I have replaced my standard UK SE wheels that came with the car.

Star-Spoke Styling 138
7.5 J x 17
225/50 R17 94W
BMW Option Code 2CF

I now want to use 1 of the wheels as a spare and selling the others. Does anyone know how to use one of the wheels as a full size spare. i.e. do I need to change the tyre or the carpet in the wheel well etc.

What is the size of the tyre and wheel in a OEM space saver?

 

The space-saver is a super-skinny 135mm tyre (17" rim)! Have you tried putting the 225 in? You have to remove the carpeted bit to fit the space-saver anyway so I'd start by removing this and trying... My hunch is that it will be too tall?

 

My 275/30/19 just fitted in the hole when I had a puncture. Did stick up into the boot quite a lot though

 

Well I could be wrong, but I don't think you're going to be able to squeeze a full size wheel into the wheel well without relocating some of the electronics that sit in the bottom. If you take out the carpet, you will see the wheel well is quite a bit deeper than the space taken by the "donut" space saver (or the plastic partitions if you don't have a space saver tyre), but BMW in their wisdom have used the space for some of the car's electronics. Seems somewhat unwise to me - if any water gets in there, it's bound to cause problems. I don't know how easy it would be to relocate the electronics, but it might be easier to stump up the money for an OEM space-saver wheel and tyre that will fit the space available.

 

Doesn't matter now. The guy who came to buy my other 3 wheels wanted the 4th tire too and let him have it. So I guess I'll look for a spare saver now.

 

I have checked out what in that spare tire well, and I just can't understand why BMW would put all that electronics in there just held in place by a styrofoam insert. It is wierd and seems just asking for trouble.

 

They seem to have run out of space in the back and the prototype car didn't have the spare in it. The electronics engineer saw the empty space and said Aah!

I sometimes wonder why BMW put the battery in the back too.

 

Will a T 125 / 80 R 17 Inch 99M from an e46 be OK in the e60 as a spare.

 

I don't think a 17" spacesaver will fit without removing the carpeted bit I had the same problem BMW seem to want everyone on RF's

 

Do we know what these electronics in the wheel well are? I noticed mine the other day and it consisted of a wire bundle that plugged into a white plastic module. The wire bundle originated in the back tail area, possibly related to tail light assembly.