Z3 Spare Tyre

Stevo7682 said:
Not at all Ken if you avoid the potholes =))
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We have roads here with pot holes you could hide a mini in, so I won't travel far without a spare. But, you can,t get those space saver tyres here easily, and if you could and then try to use it , "in my case anyway" it upsets the car, as I'm running rather large wheels. My solution is to put a 175 / 65 on the spare rim, It does fit.. both on the rim and in the boot when its fitted, It's large enough to not upset the car too much and carry on at highway speeds, however the wheel I take off has to go on the front passenger seat. Something my wife isn't thrilled about...:whistle:
 
I,ll add to what I just typed for anyone else that is interested, this wheel tyre combo still fits inside the shroud only just, its snug. however it does not fit in the cradle unless you cut the cradle droppers and make them 15mm longer, then it will. But obviously you loose 15mm of ground clearance in that area. ;).

Well for my facelift 99 3 anyway..

The whole procedure is pretty straight forward if you can use an MMA or a MIG. I can explain this mod if required..It does make your spare worth the space and wieght it uses up..
 
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Duncodin said:
Many new cars don't even have a spare (wheel) nowadays. No point. Most drivers don't know where to put the jack and, if they did, they couldn't shift the overtight bolts with that tiny wrench anyway. And all that jumping on the wrench is likely to rock the car off the badly setup jack dropping the car on somebody's foot.

Many manufacturers nowadays save the space and the money and just give you a bottle of that tyre fix/inflate stuff. If you're lucky.
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My Mitsubishi Outlander manual tells you in no uncertain terms that your tyre is royally goosed once you use the Devil's semen to bung up the puncture. Oh, and it also says it might not even fix the puncture!
 
The only reason Tyre sellers tell you that repair “goo” ruins a tyre is because they don’t want to clean it out and repair the tyre. End of ? @hard top In fairness it may not be cost effective, but they should at least be honest about why. At least they were where I used to work.

Tony.
 
motco said:
My Mitsubishi Outlander manual tells you in no uncertain terms that your tyre is royally goosed once you use the Devil's semen to bung up the puncture. Oh, and it also says it might not even fix the puncture!
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I'm quite able to change a tyre at the side of the road but I think I'd happily grab the goo so I can get on my way before some half asleep east european BigRig comes down the hard shoulder.
 
Wouldn't ditch my spacesaver, far to valuable in the event of a puncture. Had what I thought was a blow-out a few years back in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, no phone signal. On inspection the wheel was cracked in two places so no amount of goo was going to resolve so spacesaver on, 18" 255 wheel wrapped up and plonked on the passenger seat and set off on the long 190m trip home.
 
If you think that you are proof against drastic tyre failure, then get rid of the spare . . . but if you live in the real world, hang onto it! I once had a massive rear tyre failure outside Calais, and drove over 500 miles home on the spare - far better than waiitng around frm Saturday morning to Monday afternoon - or later - to get a new 245-40X17, which in France is always a special order.
The spare does not ask for much, and only needs a periodic pressure check to give you peace of mind and keep you mobile. The spare is easy to remove and replace - if you practice from time to time, and if it looks a rusty mess it is time to clean, de-rust, and paint it. A bit of occasional work is better than being stuck by the roadside, or trusting in a can of goo - particularly if you have a long drive ahead of you.
A credit card and a phone are not the answer to all problems!
 
Mike Fishwick said:
If you think that you are proof against drastic tyre failure, then get rid of the spare . . . but if you live in the real world, hang onto it! I once had a massive rear tyre failure outside Calais, and drove over 500 miles home on the spare - far better than waiitng around frm Saturday morning to Monday afternoon - or later - to get a new 245-40X17, which in France is always a special order.
The spare does not ask for much, and only needs a periodic pressure check to give you peace of mind and keep you mobile. The spare is easy to remove and replace - if you practice from time to time, and if it looks a rusty mess it is time to clean, de-rust, and paint it. A bit of occasional work is better than being stuck by the roadside, or trusting in a can of goo - particularly if you have a long drive ahead of you.
A credit card and a phone are not the answer to all problems!
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That is what I finally did. Followed the words of wisdom!
View: https://youtu.be/CdiLAwJt52I
 
I haven't owned a zed with one so never had the option, my 2.8 had it removed, M's don't have one neither do the Z4's.

I have done many thousands of miles in the UK and Europe and to date never had an issue, (EDIT: well just one actually but was close to home so doesn't count) I'm sure I will at some point, I carry 2 bottles of sludge, some tyre turds, a very small compressor and all the tools needed to use them, I work on the theory that I just need to get to somewhere that sells and fits tyres, if you get a catastrophic failure, then that's what your break down service is for.

If you do rely on the spare and are traveling abroad or to remote areas add to your tyre kit 2 or 3 small ratchet straps and a wheel size protective mat or heavy duty bin liner so you can strap the old wheel to the boot lid for the journey to the tyre fitters, don't stick it on Mrs. Zed Owners lap, that's just dangerous. :thumbsup:
 
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If you put the 'dead' wheel on the passenger's knees, remember to deflate it fully. A few years ago someone had an 'egg' in the sidewall, which suddenly burst while being carried by the passenger, the resulting sudden gush of air into her mouth fatally damaging her lungs.
 
Mike Fishwick said:
If you put the 'dead' wheel on the passenger's knees, remember to deflate it fully. A few years ago someone had an 'egg' in the sidewall, which suddenly burst while being carried by the passenger, the resulting sudden gush of air into her mouth fatally damaging her lungs.
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And in the event you are unfortunate to have an accident at this time you will probably kill or seriously injure your passenger :rolleyes:.
Don't put the wheel in with the passenger.
 
I guess you could do that, . . . . . . once,

Tony.
 
For me I just love the fact that the Z3 has something that was never offered in the Z4. Having just got back in to Z3 ownership following my 3rd E89 and 5th E85 it's the little oddities like that which appeal to me. Weird because it's the simplicity of the car when compared with the Z4 that is the biggest appeal. Don't get me wrong at this time of year without a garage it's a real pain in the arse wiping condensation off the rear plastic screen and constantly emptying the dehumidifier and a heated steering wheel would be lovely. But I know as soon as I go down the additional comfort route with either an E85 or E89 the simplicity of the Z3 will draw me back - well that and the spare wheel safely tucked away under the car in its cage that I will hopefully never have need of :thumbsup:
 
BMW thoughtfully provide a tough, thick polythene bag to put the dirty old wheel in for your passenger to hold... Until she tells you to go forth and multiply in no uncertain terms. It's a poorly thought through proposition.
 
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