Michellin Lattitude Run Flat Question

[taosx5]

Hey all, I have searched the forums and can't find anything on this but maybe someone has had some experience they are willing to share.

I have an 03 4.4 and 04 4.6, both are E-53's. I found what I thought was a pretty good deal on OEM wheels and tires. The wheels and tires came off an 07 E-70 3.0 (255 X 55 X 18). The tires are Lattitude HP Touring Run Flats. I have seen this car since it was new so I know it was well taken care of. The owner bought after market 20" wheels so he kept these in his garage for the last 5 years. The tires had maybe 10-15 thousand miles so there is lots of tread left on them. I bought them to have a dedicated snow tire and wheel for the wife's 4.4.

Here is the deal! I had them all balanced and put them on the 4.4. Afterward there was a small vibration in the steering wheel at 45 to 55 mph. I figured it had to be a problem with one of the front wheels so what I did was take one of my old wheels and tire with me to a section of highway where I could change them one by one to see if I could determine the problem wheel. I started with the left front and swapped the new one with my old then drove it a few miles at speeds from 0 to 90. It seemed like the vibration never went away no matter which new wheel I switched out. I determined that the left front (the first one) probably had the best ride meaning the left front may be the problem tire. So I put it on the rear and the vibration in the steering wheel at 45-50 mph is still there. I even played with the air pressure and ended up running 32 F and 34 R.

My wife said she wanted her old wheels and tires back. I decided to swap the two rears but left the new ones on the front then drove it. The vibration was still there. So I went ahead and switched the fronts out to the old ones. I guess I will probably run these new wheels on the 4.6 as a winter tire and wheel until I need to replace the Michellins to a dedicated snow tire.

MY question is what is the deal? Do these Lattitudes just need to be run a while to get dialed in? Is there a way to get rid of this vibration completely cuz it does go away at highway speeds. Do I need to worry about it messing up my front end or alignment? Any help or advise is much appreciated.

[Moezer]

run flats are not like normal tires, with speed a normal tire balloons a bit to create a balance, a run flat tire is much thicker and heavier.

recheck the psi in the tires, some times when you change rims/tires they aren't the same and one might have discovered a problem that is in your x5 that was soon to go bad, check your tie rods and bushings

[Qsilver7]

The problem isn't in the tires...its the WHEELS.

The e70 has a larger wheel hub/center bore than the e53...you need to install hubcentric rings on the e70 wheels to reduce the opening from 74.1mm to 72.56mm...hopefully that will get rid of the vibration or at least reduce it to a tolerable level.

Again, the vibration is coming from the wheel not be centered on the hub...the opening in the e70 wheel's "center bore" is larger than the hub on your e53...and since the wheels are "centered" by the hub (not the lug bolts)...the wheels are vibrating due to them not being correctly centered on the hub.

Below is a BMW wheel comparison chart that I cobbled together last week due to xDrive being offered on many of the models + the new "F" body BMWs have different offset ranges than older "E" body BMWs:

[taosx5]

Moezer and Qsilver,

Thanks for the quick replies. This is awesome. I wondered if the wheels were different on the E-53 and E-70 so I called the BMW dealership in Alb. A guy from the service dept told me the wheels are the same and it must be something else like a bent wheel.

So QSilver, does this mean I use the 35mm-53mm rings? Where can I get these? I'll do that today. If I decide to run these on the 4.6 which runs a much wider tire on the rears, do I also need to run a spacer and longer lug bolts? Thanks.

I checked, double checked, and triple checked psi. When I first installed them I had 34psi on the fronts and 38 psi on the rears but suspected that was too much. I ended up 32 psi F and 34 psi R on these run flats. Does that seem correct?

Thanks again, your help and knowledge are really appreciated.

[Qsilver7]

All you need are hub centric rings to reduce the center bore (opening in the wheel) from 74.1mm to 72.56mm...not spacers or adapters which would change the wheel offset. Google hub centric rings to see what they are. They come in plastic or metal.

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[luvmy03E53]

Where do you get all this great info?

[taosx5]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

All you need are hub centric rings to reduce the center bore (opening in the wheel) from 74.1mm to 72.56mm...not spacers or adapters which would change the wheel offset. Google hub centric rings to see what they are. They come in plastic or metal.

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Thanks a million QSilver. This now makes perfectly good sense cuz nothing I did really would take the vibrations away. I will get these hub centric rings ordered right away.

On another note, do you have any ideas on the 4.6 that runs staggered wheels? If I put these E-70 wheels on it, would I need spacers on the rears to get them a little off set from the fronts, you know more centered in the wheel well which is bigger? Thanks!

[taosx5]

Here is a good youtube link that explains what QSilver is talking about.

How to Install Hub Centric Rings (Benefits explained) - YouTube

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by taosx5

...On another note, do you have any ideas on the 4.6 that runs staggered wheels? If I put these E-70 wheels on it, would I need spacers on the rears to get them a little off set from the fronts, you know more centered in the wheel well which is bigger? Thanks!

Using spacers can accomplish what you're saying...they can push the wheel outward so that the wheel can be closer to the fender...or even beyond it (depending on what size spacer/adapter you use).

And if you get adapter to push the wheel outward...you might be able to find some that will take care of the hub difference too (72.6mm on the hub side...74.1mm on the other side that will take care of the 74.1mm center bore of the e70 wheel).

Good luck. Hopefully some of the forum members that are running spacers/adapters can chime in on what size works best. But until then, to mount the e70 wheels...the hubcentric rings will get you by.

[taosx5]

Thanks QSilver, I ordered a set of hub centric rings today. About $24 bucks shipped to my door.