my 330i Sport boot.

The response was ~50K. Plus you need to budget a 'basic' tyre which will be~10K in the required 225/50 size. Easy outlay of 60K!

I am also thinking of checking for a 17" steel rim with the same specs, just to get an idea of the cost.

[parekhakshar]

In market for buying a new car. Had shortlisted e class, car to be used for long trips with family(fully loaded with luggage). We're using sedans for more than 20 years and this purchase is going to be the first of the trio and guess what, I have to forcefully go for suv because the space saver eats up a lot of space even when kept in wheel well. I can't take any chance of leaving spare at home. I think they should find a solution for this. Manufacturers say that we can drive for few kms but still having a spare is very safe especially for someone who travels to remote areas.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I am also thinking of checking for a 17" steel rim with the same specs, just to get an idea of the cost.

You can even look at a non-OEM alloy / steel wheel options from other brands including Skoda, VW, Mercedes, etc. since your PCD is 112.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

You can even look at a non-OEM alloy / steel wheel options from other brands including Skoda, VW, Mercedes, etc. since your PCD is 112.

Any help would be deeply appreciated! I had asked around the usual tyre dealers but with no luck. Should have asked the OEMs too. BMW charges 50K for each alloy.

The stock wheels for my Sport are 43.18 cm (17”) 775 Bicolour Orbit Grey - 7.5J X 17 ET:30.

Will check with Skoda as well.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

BMW charges 50K for each alloy.

Contact this guy - Karan at Delhi - he may secure you original BMW alloy at competitive prices - 9971099239.

[akshay4587]

Ever since I got my E90 320D earlier this year, I was always anxious about it not having a spare tyre and no RFT's either; it rides on Michelin Tubeless tyres.

With BMW pricing the doughnut exorbitantly, I had made up my mind to pick up a full size tyre and rim from a wreckers yard and use it as a spare; but somehow due to low usage of the car, i didn't pay much attention.

Just last week, while casually browsing Olx, i found an Unused BMW Doughnut for sale at a great price. Did a 200km round trip this weekend and picked it up.

Paid 5K for the tyre, which I believe is quite a Steal

[Sameergarg]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Any help would be deeply appreciated! I had asked around the usual tyre dealers but with no luck. Should have asked the OEMs too. BMW charges 50K for each alloy.

The stock wheels for my Sport are 43.18 cm (17”) 775 Bicolour Orbit Grey - 7.5J X 17 ET:30.

Will check with Skoda as well.

So how did you manage? I also have a cracked alloy rim.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Just had a major issue with capped lug nuts.
1. BMWs are RWD or biased towards RWD (if AWD). This makes it dangerous to drive with space savers on the rear, especially during wet/snowy conditions.
2. The space saver can't be used in the front as handling & braking will be significantly poor

BMWs solution: Remove the spare. What a dumb idea as it means that the car can't be driven too far, especially in remote areas.

Sir.

I've faced this headache with those secure lugs. When the tyre shop ruined the flower bolt and made a mess of it sometime in early 2020 in my Cooper, I had to have the garage actually cut it off with a welding flame. Horrible. Heart rending to watch.

Ref the bias towards RWD it ought not to make the vehicle dangerous to drive with the space saver mounted on the wheel, provided the vehicle is driven slowly and for short distances.

Ref the braking and handling piece I would submit the same point as above. Common sense will tell us that we should drive slowly if the space saver spare has been mounted, at least until we reach ‘civilization’ and attend to the tyre repairs and change back to the standard size.

I completely agree that removing the spare is an idiotic solution. But I would also hazard that if driving in remote areas in snow and ice and slush and all, whether accompanied by family or not, it would be more prudent and indeed, better to use a vehicle which is more suited for the purpose, such as a proper 4WD or at least an AWD which has a full size spare.

[Dracoon]

I own a Audi approved A3 and it has a space saver wheel. When i bought the car, I though it was not a big deal. Frankly I expected the wheel to be only a little bit thinner. In the first month, took my car to Lonavala and got a flat tyre. So had to change to the space saver wheel. It was first time ever driving with space saver wheel was disappointed on really how thin the tyre was and it was looked really weird.

Driving with space saver tyre was such a nightmare. While there is a speed restriction of 80 kmph, the car continuously kept showing TPMS warning, which is generally shown when you have a flat tyre, stopped to check a couple of times when realized will have to drive like this only although it was very distracting.

Another revelation, you can't use cruise control with spare wheel tyre. That was still ok.

What really irked me the most was that the central locking got disabled (i don't know maybe because of TPMS warning). My son is 2.5 years old and he likes to sit in my wife's lap, he opened the door while i was driving and we were like shocked (thankfully road was empty) and found that central locking is disabled, we had to use child lock and send my son to the rear. I had to drive more than a 100 km with the space saver tyre, was not a good experience at all. I wonder how no one has sued these companies coz it is actually unsafe to drive with the space saver tyre.

I have bought a tyre inflator, but in case of a big puncture that won't be of much use (as it was in this case). I am also thinking of buying a tyre repair kit. There are some really cheap ones available online, not sure of their quality. I want to get rid of my space saver wheel and get a full proper spare wheel. I got the quote from Audi and they have given estimate of 70k including the tyre. I want to get this done before Dec as I plan to do a one month road trip from Pune to Kerala. Has any Audi owner has done it, visually it seems that the tyre will fit in the wheel well, maybe the boot floor will raise by a couple of inches, but that is fine.

I would probably find a non-OEM wheel which can fit a regular tyre. Any suggestions in Pune for this would help