How to Rotate tires yourself?
 

Hey guys I've just recently purchased a x5 upgrading from an integra. How is it possible to rotate tires on the x5? What equipment do i need? Jacks and jackstands don't even go up that high. How do you guys do it?

I used a standard lift 2 ton trolley jack, and four jackstands on the second pin. There is a lift point under the centre front, and at the rear you can do one side at a time from the side, or on the diff with a pad if you are careful. It isn't a high vehicle, so standard automotive jacks work fine. I lifted it to do brakes, never to rotate tires. My question is why would you want to rotate tires? I found the tire wear very even, with no rotation and no signs of needing it after 70,000 km (45,000 miles), when I sold the X5. BMW doesn't recommend it, and in my case I think they right.

:iagree:

Also you didn't state your tire setup and whether it was staggered or not.

does it make sense to rotate the tires (switch the rear left and rear right)

It doesn't usually make sense to switch the direction of rotation, as tires often take a set from running in a certain direction. Many modern tires are unidirectional, meaning that they are marked with a single direction. That means that to switch the tires left to right, you would need to dismount and remount the tires. That then takes the job out of the scope of this post, which was how to do them yourself (unless you have a Coates or equivalent tire machine at home).

With non-directional tires, it is possible to swap the wheels left to right, and take a chance on any vibration. That will help to extend the life of a tire that is feathering on one edge, but be aware of the potential risk. If you don't notice a vibration after switching them it is likely fine.

If you have a staggered tire setup, running the wider rears up front is not a good idea.......... and it will cosmetically look retarded........... kinda like a drag civic.

not switching the front and rears, I'm talking about physically removing the tires from the rims in the rear and switching them

Don't bother - false economy IMO.

Chance that wheels will be off-balanced/vibrate afterwards, also anytime a shop takes off wheels there is a also a chance of nicking the finish so it is best to mimixe the number of times to do this, also if tires are assymetric (e.g. diamaris) you can't/shouldn't rotate on the rim.

thanks for the advice, I wasn't aware that the Dimaris(es) were asymmetrical. I only asked because I have very uneven wear in the rear, the center bead is completely gone but the tread on the outside is still great, someone suggested overly inflated tires, but I check them regularly and keep them at the factory specs.

How many psi are you using in rear?

I do rotate my wheels from front to back. I have 10.5 inch rims on all four.

Your uneven wear is due in part to the factory alignment of the rear wheels. You will notice that your wheels tilt in towards the vehicle. BMW set the suspension up this way to promote a bit of understeer which aids in the stability of the X5.

You can neutralize the rear camber (reduce the tilt). This will bring your wheels to more of an "upright" position. I have had my X5 set up this way for about a year now with no adverse effects on handling. I have been known to take an off ramp at a high rate of speed here or there with no problems. (We have no corners here in South Florida!!!)

JCL - How the hell did you go 45,000 miles on one set of tires??!! Wow!

I don't know the # off hand, it's whatever is recommended on the door sill.

the thing is though the inward tilted part has the most tread left, which is why I'm asking - it seems like an anomaly b/c the inside should be the most worn, instead it is the very center and more of the outside

I had read recently that BMW is recommending NOT to rotate tires on their vehicles. Now don't ask me to back that up, because I'll have to spend 2 hours looking for the source...and I'll do it too! ;)

The reasoning went something like, due to the different wear patterns on the front and rear tires over time (caused by different cambering), rotating can cause the tires to not grip as well by exposing unexpected wear patterns to the road surface when cornering.

By keeping them at 32 psi all around, 35 psi when fully loaded, reasonable cornering (it isn't a sports car), no spinning on snow/ice, etc.

I am sure they would have gone another 10,000 miles, but I didn't measure the tread depth when I sold the vehicle so I can't be sure. They didn't look worn too badly. OE 17" Michelin MXV4 all seasons.

That number on the door sill you are reading may be the maximum load PSI, suitable for when you have 4 people plus luggage. If you are running with just the driver and not much luggage, that is likely too high and is the reason for the centre of the tread wearing out early.

Correct. If you rotate them very frequently, you can get away with it without too much of a performance degradation, but in general you are better off not to rotate them.

Def. not a 220A summer tire like the Diamaris ....unless you only drive downhill everywhere


Edit - just read rest of posts - JCL ran MXV4 tires that are ~ a 400 rated tire so 40K is not unheard if.

I had a recent experience regarding rotating tires:
In Norway, as well as in other snowy areas of the world I guess, we use winter tires during the winter months. They are rougher and comes with, or without steel studs to increase the grip. Well, after putting the winter tires on last winter, after a few months, it felt like I was running on a bumpy road. Eventually I found the cause of of this, the studs, having the previous winter being rotated in one direction, had now been unintentionally rotated around on the car (left to right and vice verca), and were now rotating on the road in the opposite direction from last year. This gradually not only loosened the studs, but also softened parts of the rubberlayer underneath, causing parts of the tire circumferencis to swell out, and consequently giving a bumpy ride. All tires had to be changed out. I got the dealer to split 50/50 with me on the new tires..as they had done the last tirechange, but I on the other hand had done a season or two with them allready.So - be aware if you are running with studs. PS: The tires were Michelins "Snow&Winter" or some similar type name.