Compact Space Saver Tire/Wheel Solution

[jaguar36]

No, the frunk on a D is way to small for a spare tire.

 

[JST]

No, unfortunately. The D frunks are too small.

 

[glhs272]

Actually, if you don't have the BMW wheel yet, you might try this: Email the guys at bimmerzone, say you aren't sure about fitment but want to give it a shot. Buy their spare tire kit. Tell them if it works they can start advertising it as a kit for a Model S, too. If it doesn't work, you'll ship it back to them for a refund.

Not sure if they'd go for it or not, but it's worth a try.

Here's the link to what I *think* should work fine on the Model S: BMW X3 F25 Spare Tire Kit : Bimmerzone.com

Just as additional confirmation, I purchased this BMW X3 F25 spare tire kit (BIM-SST-F25-Kit) from Bimmerzone.com with the 165/70D18 tire and it works fine. I put it on the front and drove around for about 10 miles and got no issues from the car with it. The wheel will fit in my S60's trunk just fine... tight but fits. Also, I didn't bother with the included centering rings. Just be careful to center the tire with the lug nuts (torque all 5 nuts by hand, then use the wrench).

 

[bluetinc]

It's time for me to build another spare tire up so I was revisiting this useful tread. I happened to find the data for the Goodyear Spare T145/80D18 from Tire Rack. It's listed as having a max load of 1709 lbs. and 765 Revolutions per mile. That's 56 lbs of additional load rating, and 10 more revolutions per mile (1.3%) than the standard 19" (Listed at 1653 lbs and 755 rev. per mile). Thought I'd add it to the thread since that's one of the most available sizes...

Peter

1. You can't use the diameter for that, you have to use the RPMs, which should be listed on the spec page for the tire. Pi*D != RPM in tires.

2. Nominal sizes can easily be +- 5mm or more. So use the spec sheet when selecting.

2. The differential is for use while turning only (intermittent), not all the time as it would be if you drove with tires with two significantly different RPMs. There is more than one reason why temporary spares have speed limitations.

3. The 21" and 19" are very close to the same RPM (749 vs. 751) The 155/80R18 is (726*), which is 3.3% higher. That's a lot compared to the difference between the OE sizes. It might even mess up traction control. This is like a lot of things; it will probably work if you're careful and lucky. I'd put this size on the free rolling axle so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

* This is not the manufacturer's spec as I couldn't find one of those, it's based on a calculation.

 

[meloccom]

and if you want the whole thing from Bimmerzone, this is the URL:

BMW X3 F25 Spare Tire Kit : Bimmerzone.com

the tire tote (cover) is a nice thing, but don't go for the jack, it won't work on the Tesla, as far as i could see...no jack points like on BMW. I just went to local auto parts store for a good jack and wrench, and tried it while at the store...

You can also make the wheel perfect by getting 74.1 to 65 mm (approx) centering rings to put in the wheel before mounting, but you should be able to mount it just fine without that - it just helps center it until the bolts are tight...(I found some centering rings on eBay, cheap, but took 3 months to arrive!)

Bimmerzone now sell the centring rings too.

 

[pjtait]

They were, yes, as of Jan.

The other car this tire came on was the 2004 Mercury Marauder, in case that helps the Ford dealer do the lookup. IIRC, I had to call a couple of dealers before I got a parts guy that was willing to figure it out.

I believe it was a Bridgestone tire, but on that point I am a bit less certain.

Would some kind soul who succeeded in purchasing from a Ford dealer post the part number from their invoice? Local Ford parts people here are clueless....

 

[JST]

Would some kind soul who succeeded in purchasing from a Ford dealer post the part number from their invoice? Local Ford parts people here are clueless....

Since the Bimmerzone tire/wheel combo has been confirmed to work, I would go with that rather than the Ford solution I used. It's much easier to source and cheaper, too. The prices they were charging for that tire from the Ford dealer were confiscatory.

 

[pjtait]

Thanks for the advice, I ordered the 165/70 from maxxis.com . $164 with shipping.

 

[FlatSix911]

Well done
I can attest that the BMW wheels fit perfectly ... I run a full set of forged rims from my M6 on the Model S.

 

[Looking-for-S]

Actually, thats not true. Some auto manufactures are going to an "indirect" tire pressure monitoring system where there is no TPMS mounted inside the rim. The car uses an ABS type sensor to monitor the relative speed of the wheels and can determine when a tire is low by the reduced rev/mile of a lower pressure tire. I hope Tesla adopts this system (maybe via an update) so we can eliminate the in-wheel sensors.

My 2003 Mini Cooper S had such an indirect system. Problem was it doesn't alert when all the tires are equally low. I believe DOT put an end to these and requires individual wheel sensors now.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Some auto manufactures are going to

"going to"?? My 2002 BMW has this system, and it's really not that great. Better than nothing, sure.. but not nearly as accurate or reliable as in-wheel TPMS.

 

[pjtait]

Now I need a scissor jack. Has anyone tried a jack for the BMW X5? Vehicle weight rating is comparable, so should be adequate, just wondering if it will fit the jack points.

 

[JST]

Now I need a scissor jack. Has anyone tried a jack for the BMW X5? Vehicle weight rating is comparable, so should be adequate, just wondering if it will fit the jack points.

I've never liked the BMW jacks, though I haven't seen the one for the X5. Autozone and so on sell generic scissor jacks with load ratings high enough for the Model S. I just went with one of those.

 

[Jays200]

This is a cut'n'paste from a post I put in the Australia, New Zealand section and relates to MX but I used the inspiration from JST, cheers mate

As for the spare... (probably should put this in some spare tyre thread somewhere else)

Yesterday, Harald, his MX90D and me spent the best part of the day "playing spare tyres" . It was fun and we learnt a lot.

I had done a lot of "research" and settled on a BMW 19" space saver as a suitable "skinny spare" for our MX100D that has just lobbed off the boat in Melbourne. Off to a BMW wreckers with no luck and then to Swan Tyres in Osborne Park. Lucky me scored a 155/80 19R BMW alloy space saver wheel. $200. Back to my place Harald and I go.

MX in to Jack Mode, check the jacking points under the car which are rubber blocks with two bolt hole in them, trolley jack and the wheel is off the ground.

First problem, getting those chrome wheels nut caps off. Anyway, slim pointy nose pliers with electrical tape wrapped on them was the best option. Front wheel off and inside tread wear after 10000kms was obviously more than the outside. Harald had been advised to run on "LOW" suspension setting for better range. More on that later.

Wheel off, skinny spare on and you'd be hard pressed to get a sheet of paper between the caliper and the spokes of the rim but it did rotate. It looked like a better bet on the back BUT the stud nuts are deeper in the rim as the back is a 10" vs a 9" on the front. the skinny on the back of the MX was going to rub the caliper

Back to Swan tyres for a refund/plan B. Stuart at Swan tyres couldn't have been more helpful. For some reason he thought we had a BMW X5, probably because there are some side on similarities but we explained the difference. They'd never seen a Tesla before. BMW uses studs/bolts but Testa uses nuts. Anyway, around to the back of the shop for a guaranteed fix. We jacked the front, put on a 8mm wheel spacer and some wheel nuts that are sleeved to get the extra thread needed because of the spacer. Apparently, 6 threads on a wheel stud is the magic number. This worked for the rear too.

A full size spare and a MX seem mutually exclusive. Won't fit in the frunk, won't stand up in the rear, won't fit in the rear boot and would only lay flat in the rear taking up a huge amount of space. Skinny spare is the way to go for me with two dogs, two large (tall and skinny) kids.

Back to the low suspension setting. Harald and I put the spirit level on the back wheel and did really low, standard and really high. Pics are worth a 1000 words

Forgot to add that the 155/80 19R was a little short on the front and a smidge shorter for the back but within the 3% variation allowance. I spoke to Bob Jane's tyres today because the tyre on the rim I bought today was manufactured in 2005, a little old. They list a 175/80 R19 with a higher load rating of the 155 which is 1180kgs and this should making the rolling diameter spot on for front and rear. Now I'm just looking on Ebay for a billet 8mm spacer although Swan tyres gave me the spacers and wheel nuts for free.

Now I need a scissor jack and wheel nut spanner/lever.

Referral
M3 RN1074xxxxx

 

[Don85D]

We reasoned that a full size spare was the better option when touring on a tight schedule of hotel and ferry bookings. Hotel bookings included charger booking so the trip planning had to be a little more precise. We toured Newfoundland with our BMW 10 years ago and even with run flat tires the distance to find a replacement tire was not possible. For that trip we carried a full sized spare and as expected we didn't need to use it. It came in handy a few years later when tread separation destroyed a rear tire and the spare saved the day.

We consider our Model S to be a long term vehicle so purchasing and full size matching rim from Tesla was justified. Over the years of BMW ownership we also experienced a bent rim situation and having a replacement matching rim was wonderful mitigation for the problem.

Storage can be an issue but we have settled on storing the spare tire behind the driver's seat or in the trunk if we have extra passengers. When stored in the trunk with the shiny side of the rim down there is lots of storage inside the wheel for little things. It's not a big loss of storage in a Model S, in my opinion.

The tools for roadside repair reside in the frunk with small pieces of foam spacers to keep everything stable. We don't use the frunk for our daily routine of sports and shopping so it's perfect for tools.

Just providing one more solution to the problem for your consideration.

 

[ktr_]

After spending too much time trying to find the holy grail combination, JST seems to have done about as well as possible. The BMW rim is inexpensive and readily available, with only a centering ring needed to make it optimum. All of the other 5x120 spares I looked at were either 17" diameter or much wider than needed. As for the elusive 155/80-18 tires, the only option I can add to the list is the 09-16 Hyundai Genesis or 11-13 Hyundai Equus. I ended up with a 145/80-18 (from a VW Tiguan), as it is known to work and 10 mm narrow (in theory), so why not save the frunk space.

 

[ktr_]

The spare wheel from a 08-14 Cadillac CTS is 18" diameter and also 5 x 120 mm bolt pattern. It is aluminum and 4.5 kg lighter than the BMW rim. Unfortunately, it does not fit over the front caliper (I didn't test the rear). It would probably work with a wheel spacer and appropriate lug nuts, but there is a limit to how complex I want this setup to be.

 

[hill]

This ....snip..relates to MX but I used the inspiration from JST, cheers mate ......snip ....... I scored a 155/80 19R BMW alloy space saver wheel ......snip.......
BMW uses studs/bolts but Testa uses nuts. Anyway, around to the back of the shop for a guaranteed fix. We jacked the front, put on a 8mm wheel spacer and some wheel nuts that are sleeved to get the extra thread needed because of the spacer. Apparently, 6 threads on a wheel stud is the magic number. This worked for the rear too.
Skinny spare is the way to go .......snip......
Pics are worth a 1000 words

Forgot to add that the 155/80 19R was a little short on the front and a smidge shorter for the back but within the 3% variation allowance. I spoke to Bob Jane's tyres today because the tyre on the rim I bought today was manufactured in 2005, a little old. They list a 175/80 R19 with a higher load rating of the 155 which is 1180kgs and this should making the rolling diameter spot on for front and rear. Now I'm just looking on Ebay for a billet 8mm spacer ....snip...

although the thread is for Model S, we haven't been able to find anything else on the forum, for the X but your post. Thanks so much! A great place to start. We are hoping to find an 18" collapsible BMW tire/rim set up, to save on space. I am doubtful the diameter will work though, & may have to use a similar 19" set up like this.
.

 

[Don85D]

For another point of view... we purchased a single matching 19 inch Tesla rim and matching Michelin tire. We only take it with us when touring so it doesn't take space for daily driving around the city. For those touring trips I can place it behind the driver's seat abut if there are passengers it goes in the trunk shiny side down. You can pack a lot of small things inside the rim.

BTW this trunk/rim packing philosophy came from our Miata during cross continent trips. The trunk was too small for luggage but if the trunk became the luggage a lot could be placed in the otherwise wasted space.

I also like the idea of having a matching rim for the future. There is always the risk of rim damage so having a perfect replacement is wonderful.

We have lent out this spare to other Tesla owners/neighbours for their touring trips. It can be easily shared and no special spacers or longer bolts are required. The extra weight only becomes a factor when touring so carrying a spare full time can be avoided with a can of pressurized sealant for use in the city. On a road trip a tire failure is usually catastrophic so a full sized replacement to complete the journey is my plan.

Again, just some thoughts for your consideration.

 

[RichardMcN]

For another point of view... we purchased a single matching 19 inch Tesla rim and matching Michelin tire. We only take it with us when touring so it doesn't take space for daily driving around the city. For those touring trips I can place it behind the driver's seat abut if there are passengers it goes in the trunk shiny side down. You can pack a lot of small things inside the rim.

BTW this trunk/rim packing philosophy came from our Miata during cross continent trips. The trunk was too small for luggage but if the trunk became the luggage a lot could be placed in the otherwise wasted space.

I also like the idea of having a matching rim for the future. There is always the risk of rim damage so having a perfect replacement is wonderful.

We have lent out this spare to other Tesla owners/neighbours for their touring trips. It can be easily shared and no special spacers or longer bolts are required. The extra weight only becomes a factor when touring so carrying a spare full time can be avoided with a can of pressurized sealant for use in the city. On a road trip a tire failure is usually catastrophic so a full sized replacement to complete the journey is my plan.

Again, just some thoughts for your consideration.

That's exactly what I do in my Model S, but vertically behind the rear seat, and leave it there permanently.

You can even put some infrequently used charging adapters inside, much as @Don85D does with his general packing.

I looked at space savers, but so much hassle for the amount of space saved, and it is better to have the real thing. I have driven around and across Australia and have been glad of the spare both times, more because of tyre wear than any sudden blowout.