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[vincE92M3]

So, i've been searching and researching compact spare solutions and there really doesn't seem to be any options made for our cars. We're having to piece meal parts from the X-series with hubcentric rings and what not.

Just a thought, but wouldnt it be really nice if some aftermarket wheel company actually came up with a semi-lightweight and compact spare wheel for us? The ///M community would eat this up and nobody else is doing it!

I for one, would LOVE a proper compact spare that isn't a steely.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by vincE92M3

So, i've been searching and researching compact spare solutions and there really doesn't seem to be any options made for our cars. We're having to piece meal parts from the X-series with hubcentric rings and what not.

Just a thought, but wouldnt it be really nice if some aftermarket wheel company actually came up with a semi-lightweight and compact spare wheel for us? The ///M community would eat this up and nobody else is doing it!

I for one, would LOVE a proper compact spare that isn't a steely.

I'll take a stab at this since I deal with wheel manufacturers on a regular basis.

Short answer:
It is probably too specialized of a product to be viewed as profitable.

Not to pour haterade all over your idea, but the wheel business is a brutal one. For a little peek behind the curtain, here is the long version:

Problem #1: Production. Where a regular sized wheel can have the same basic casting/forging and then be machined differently to yield different offsets and bolt patterns, a compact spare is going to have limited interchangeability. A compact spare design would have to start pretty much from scratch. Lots of design and R&D time. Unique molds and tooling. All of that means money, especially if you actually want it to be nice looking as well as functional.

Problem #2: Limited market. Who are you selling to? M3 owners who want a spare tire. The M3 itself is a low volume specialty car. Not an ultra rare exotic, but nowhere near the volume of an F150 or Toyota Camry. So you start with a smallish target market.

Then that market shrinks even further. The guys who believed the salesman when he told them they have runflats: out of the market. The people who count on BMW roadside: out of the market. People who use the M3 as a fun weekend car and don't fear being stranded far from home: out of the market.

Target audience: the savvier fraction of a niche car's ownership who use the car for longer trips, are mechanically inclined enough to change a tire, and not quite wealthy/cocky enough to dismiss the inconvenience of a flat with a cell phone and credit card.

Problem #3: Small upside. You're selling wheels 1 at a time, not 4 at a time. So you either need to get 4x the customers, or make 4x the margin. You're already in a hole for the start-from-scratch R&D. Your market size is limited due to the limited market. And when you do sell a wheel to the customer, you'll probably never sell him another.

Track wheels need to be replaced after a few seasons if not before due to fatigue or damage. Road wheels get eaten up by potholes. Wheels bought for style get changed out just for a new look.

Meanwhile, the one lonely spare wheel sits snug and unseen in the trunk. If it goes in service, it's only for a day or two. It doesn't get corroded. It doesn't get damaged. It doesn't go out of style. It will probably be sitting pristine in the trunk the day the car goes to the crusher.

Problem #4: Risk. The wheel business is harsh. Just a couple anecdotes to give you a feel for it: BBS, probably the most respected, conservative, and consistent company in the business, went through a drawn out bankruptcy and restructuring just a few years ago. OZ racing closed down their North American HQ, and if we hadn't stepped up to basically become O.Z. North America, they would only be available grey-market in one of the biggest auto markets in the world.

When these huge, well respected firms are on tenuous ground, pretty much nobody in the industry is comfortable enough to sink precious cash into a side project of dubious profitability.

It is possible that some sort of innovator comes along, makes an end run around the established way of doing business, and overcomes the production issues. The problem of limited upside is still there no matter what though.

[RINTAXI]

Because we, the m3 owners, are weight saving guru. Not even a chance to get room for spare tire.

[nolan12]

It may not be "compact" as you are thinking, but Ben from tirerack helped me take one of the known winter wheels that fit well on the M3, with a cheap tire package. I carry it in my trunk as an emergency spare as needed.

[ben@tirerack]

Originally Posted by nolan12

It may not be "compact" as you are thinking, but Ben from tirerack helped me take one of the known winter wheels that fit well on the M3, with a cheap tire package. I carry it in my trunk as an emergency spare as needed.

Definitely a good solution as long as the people/luggage you need to carry allow for it.

[GRUESOM3]

Parts are out there you just have to put it together or have someone that knows what they doing do it for you. I don't think its profitable for anyone to make one, think about how much a steel wheel with tire is from bimmerzone 350+?

How much is an average owner going to spend on aftermarket compact spare? If you go the 3 piece route it gets very expensive quick and also if you factor in the compact tires, they aren't cheap either.


I have built my own, you can check it out here
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1124463

[Sered]

Can't make it too compact really as anything smaller than 18s has trouble clearing the rear brakes.

[GRUESOM3]

Compact width of wheel I think should be in 3.5-4 inches range. C63 amg spare is in this range with 125/70/18 Most people are using a 18x5 on m3's , which is too wide IMO and uneccessary.

[Silverwolf]

thanks to the folks at bimmerzone there is actually a setup you can purchase.

here you go : http://www.bimmerzone.com/category/B...pare_Tire.html

hope this helps!

[maloo]

Originally Posted by Silverwolf

thanks to the folks at bimmerzone there is actually a setup you can purchase.

here you go : http://www.bimmerzone.com/category/B...pare_Tire.html

hope this helps!

Thanks! I may pick one up.