Tire Recommendation for 275/40R20 & 315/35R20

[ard]

One comment....

People will obsess over tires, models, reviews, 'how many miles you get?', blah blah...yet slap them on their car year in and year out and never consider their alignment.

Indeed, even if they do get "an alignment" they think it is a binary thing they get: "car is aligned" or "car is not aligned".

They think that as long as the numbers are "somewhere in that big huge BMW range" the car is aligned. And all is good.

Worse, they - AND MOST BMW MECHANICS AND ALIGNMENT TECHS- think that "if I hit the target spec, THAT is perfect. This is horribly wrong for 99% of drivers.

You should set the alignment as follows:
Toe: toe in to the minimum of the BMW spec; like 0.01-0.02 per wheel, all 4
Camber: Mid spec, balanced side to side
Caster: Mid spec (if adjustable), balanced side to side

You can get 40k+ miles from tires with this alignment, or you can go with the nominal 'middle' that BMW often hits and get 20-25k; or, if you are unlucky and they give you toe at 0.16, and cambers mismatched, you can see 8k.

This concept has been validated by many. Here is a thread to read through...Wow, was my alignment off ! - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

Buy whatever tires you want...but spend $99 and get a great alignment to these specs- dont listen to the shop- and you will be a happy camper 40k from now!