525Phil

Hi all, just wondered how many of you have repalced your RunFlats with normal tyres? Also how did you get on with no spare. How can i get hold of an emergency spare to fit my car replacing the 18" wheels.

Thanks in advance.

olli_535d

Unless you get extremely lucky on ebay or with the breakers, it's buying from a dealer. It is not only the wheel but a full set consisting of emergency wheel, jack and brace in a sort of polystyrene moulded box. For a fully flush fitting, you need to take out the carpet liner in the wheel well and either replace with another or leave it out altogether.
Normal dealer price for the kit is about 153 quid plus the VAT. Not many of them budge on the price. I got mine while I was in germany for about 125,- all in or so.

colejl

Exactly what I did - worth every penny!!!

AlwynMike

Phil,

If you search on eBay, be careful to get the correct size - there are quite a few types that look about right but aren't!!

There is only one size spare for all E60's - it doesn't matter if you normally run on 16's, 17's or 18's. The circumference (or Rolling Radius) will be the same or similar.

Ask your local tyre factor for a wheel and tyre. My local got me a new wheel and Continental tyre for ?85. Of course, you don't get the jack or chocks with that. I carry a low profile hydraulic jack anyway (I'm like that!!). If you do go down the hydraulic jack route, remember you have to get it under the car with a flat tyre, so it needs to be small (a two or three stage ram). If you are a cheapskate, get a Vauxhall scissor jack from a breakers, file off the plastic "knob" on the top of it, and it will fit nicely into the recess under your sill. Easier to fit in the spare wheel too. As Olli says, you have to remove the oddments tray to get the wheel in (I laid a thick cardboard pad under the wheel to protect the polystyrene underneath.). Alternatively, a little handiwork with a craft knife will remove the slots that the dividers go into, then the wheel will fit.
Another down side is that if you do get a puncture (when it's cold, wet, windy and either on a muddy B-road or by the M25), and you have a boot full of luggage and a car full of kids, where do you put the full-size?? It should go in the well, but of course, you cannot put the floor down.

That said, I wholeheartedly recommend changing to normal tyres - your car will ride and behave as Herr BMW intended it to originally.

Mike

fuzzer

I factory ordered this for ?70

BMWSTL

The spare (300 Space-saver spare) is standard with the Sport Package in the States.

Lou

fuzzer

Does the sports package come with 19" wheels?

BMWSTL

The 550 Sport Package does. All other Sport Packages (528, 535) have 18's.

Lou

fuzzer

The reason i ask is because in the UK when you order the 19" wheels , they automatically include the space saver as the car doesnt come with run flats.

Ricracing

+1

Luckily the 19" are not RF's.

The 18"ers should not be either!