Lack of spare or run flat and experiences

[njguy]

I am a recent purchaser of a 2011 e90 m3. I am thinking about taking the vehicle on a few long college search road trips. We live in nj and was thinking of a virginia, N.C. and Georgia trip. Also to Boston and Maine. Given the lack of run flats and a spare I am interested to hear from the community regarding flat tire experiences while a ways from home. Ability to use the tire mobility kit and ease of locating a replacement tire on short notice.? This car is generally a weekend ride for me as I take public transport when I commute to my nyc job. Is it prudent to do this? Appreciate hearing your experiences good and bad. Thx.

[SYT_Shadow]

I've driven across the US and put close to 200k miles on M3s. Still haven't had an issue.

I carry the OEM gunk kit but have never used it. A non runflat tire can be patched by pretty much any mechanic in the world.

I don't feel popped tires is such a common experience to have to carry a spare but others will feel differently

[Helmsman]

Thinking the same as SYT, hoping the OEM kit will do the trick the day it would happen.

[gfisher99]

I've had two flats in mine in 3 years, but luckily both were found when I was at home and both were slow enough leaks that I could air up and get to Discount for patching before the tire went low again.

Maybe consider carrying a patch kit with you (instead of using the BMW gunk which I've heard is a mess). Many hazards can be patched pretty easily on the side of the road - at least well enough to get you to a tire shop for proper repair.

[Get lit]

Never had a flat on my e90 m3. Had it for 4 years and 70k miles. I did carry a tire plug kit along with the Oem tire repair stuff but never had to use it.

[kscarrol]

I'll jump on the dog pile. Owned my E90 for over eight years and never had a flat. Picked a nail or two over that time but got a low pressure warning in plenty time to get to the shop for a patch.

Edit: Also carry AAA as well as the factory tire kit and a patch/plug kit of my own though I've never had to use any of these... yet!

[pbonsalb]

I would at last carry a plug kit in addition to the gunk kit. Also consider what happens if you suffer sidewall damage, which is always irreparable. You get towed somewhere, which is inconvenient but you probably have AAA. The problem is the place you go may charge a lot for the tire assuming it has the size, or if the problem occurs after closing hours, you may be leaving your car somewhere and staying in a hotel. Definitely more inconvenient. A mini spare costs about $200 if you shop carefully or buy a used one from another car that fits, although you still need a jack and wrench. I bought a used one and have $150 in my kit. I often leave it in the trunk. I almost always take it on trips.

[SAMM3Y]

I carry a HRE p40 as my spare, I don't take it everywhere when I drive the car, just when I go on longer trips and it makes Great Garage wall art. It was an ex store display I got for $300 when they quit making them.. I've had two flats in the last 5 years.. but Northern California roads are like that of many third world countries... democrats forbid the richest state in the country with probably the highest road/gas tax and registration fees spend some $$ on some damn quality roads..

[drrust]

I've had my car for 3 years. I've had 3 cases where something caused a leak. The first was a slow leak. Was able to get to a shop. Unfortunately the hole was near the edge of the tire, so a new one was needed. I was a long time customer at this shop and they put in a plug while the tire was on order. Replaced both rear tires. Note that some places may say one can't repair a speed rated tire. The second was a fast deflation hole about the size of a pinky. Was able to get a ride home grab two of my winter wheels and limp back home. I had saved the good tire from the previous event and had that put back on. After that I purchased a spare and jack kit. I've had to use it once since then. It was a slow enough leak that the 12V air compressor could pump it up to drive a few miles. (My work doesn't want employees working on their cars on their property)

[cowabungadude]

Recently took a road trip up to Big Sur and ended up with a 4" gash/piece of metal in my tire. Luckily it happened close to where we were staying with cell service. GF had AAA but only the basic 5 mile tow so it ended up costing me $250 to get to the next major city (Carmel). Tire shop we ended up at didn't have a 265/35/19. Called ~7 different tire shops and the BMW dealer and no one had it (apparently 19s are not common).

Ended up finding the tire at America's Tire ANOTHER 30 minutes away. Instead of dropping $300 on another tow, I took a Lyft there, bought the tires loose, and took a Lyft back.

Moral of the story: Got AAA with the upgraded 100 mile tow and thinking about getting a spare for long road trips where service is sketchy.

[pbonsalb]

I have the AAA with 100 mile tow and have used it over the years to get the car home so I can fix it myself.

[BayE30]

ive had a bad flat (ruined wheel and tire) and had to leave my car on the side of the road, Uber home, Uber back with a spare and then drive it home...Only that 1 time i wished i had a spare in my car, lucky it happened in my own city and not while on a road trip. When i drive over a couple hundred miles, i always bring a full size spare in the trunk now, but on a day to day basis i never carry a spare tire.

I also do not use run-flat tires, they ride terrible in my experience.

[shimmy23]

I've had one flat, but luckily i was at work. Had a buddy drive me home where i grabbed a spare OEM 18" 219 and swapped them back at work.

I also have AAA, but plan to cancel since I found out my insurance carries 24/7 roadside assistance

[spazzyfry123]

I've never had an issue until I got a car with run flat tires. Recently picked up a car that came from the factory with run flats, but blew out the sidewall and did me no good. Figures that the one time I've driven on run flats, I run into a problem and the run flat does nothing for me...

Of course I replaced all (4) with Michelin PSS and still no spare.......

[msan]

Got two flats before. First time aaa towed me home on a flat bed and i owed about $200 for tow. Brought wheel to a shop for a new tire. Second time got towed to a shop who plugged it for me because I had to get somewhere and promised them I’d replace it ASAP because it was close to the sidewall.

Now I have aaa platinum with 100 mile tows and I have a plug kit from amazon in the trunk and a jump start/air compressor. Also will take a full size spare with me if traveling far from home .

Pretty much all you can do. I hade to go full size spare because I have a bbk.

[KFN]

Blew a sidewall on a pothole last summer. Fortunately I was within a few miles of home and the leak was slow. Mobility kit was of no use, other than to stop every ten minutes and re-inflate. Had it been on a road trip I would have been SOL.

[thkfast]

Originally Posted by SAMM3Y

I carry a HRE p40 as my spare, I don't take it everywhere when I drive the car, just when I go on longer trips and it makes Great Garage wall art. It was an ex store display I got for $300 when they quit making them.. I've had two flats in the last 5 years.. but Northern California roads are like that of many third world countries... democrats forbid the richest state in the country with probably the highest road/gas tax and registration fees spend some $$ on some damn quality roads..

I'm of this thinking. I carry a spare 18" wheel/tire I bought off TireRack along with an aluminum floor jack, breaker bar & torque wrench on long trips.

[Mvy]

Get AAA or some other auto service like USAA. Drive without worry anywhere in the country in case of breakdown or flats. No need to haul a spare around for what if scenarios. They happen but rarely. I seem to get flat tires driving around town pickiung up nails more than on the freeway on road trips.

[Obioban]

The TPMS make it far less likely you'll actually get a flat. Most flats are the result of losing pressure to the point that the tire heats up and fails. That's not possible with TPMS monitoring pressures.

Been DDing M3s for 15 years now, never had a flat. Lots of slow leaks that I can top off with the pump, or plug, till I get home.

I carry the included air pump and a plug kit. I don't carry the goo because I'd never use it (ruins the tire) and I can't think of any situation the goo would address that a plug would not.

[AnisotropyIsKey]

I daily drive my E90 M3. I have had several flat tires, near my home as well as on long road trips.

I would never use the mobility kit (messy, ruin the tire) and I hate waiting for a tow service. I'd rather get back on the road. So, I carry a space saver spare and change kit with me everywhere I go, it doesn't take up a lot of room and it can fit all corners. The peace of mind is reassuring.

Also, I have USAA, and in some areas they are not allowed to send a tow truck, any road side situation has to be handled by the municipality.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_5P...ew?usp=sharing

[njguy]

Originally Posted by AnisotropyIsKey

I daily drive my E90 M3. I have had several flat tires, near my home as well as on long road trips.

I would never use the mobility kit (messy, ruin the tire) and I hate waiting for a tow service. I'd rather get back on the road. So, I carry a space saver spare and change kit with me everywhere I go, it doesn't take up a lot of room and it can fit all corners. The peace of mind is reassuring.

Also, I have USAA, and in some areas they are not allowed to send a tow truck, any road side situation has to be handled by the municipality.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_5P...ew?usp=sharing

What size space saving spare do you use?

[GRUESOM3]

I don't do a lot of miles on e90 m3 (barely driven) but even on my e90 328 (daily driven) we haven't had to use it yet. On long trips I carry's bunch of stuff like a 18x4 bbs lm space saver and a portable jumper pack that has air compressor, lights, as well as plugs etc