BMW * star rated tyres
Discussion
Being new to BMW ownership, this may be a silly newbie set of questions:
Whats the deal with the * rating BMW give tyres?
Should I only consider * rated tyres; if so - why?
Why are two identical (Brand, model, size, speed/load rating) tyres different in price just because one has a * rating? Is it to fleece BMW drivers or is there a legitimate reason?
Whats the deal with the * rating BMW give tyres?
Should I only consider * rated tyres; if so - why?
Why are two identical (Brand, model, size, speed/load rating) tyres different in price just because one has a * rating? Is it to fleece BMW drivers or is there a legitimate reason?
I believe it is something to do with being approved by bmw.
There are a few posts on here and the net with people who haven't used them and experience some funny/weird handling issues.
However saying all that its more to do with budget tyres rather than premium brands with out the star.
There are a few posts on here and the net with people who haven't used them and experience some funny/weird handling issues.
However saying all that its more to do with budget tyres rather than premium brands with out the star.
Apparently the MO (Mercedes Approved) and the BMW * are to do with rolling diameter: quite a few BMW are with staggered wheels, so in order to keep the rolling diameter identical but with different tyre sizes front/rear the MO and * are meant to tweak the sizes ever so slightly to ensure minimal differences.
Even more important on the xDrive BMWs where the centre differential takes the brunt of any differences between front and rear (my X3 has 235/50/18 front and 255/45/18 rears)
For a normal RWD BMW I would be more concerned about getting some premium tyres than the * ones.
Even more important on the xDrive BMWs where the centre differential takes the brunt of any differences between front and rear (my X3 has 235/50/18 front and 255/45/18 rears)
For a normal RWD BMW I would be more concerned about getting some premium tyres than the * ones.
Thanks chaps.
I've got the BMW rated SP2000E on the rear at 5mm and some new non-rated Avon ZV5s on the front. I'm going to rotate them so I can change all four together and put some decent matching tyres on in the not-too-distant future.
If I go * rated the only ones I can find in my size are the Dunlop SP2000E or Pirelli P7. If I don't stick to the BMW rating there is a whole plethora of tyres available including many I have positive experience with in other cars (Uniroyal Rainsport 2, Toyo T1R)
The car is neither special or powerful but I don't want to spend £400+ on a set of tyres for it to find out I'm doing it wrong!
I've got the BMW rated SP2000E on the rear at 5mm and some new non-rated Avon ZV5s on the front. I'm going to rotate them so I can change all four together and put some decent matching tyres on in the not-too-distant future.
If I go * rated the only ones I can find in my size are the Dunlop SP2000E or Pirelli P7. If I don't stick to the BMW rating there is a whole plethora of tyres available including many I have positive experience with in other cars (Uniroyal Rainsport 2, Toyo T1R)
The car is neither special or powerful but I don't want to spend £400+ on a set of tyres for it to find out I'm doing it wrong!
rassi said:
Apparently the MO (Mercedes Approved) and the BMW * are to do with rolling diameter: quite a few BMW are with staggered wheels, so in order to keep the rolling diameter identical but with different tyre sizes front/rear the MO and * are meant to tweak the sizes ever so slightly to ensure minimal differences.
MO is much more widely offered than the BMW * (it's always struck me as odd then MB didn't use the star!) but I've got Merc with a staggered set-up and it didn't even have MO tyres on from new.I asked Michelin what the difference is and they said the tyres are "tuned" to the cars characteristics. In my opinion this is b
ks - look at the range of cars MB makes - would the same MO tyre be "tuned" for every vehicle, with every suspension type, it would fit? And what about model (both car and tyre) changes - would a brand-new Michelin Primacy HP 3 tyre be "tuned" to suit a 10 year old Merc?finestjammy said:
My lease firm is currently in a battle with BMW who are refusing to carry out warranty work due to the non fitment of approved/star tyres. To avoid hassle I would personally stick to the star rated/approved tyres.
Being jerked around by lease companies over tyres was one of the things that persuaded me to opt out of having a company car.Mind you, I think your problem is possibly more to do with mixed tyres on the same axle, isn't it? Good luck getting it sorted - I never did with alignment and tracking problems - lease companies seem happier to replace tyres than spend money on alignment.
The branding of the tyres is to do with the deals the tyre companies do with the manufacturers to get their tyres onto new cars. That is where they will gain most of their profit from people who buy the cars new and will generally stick to the original tyre for the first three sets (thats what they work it out to as a benchmark)the tyres are no different and not tuned to Mercedes or BMW spec infact the same size tyre is the same unit price to the wholesaler, weather it be AO, *, or MO. The thing anout the rolling radius is rubbish too, that is worked out on the profile change between the different width front and rear tyre.
People who have problems with BMW and tyres are generally either using poor quality or midrange tyres or they are mxing brands of tyre on or between the axles which these car are quite fussy about.
People who have problems with BMW and tyres are generally either using poor quality or midrange tyres or they are mxing brands of tyre on or between the axles which these car are quite fussy about.
Edited by dandle on Monday 12th March 09:35
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