Anyone swap tires from side to side as a way to "rotate" them?

aus · #1 06-07-2006, 02:54 PM

There's a lot of neg camber in the rear on my 4.6. I was wondering if anyone tried swapping the tires from side to side to try to get a few more miles out of the tires? My tires are OK still, but it's almost 30k miles now.

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Driver8 · #2 06-07-2006, 03:54 PM

As a rule, BMW does not recommend rotating tires and it tells you that in the owner's manual.

While there are good arguments on both sides of the issue, I personally like to rotate tires every 3k or so. I feel I benefit more from the extra tire wear than from the incremental performance. I have also chosen tires (i.e. non-directional) that allow me to rotate side to side (on staggered fitments) or rear to front straight, front to rear crossed (non-staggered fitment). However, I have never dismounted tires and remounted them back to front to balance the signature rear inner tire wear inherant in BMWs. My '02 X5 4.4i rear tires had split personalities: the outer half of the tread had many thousands of miles to go while the inner half of the tread was almost bald! My 530i's tires also wore in this manner.

If you have a SPP car, you can request a non-SPP alignment spec which will reduce the negative camber, and hence, wear, but in the long run, you'll not realize any significant savings. Worse, you will reduce the handling and performance of your X5.

The Michelin Diamaris is a well-wearing tire. I've heard of people getting 50k-60k out of them in some cases. Getting 30k on a 4.6is is NOT bad at all!

Mike

withidl · #3 06-07-2006, 04:48 PM

I have a 2001 4.4i with sport pkg. I've "flipped" my rear tires on their wheels (which have considerable negative camber) and essentially double the wear (cost about $13.00 at NTB). The Michelin Diamaris are not directional and the lesser cosmetic inside wall really isn't offensive as black on black just doesn't show much.

rayxi · #4 06-07-2006, 04:55 PM

Rotating left and right sides won't get you anywhere. The Diamaris tires are asymmetrical - there's an IN side and an OUT side. It's not just cosmetic on the sidewall, the tread pattern is different. The IN side should always be on the inside and as a result any uneven wear caused by negative camber will never be countered by a side to side tire rotation.

JV · #5 06-07-2006, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayxi

Rotating left and right sides won't get you anywhere. The Diamaris tires are asymmetrical - there's an IN side and an OUT side. It's not just cosmetic on the sidewall, the tread pattern is different. The IN side should always be on the inside and as a result any uneven wear caused by negative camber will never be countered by a side to side tire rotation.

aus · #6 06-07-2006, 09:23 PM

That's what I was afraid of. I hate Michellins for that reason... and the 25% premium that comes with them.

Driver8 · #7 06-07-2006, 10:30 PM

I have to agree...I think Michelins are terribly overrated. I absolutely HATED the 19" Diamaris that came on my '02 4.4i. They were hard, flinty and about as stiff as Viagra dick. Needless to say, I couldn't get rid of them fast enough. The Pilots on my M3 were awful for many of the same reasons. On the other hand, the MXVs on my 3.0 are pretty decent, as were the same tire on my recent Accord EX. However, for the cost, I'd prefer something else. Pity about poor Edouard.

Mike

HamannE53 · #8 06-07-2006, 11:44 PM

never had a problem with michelins, its what i bought to replace my bridgestone turanza's that came on my 745, absolutely sucked...no problem with pilots. my all time fav has got to be the yokohama advans now thats a good tire

but i would never reccomend flipping tires over, as they have been driven on in one direction all the while allowing the rubber to go back to its original compund when cooling down, not doing so could lead to a failed tire, which i learned the hard way, not to mention the performance.

withidl · #9 06-07-2006, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayxi

Rotating left and right sides won't get you anywhere. The Diamaris tires are asymmetrical - there's an IN side and an OUT side. It's not just cosmetic on the sidewall, the tread pattern is different. The IN side should always be on the inside and as a result any uneven wear caused by negative camber will never be countered by a side to side tire rotation.

Again, I've "flipped" my rear tires on their wheels, not just switched sides. It doubles my wear; saves $$$; no adverse effects (save minimal cosmetic appearance).

JV · #10 06-08-2006, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by withidl

Again, I've "flipped" my rear tires on their wheels, not just switched sides. It doubles my wear; saves $$$; no adverse effects (save minimal cosmetic appearance).

Had to do a lot of research on this cause I recently sold mine which were mounted on OEM 19" wheels...Diamaris are not designed to perform to their max capability with the outside "in" and the inside "out". You'd be SOL if you had a problem once you mounted them the wrong way.

JV

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