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  #1  
Old 11-04-2019, 02:46 PM
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Tire wear

I posted this on Bimmerfest, so maybe a duplicate...appoligies if so.
My outer edge of front tires is 90% gone. Tires were on car when I bought, so I do not know how previous driver drove the car. There is 5/16-6/16 tread in the middle, so much life left on tire. I was told due to stiff suspension, this is going to happen. This is a 2012 X5 5.0 with Sport Activity package and staggered wheels/tires. Any suggestions. I’ve ordered new front and will have an alignment.
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Old 11-04-2019, 08:33 PM
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DO NOT use a BMW dealer for alignment.


I saw a blowhardy comment about how 'only BMW dealers know how to align BMWs'. Nothing is further from the truth.


I started a thread on alignments: https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=668729


If you go to a dealer they will set it mid spec, and tell you 'thats just the way BMWs are, its _______".... and in the blank, insert: stiff suspension; performance; racing history; handling; blah blah blah


Set your toe to 0.01 to 0.02 each wheel
Set camber to mid spec. You can tolerate a bit more camber up fron with the 50.


Set your inflation pressure up front a bit higher than the door- like 2psi more.


Thats it.
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Old 11-05-2019, 02:46 AM
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Yep the inflation pressures manufacturers recommend are usually a few psi too low and leave the middle of the tread worn less than the sides.
On run flats its even worse because the sidewalls are harder so a higher pressure helps the middle get contact.
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Old 11-05-2019, 11:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robnitro View Post
Yep the inflation pressures manufacturers recommend are usually a few psi too low and leave the middle of the tread worn less than the sides.
On run flats its even worse because the sidewalls are harder so a higher pressure helps the middle get contact.
And it is exacerbated with a big v8 up front, combined w smaller tires on the staggered set up...


you've got a ton of weight, plowing the tires around- with less pressure the sidewalls get rolled over and scrubbed to death.


IMO BMW sets pressure a bit low to give a nice soft ride too. Not, as we are often told, 'because BMW engineers hold performance above everything else'



Last edited by ard; 11-05-2019 at 01:04 PM.
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Old 11-09-2019, 10:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ard View Post
And it is exacerbated with a big v8 up front, combined w smaller tires on the staggered set up...


you've got a ton of weight, plowing the tires around- with less pressure the sidewalls get rolled over and scrubbed to death.


IMO BMW sets pressure a bit low to give a nice soft ride too. Not, as we are often told, 'because BMW engineers hold performance above everything else'




I agree with the replies above. Inflate a few psi above what the door states. Also check you tire manufacture dates stamped on the side. Older tires will wear faster. BMW specs on alignments are awful. Read ard’s thread. Request specific specs.


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Old 11-14-2019, 05:03 PM
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+1
Stock specs are way too much toe-in.
I got an indie shop to set me alignment CLOSER to what ard posted (though not as close as I would have liked) and it did help on my new set of tires. Still an issue though, so I also raised the tire pressures ~3 lb to try to extend their life.

With your issue, I only got 12k miles (!) on my first set of tires before the fronts were alarmingly bald on the outer edges. For $1200 tires, that is a hundred dollars per 1k miles!
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Old 11-14-2019, 09:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heatmizr View Post
+1
Stock specs are way too much toe-in.
I got an indie shop to set me alignment CLOSER to what ard posted (though not as close as I would have liked) and it did help on my new set of tires. Still an issue though, so I also raised the tire pressures ~3 lb to try to extend their life.

With your issue, I only got 12k miles (!) on my first set of tires before the fronts were alarmingly bald on the outer edges. For $1200 tires, that is a hundred dollars per 1k miles!
My guess is that the factory allows for some dynamic toe-out at high speeds that are never realized on American roads. That said, at least on my dad's 30i, the tires seem to wear relatively well. His eat the inside of the rears which is normal for BMWs.
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Old 11-17-2019, 09:30 PM
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I just replaced a set of tires with almost 70k miles on them. They wore dead even across the tread. I can get over 40k on a set of UHP summer tires on my M5. Abnormal or excessive tire wear is not "normal" for BMWs or any other vehicles. Abnormal or excessive tire wear is a result of misalignment due to ignorance, a specific desire or a broken/worn suspension component. Learn what your alignment numbers mean and how they contribute to tire wear and actual vehicle handling and keep up on your vehicle maintenance.
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Old 11-17-2019, 10:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyrix2k View Post
My guess is that the factory allows for some dynamic toe-out at high speeds that are never realized on American roads. That said, at least on my dad's 30i, the tires seem to wear relatively well. His eat the inside of the rears which is normal for BMWs.

IMO, no


The myth of german autobahn driving is just that. Spend some time there, over the course of a cars life, they are driven very much like in the USA



I know it is disturbing to find that BMW engineers just F-ed it up for no good reason other than being lazy. It is comforting to think "oh, those perfect germans on the autobahns- we dont drive like them so its really our fault'. We see this with a lot of BMW issues- the oft-repeated "its because they desiged it for xyz" (German fuel, german roads, german drivers)....





My "spec" is actually WITHIN the BMWs very wide and sloppy spec. So for those that feel compelled to follow the factory, you can! Just put it on the very edge.


wonder what OP did.... $100 he went to a shop and they convinced him to do what they wanted.
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Old 11-18-2019, 11:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ard View Post
IMO, no

wonder what OP did.... $100 he went to a shop and they convinced him to do what they wanted.
Hopefully not.

I've gotten to nearly 170k now on new 4th set of tires by using these guidelines and rotating at each oil change.

I was kind of surprised that I received no push back when the the VW dealership called me about aligning my wife's Passat last month and I asked for the same specs. They did exactly as I asked.
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