Spare wheel use

[marinaman]

Evening all

just a question, looks like the standard spare wheel is a 17” with a Michelin tyre on.
I keep reading threads about mixed tyres and affecting the boxes and gearbox etc
so. i take it . its safe to use this 17” wheel as a spare when required if you have a puncture but would its different tyre size etc not affect the autobox and drivetrain .
i dont suppose that BMW would provide a spare that is going to cause problems anyway but just wondered after all the reading on sizes, diameters, circumference and every other setting

[Tomdownunder]

Outside diameter of the 17" is pretty much the same if you are using standard BMW recommended tyre sizes on 19" or 20" rims. (higher profile on the 17")

[lezmtaylor]

As far as I understand it : the 17" wheels were standard on the E53, so the 17" was the spare.
When playing with wheels you took the risk, but as I understand it the ''wind up" problem is not associated with the E53.
No doubt X5sport will enlighten us further.
I run 17" , having tried 18",19" and 20", the 17" give a far more pleasant ride and make a superior snow tyre due to the narrower tread cutting through the snow. the wider tread does NOT cut throught the snow as well.
Mind you as I'm approaching 75 I like my comforts !!

Lez

[X5Sport]

17” was standard on the base spec E53 and upgraded to 19” staggered setups on the ’ Sport’ trim (or 20” if preferred).  All versions except the 4.6/4.8 V8 had 17” standard road wheel spares with the same outer diameter (and usually a 50mph/80kph speed limit for 19/20”).  The 17” rim doesn’t fit over the brakes on the 4.6/4.8.  Not sure what (if any) spare they had.

[marinaman]

Thanks
So that means  you use the 17" spare on any wheel and up to 50mph

One other thing, never having X5 before or any all wheel drive or 4x4
what is this thing with the wrong tyres etc  about  winding up the diffs

sounds like a joke  ::)    but somehow if dont sound funny

[X5Sport]

Unless you have 17” wheels, yes.

The issue with BMWs (and allegedly some Audi and Merc models) is that staggered tyres have different profiles due to the different widths.  This can lead to a different overall rolling diameter and circumference.  One member measured the difference on a set at 32mm, and that is per revolution, difference between the front and rear circumference.  That difference winds the transmission up and either causes it to unwind in jerks, or break something.

The three manufacturers above have special tyres made where the rolling radii (and therefore the circumference) are matched despite the different profile.  These tyres are marked with a ‘*’ for BMW.  No transmission wind up.    Merc have ‘MO’ markings.  The downside is only a few premium (they would be  >:( )brands have bought into this and they are expensive

The same thing happens if you change one pair of ‘at wear limit’ tyres for a brand new pair but leave the other axle as badly worn and keep driving.

It only really affects cars with a staggered wheel setup (as is found on 19” and 20” OEM sets as an example).  After market sets may not be staggered.

So the advice is that care needs to be taken when choosing tyres in order to avoid or reduce the risk of transmission damage.  The E83 X3 seems particularly sensitive, but other models show identical symptoms - grinding noises and jerkiness when stopping or at full lock.  Jerkiness is a known feature of the E53 gearbox too but annoyingly may not be tyre related.  Ignoring the noises can result in destroyed diffs and transfer boxes - and a depleted bank balance.

Also it is sensible to change tyres as a full set.  One reason why BMW stands for Breaks My Wallet 

[themoog]

Last year i had a new set of tyres on the front of my E53. After a few weeks the front dif started to click or pop when changing from drive to reverse. It wasn't until i put new rears on several months later that the noise stopped. I didn't know what it was but it must have had something to do with the different diameter between worn rears and new fronts.

[CondorX5]

The 4.6 and 4.8 E53 had 18” spares - my 2005 4.8 still has the original 18” “biscuit” in the boot. The 17” wheels do not fit over the brake calipers. 
The E53 is not as finicky about tyres as the E70 - the diff wind up is really bad on E70s and there have been a number which needed replacement transfer boxes (including my own E70, under warranty thank heavens).  BMW are very fussy anout checking tyres really carefully at that point to see if they can blame the owner and wheedle their way out of a free repair! 
My E53 has never had star marked tyres following the original Michelins, have used Vredesteins for years and at over 130k it is still running very smoothly.
The E70’s transfer box was history at 50k miles........I noticed it (judder at tight turns slow speeds) when I bought it as an AUC and it was replaced without issue FOC. I stick to star marked tyres ONLY, RFTs and change all four together......

[marinaman]

Interesting read for those who have no knowledge.
so  i note all my tyres are about the same wear rate. so good sense even though expensive to swop all 4 at once .

Would 4 tyres of the same brand and part number but different sized for front and rear be acceptable or must you get these starred  ones

[X5Sport]

The only way to know is to measure them.  Some brands (no idea which, sorry) are worse than others.  The ‘budget’ end of the market appears to be worse and some non’*’ marked tyres are absolutely fine as Condor reports.

You would have thought that there was a formula and quality standard used by all, but it appears not!  There was a report on here a few days back where an owner had put two tyres with the correct profile, and from the same brand, next to each other and found a 10mm height difference!

It should not matter, but BMW (and others) appear to have made some design choices that as an Engineer I find odd.

[fenj66]

[quote="marinaman"]
Evening all

just a question, looks like the standard spare wheel is a 17” with a Michelin tyre on.
I keep reading threads about mixed tyres and affecting the boxes and gearbox etc
so. i take it . its safe to use this 17” wheel as a spare when required if you have a puncture but would its different tyre size etc not affect the autobox and drivetrain .
i dont suppose that BMW would provide a spare that is going to cause problems anyway but just wondered after all the reading on sizes, diameters, circumference and every other setting
[/quote]

its worth bearing in mind that if its the original spare tyre it could be upto 18 years old if its still the original!!!
mine was brand new in terms of looks but not sure if i would want to trust it now.
definately keep to low speeds if you ever need to use it.

[Smeeagain]

you can check the date of manufacture, as far as I recall, on any given tyre, its somewhere on the sidewall. If I also recall correctly, and someone like X5Sport will likely know, it is illegal to drive with a tyre over a certain age (i think)

Smee

[X5Sport]

No current mandated maximum age, however comments I have seen recently imply that 10 years is about the point at which it would be advisable for road tyres to be replaced.  The MOT looks at condition and wear rather than age.  The code on the sidewall generally gives a week number and year.  It’s worth checking when buying ‘new’ tyres as they can be 18 months old if an unusual type.

It’s exposure to UV and the environment that causes cracking.  Spares are out of the light so protected and generally last longer.

If there are signs of severe cracking then change them.

The Caravan Club has a recommendation which I thought was never older than 7 years - which one of the towing club will confirm.  I changed out a set of trailer tyres at 10 years and they were in a poor state despite being stored correctly.

[Pinewood]

Bought my current summer set from blackcircles. My local trusted garage were the nominated tyre garage. They noticed the rears had a 3 year old manufacturer rate. Contacted blackcircles to complain and they offered me replacements or £60 off.
I took the discount so 4 x 19" Pirelli * rated  tyres cost me £600.
I don't expect them to last more than  3 years so perfectly acceptable

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[X5Sport]

Good about the discount, but three years old is still a surprise from a supplier like them!  It’s probably not too bad if they are stored in a controlled atmosphere/low UV shed but even so  >:(