So my X7, which I purchased off the lot, did not come with the Space Saver Spare option, but I knew I still wanted a spare. Ticking the option on an X7 build is a cheap option at $150. But doing a full OEM Space Saver Spare retrofit, including the jack and tools, can set you back over $1k - which is too much of a sticker shock for me for what it is. So below is the "hybrid" OEM Space Saver Spare retrofit kit I came up with after some research, adding a few other emergency tools for the road...
First the spare, I ordered BMW p/n 36112470249. This is the wheel and tire combo - cost $319 ($270 with my BMW CCA discount). This is much cheaper than BMW p/n 36116880744 at $400+, which is only the wheel. When adding the tire, the spare can get over $600+. So what is the difference? The second wheel, which is supposedly the same wheel that comes with the Space Saver Spare option, is a "light alloy" wheel. The one I ordered is not. I don't know how much the light alloy wheel/tire combo weighs, but the spare wheel/tire combo I ordered comes in at 42.2 lbs. As far as I can tell, the tire that comes with this spare is the same Continental CST 17 155/80R19 tire that comes with the Space Saver Spare option. Pics of the spare below as it came from the dealer..
So what is the catch? For some reason, this wheel/tire combo part number is supposedly only sold for service vehicles or dealership use - at least in the US. When I researched this part, I did see it for sale by overseas vendors, but most did not ship to the US and those that did, the shipping was pretty high. See below from RealOEM:
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=36_1274
I can only speculate that the reason for this is because the spare does not come with the strap to tie it down inside the X7 or BMW thinks it is too heavy for the average customer. But your guess is as good as mine
.... I did order the OEM strap, bolts and nutcerts ($58 from GetBMWParts), but the strap and nutcerts are currently on backorder from Germany and I did not see the need to wait to do my retrofit install.
Does it fit? Yes, it does, and in reality after my research I had very little doubt that it wouldn't fit. This is the same size as the space saver spare for the G05 X5 and the G06 X6. But I still did a fit test below just to get that final "warm and fuzzy" verification. I specifically put it on the front to verify it would clear the big brakes. I have the trailer package, which comes with the same size calipers as the M-sport brakes. You will notice in the parts catalog it indicates that the wheel will not work with vehicles that have the "M Sport Brakes", which is clearly not correct. Not sure why they have that designation in the parts catalog as it is definitely misleading with regards to actual vehicle fitment.
For the jack, I decided to go with the BMW kit from Modern Spare at $50. The same parts, plus the foam insert, from BMW would have been $220+ and is not as good a design as the Modern Spare kit. The scissor jack with the Modern Spare kit uses a ratchet style handle to raise/lower the jack - much easier than the old school hand crank of traditional scissor jacks (and the BMW one). The head of the jack is sized to fit the BMW jack pads as well. Pics of the kit below...
The black canvas bag at the top of the picture did not come with the kit. I bought that off eBay for $19. I also added a compact air compressor, the Viair 88P, to my kit as well which came with its own bag ($63 off eBay). I then added another canvas bag that has a few hitch ball mounts from my previous SUV - because you never know when you might need to tow something
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Everything fits nicely inside the wheel...
While not required, I wanted to have some more storage in the rear, so I also added the storage tray that comes with the Space Saver Spare option. BMW p/n 51477438984 that I previously purchased from an overseas vendor for $118.
And I finished off my emergency equipment with a Noco GB20 jump starter emergency battery with case ($60 + $23 for the case off eBay). This replaced the jumper cables I carried inside my previous SUV. It fit nicely in the storage spot in the passenger side of the trunk area.
And then everything all put back together...
So just for the OEM space saver spare, Modern Spare jack kit, and OEM strap/bolts, I am in at just under $400. As far as being able to get the "heavy" spare, it pays to have a good relationship with the dealer so YMMV - but it doesn't hurt to ask. Lastly, Modern Spare also has an 18" space saver wheel kit that will work with the X7 (a forum member made a thread about it). I chose the OEM (heavy) spare over the Modern Spare wheel/tire as the 18" wheel they use requires a spacer. The setup works (and is definitely a cost effective option that should be considered), but given a choice I would prefer a spare wheel that will fit without a spacer as it is fewer parts to deal with should I ever need to use the spare.
Thanks and enjoy!