Tire rotation
- Thread starter DRWWE
- Start date
Yeah, because usually, BMW's tires are wider in the rear than in the front, so you can't rotate them front to back. You can rotate them from side-to-side, but the tires wear from the inside out, so doing that is not a good idea. It doesn't matter anyways, your tires should last for the 30K-36K miles (of course all depending on how you drive), rotation or not. ![[:)]](/images/smilies/smile.png "Smile [:)]")
I can rotate mine when I want, all rims are the same size. Tire rotation is a good thing, as well as a good alignment. Interval tire rotation will not mess up the alignment. To check and see if your front and rear tires are the same size, as I think they might be, check the numbers on the sidewall. Hope this helps. Also, you can rotate the tires by yourself if you have a good jack.![[;)]](/images/smilies/wink.png "Wink [;)]")
Here are some interesting links on tire rotation:
BMW CCA Newsletter
Even Click & Clack weigh in:
Click & Clack
BMW CCA Newsletter
Even Click & Clack weigh in:
Click & Clack
Interesting articles - they make good points. But, I highly doubt the Joe Blow mounting tires at the non-dealer tire place takes the time or effort to mount the roundest wheel/tire combinations on the front. However, I can vouch for the vibration issue. I rotated the tires on my car shortly after I bought it, and the car gradually developed what grew into a very annoying steering vibration. I recently rotated the tires back and the vibration is now almost non-existent!
I like this - "Vee see no reason vy ze driver should desire a beverage. Ze car is zatisfaction enough."![[hihi]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_hihi.gif "Hi Hi [hihi]")
I like this - "Vee see no reason vy ze driver should desire a beverage. Ze car is zatisfaction enough."
Was a good read, I still am for rotating the tires, if you have a jack, you can do it yourself for free. If you want to get milage out of the tires, proper tire alignment and rotation are the way to go...also proper tire inflation. All of this will get you a tad bit better MPG as well. My opinion, rotate the tires. For some people who get vibration....a big cause is aftermarket non hubcentric rims which do not do well on German cars. Another thing to look at when upgrading tire and wheel packages.
Average Jae said:
another thing to consider: if you have directional tires.. ie high perf summer tires, you really can't rotate it.. besides, the tread life on the high perfs are pathetic, rotating a 220 tire won't make it last that much longer. ![[:(]](/images/smilies/frown.png "Frown [:(]")
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The tires on my roadster are directional as are the ones on my 318is. The roadster tires are different sizes back to front and without dismounting and remounting cannot be rotated. If you consider the cost as mentioned in one of the articles it is not worth the few extra miles I would get. (Consider the potential damage to my wheels for all the dismounting and remounting too!) I have lifetime balancing and have that done often. And "Joe Blow" does not mount my tires. I have a very good professional at Discount Tire who does them and he takes great care in making sure they are done right.
From BMW 325is manual,
Tire thread wear on the front wheels tends to be slightly more rapid on the outer shoulders of the tire, whereas on the rear wheels it is concentrated more on the inner shoulders and the center of the thread. For this reason, the best and most consistent road-holding and grip are obtained if the tires are not interchanged between the front and rear wheels, although overall tire life may then be slightly reduced.
Tire thread wear on the front wheels tends to be slightly more rapid on the outer shoulders of the tire, whereas on the rear wheels it is concentrated more on the inner shoulders and the center of the thread. For this reason, the best and most consistent road-holding and grip are obtained if the tires are not interchanged between the front and rear wheels, although overall tire life may then be slightly reduced.