My 2018 M550 (purchased as a CPO, which I’m likely to keep for 4 or 5 years) came with non-RFTs, but it was originally equipped with RFTs. As such, I have no spare.
The geniuses at the BMW Genius desk referred me to my local dealer, who was supposed to be “delighted to discuss my retrofit options” with me.
But the dealer said there aren’t any.
They recommended an inflator kit (part 71102333674). I haven’t studied how these work, but on its face it looks like a dubious suggestion.
I did find this aftermarket spare tire kit, although I haven’t been able to figure out how to lift up the carpeted trunk floor to access what’s presumably the space underneath where the kit would go.
If you’ve solved the “missing spare” problem in this generation of 5 Series I’d appreciate hearing how you did it.
I have limited appetite to paw through BMW forums.
As the cars get bigger rims and tires it’s harder to fit emergency spares.
But you will need to know wheel size/offset
And you brake disc/caliper size. To make sure a spare fits.
Best all found on a bmw forum.
Honestly the easiet IMO is to carry a tire plugging kit from Amazon with an air compressor. Or a can of fix a flat with a compressor. No need to buy the bmw branded one.
Fix a flat will kill your tire pressure monitoring in that wheel
Most EV’s don’t even carry spares anymore due to weight. all you get is a can of fix a flat.
This at least keeps your tire size the same until you get to a tire shop (don’t ruin your gears with wrong tire sizes such as spares)
The modern spare also comes with a carry bag for the whole thing. I think the intent is to just keep it in the trunk. The floor in your 5 series has no room under it. If you had the factory spare tire kit, the floor of the trunk would be raised above it.
I would be curious to know the reason for all 0-10 year old vehicles that are disabled on the side of a road (i.e. no gas, mechanical failure, tire/wheel failure). If the percentage of mechanical failure and tire/wheel failure were the same, would you also consider having mechanical parts on hand? Just a thought
Great company with a lot of advanced tech, i.e. they have third party commercial Uber account set up so that they can send a car for you. You don’t have to ride with the tow driver.
Firstly, I would hazard a guess that tire failures are far more common for 0-5 yr old cars than any other roadside vehicle disablement instance. Also, while mechanical disablements for a car of that recent vintage are likely to be covered under warranty, a tire related one isn’t, though it could certainly reimbursed by tire hazard. Also the solve of a spare tire will get you moving in 90% of the cases. You’d need an entire trailer worth of mechanical parts and equipment to cover 90% of mechanical related disablements, some of which require a lift, so just aren’t doable.not even to mentioned that various levels of vehicle specific skillset required to accurately repair, roadside or not.
Was probably meant tongue in cheek, but just sayin, lol.
I custom ordered a M340 with a non-rft package for just $150, and my trunk looks very similar to what the forum shows. FWIW, you do compromise storage capacity due to the raised trunk floor, but it makes for a very clean look with the spare tire underneath.
With that said, I had the dealer put a spare tire kit in my previous car, but never actually laid my eyes on it the 10 years I had it. For all I know they just took my money.
If I may be melodramatic (not that I normally ask first) but I guess the doomsday scenario would be having a flat when there is no place open to tow the car for a tire repair or a new tire.
I was in the same shoes with an OEM RFT equipped car of another brand. Bought a compact spare off eBay and threw it in the trunk. Never even took the bubble wrap off
I just got the car in December and the tires were new. I’ll put on 3-5k miles a year.
This is my first car with both staggered fitments and AWD.
My last car had staggered fitments but it was RWD, and I went through rear tires every 12,000-14,000 miles (ish). About double that (or longer) in front.
I really don’t know what to expect here for tire life.
staggered and awd make it nearly impossible to find a spare that will work with the fronts. Hard to clear large front brake calipers and rotors… I think the statement would be true on the advertised link for a “base” model 5…Hard to say if it will clear your specific car… find someone to be a tester?
Tire life will completely be on driving styles…but grippy tires rarely last more than 10-12k unless the cars babied…If you plan to take long road trips maybe worth digging into getting a real spare/jack kit and leave it in the garage for around town and throw it in there for long trips.
For all I know they just took my money.