BMW X3 SD 2007 : do I need to buy BMW approved tyres?
Discussion
My SD needs MOT and will fail on back tyres
- I am currently running the BMW recommended set up
FRONT : 235/50/ R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01
REAR : 255/45/R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01
- must have cost me £800 last time (price has come down a little but still over £500)
Problem is ... am currently out of work, and these are quite expensive
- It seems these are the only approved tyres
The front tyres still have some life (few thousand miles before hit the legal limit)
- Do I need to change all 4 tyres now ?
- Can I use black circles own brand (about £300 for their recommended points)?
- Do I need to pay for tracking as well ? (if change only two tyres, tracking for 2 or 4)
All said this is our family car, and I want it to be safe . It will be driving to France again this summer.
Many thanks for advice.
- I am currently running the BMW recommended set up
FRONT : 235/50/ R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01
REAR : 255/45/R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01
- must have cost me £800 last time (price has come down a little but still over £500)
Problem is ... am currently out of work, and these are quite expensive
- It seems these are the only approved tyres
The front tyres still have some life (few thousand miles before hit the legal limit)
- Do I need to change all 4 tyres now ?
- Can I use black circles own brand (about £300 for their recommended points)?
- Do I need to pay for tracking as well ? (if change only two tyres, tracking for 2 or 4)
All said this is our family car, and I want it to be safe . It will be driving to France again this summer.
Many thanks for advice.
DNX3SD said:
My SD needs MOT and will fail on back tyres
- I am currently running the BMW recommended set up
FRONT : 235/50/ R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01
REAR : 255/45/R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01
- must have cost me £800 last time (price has come down a little but still over £500)
Problem is ... am currently out of work, and these are quite expensive
- It seems these are the only approved tyres
The front tyres still have some life (few thousand miles before hit the legal limit)
- Do I need to change all 4 tyres now ?
- Can I use black circles own brand (about £300 for their recommended points)?
- Do I need to pay for tracking as well ? (if change only two tyres, tracking for 2 or 4)
All said this is our family car, and I want it to be safe . It will be driving to France again this summer.
Many thanks for advice.
No, you can chose your brand of tyre.- I am currently running the BMW recommended set up
FRONT : 235/50/ R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01
REAR : 255/45/R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01
- must have cost me £800 last time (price has come down a little but still over £500)
Problem is ... am currently out of work, and these are quite expensive
- It seems these are the only approved tyres
The front tyres still have some life (few thousand miles before hit the legal limit)
- Do I need to change all 4 tyres now ?
- Can I use black circles own brand (about £300 for their recommended points)?
- Do I need to pay for tracking as well ? (if change only two tyres, tracking for 2 or 4)
All said this is our family car, and I want it to be safe . It will be driving to France again this summer.
Many thanks for advice.
But I wouldn't buy a budget brand , they won't grip as well for example or last as long.
If really can't see why you'd change fronts that aren't worn or automatically her an alignment done. I've not owned a 4WD however, but unless there's anything in the owners manual (and I doubt) saying you must, then just replace the rears.
Smuler said:
No, you can chose your brand of tyre.
But I wouldn't buy a budget brand , they won't grip as well for example or last as long.
If really can't see why you'd change fronts that aren't worn or automatically her an alignment done. I've not owned a 4WD however, but unless there's anything in the owners manual (and I doubt) saying you must, then just replace the rears.
Thanks . Will go for the two back only . Spread the purchase pain .
- so you think non BMW approved not an issue
- also forget tracking
But I wouldn't buy a budget brand , they won't grip as well for example or last as long.
If really can't see why you'd change fronts that aren't worn or automatically her an alignment done. I've not owned a 4WD however, but unless there's anything in the owners manual (and I doubt) saying you must, then just replace the rears.
Thanks . Will go for the two back only . Spread the purchase pain .
- so you think non BMW approved not an issue
- also forget tracking
roofer said:
A bigger problem may be the transfer case whining due to mismatched tread depths.
really ... this is bad news .... so new tyres on the back , and fronts with 2-4k miles left (but close to legal limits ) not a good set up ?- i.e. they were all changed together last time, one should do the same again ?
DNX3SD said:
really ... this is bad news .... so new tyres on the back , and fronts with 2-4k miles left (but close to legal limits ) not a good set up ?
- i.e. they were all changed together last time, one should do the same again ?
Given what happened to my car, I would change them all at the same time: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...- i.e. they were all changed together last time, one should do the same again ?
I wouldn't risk having such a large discrepancy in tread depth by just replacing the rears and keeping the fronts on for a bit longer. Whilst it seems like madness, there is too much online about this weakness with xDrive BMWs.
If you were running the same size tyres front and rear:
No, don't worry about going star marked as long as you have 4 of the same tyres (same make, model, size, load rating, etc.). So you could get away with 4 new budget tyres.
As you are running a staggered set-up:
Absolutely stick with the star marked Dunlops unless you want to suffer later. You WILL have transfer box problems, clunking into gears, weird rumbles and clonks, etc.
However, given your work situation and the fact that you have some tread left on one axle pair, is it worth trying to find a rear pair of Dunlop * marked in the correct sizes which are part worn, for example on ebay?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255-45-18-99V-MFS-Dunlop...
No, don't worry about going star marked as long as you have 4 of the same tyres (same make, model, size, load rating, etc.). So you could get away with 4 new budget tyres.
As you are running a staggered set-up:
Absolutely stick with the star marked Dunlops unless you want to suffer later. You WILL have transfer box problems, clunking into gears, weird rumbles and clonks, etc.
However, given your work situation and the fact that you have some tread left on one axle pair, is it worth trying to find a rear pair of Dunlop * marked in the correct sizes which are part worn, for example on ebay?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255-45-18-99V-MFS-Dunlop...
VerySideways said:
If you were running the same size tyres front and rear:
No, don't worry about going star marked as long as you have 4 of the same tyres (same make, model, size, load rating, etc.). So you could get away with 4 new budget tyres.
As you are running a staggered set-up:
Absolutely stick with the star marked Dunlops unless you want to suffer later. You WILL have transfer box problems, clunking into gears, weird rumbles and clonks, etc.
However, given your work situation and the fact that you have some tread left on one axle pair, is it worth trying to find a rear pair of Dunlop * marked in the correct sizes which are part worn, for example on ebay?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255-45-18-99V-MFS-Dunlop...
If he is going to France he'll be near enough back to square one shortly.No, don't worry about going star marked as long as you have 4 of the same tyres (same make, model, size, load rating, etc.). So you could get away with 4 new budget tyres.
As you are running a staggered set-up:
Absolutely stick with the star marked Dunlops unless you want to suffer later. You WILL have transfer box problems, clunking into gears, weird rumbles and clonks, etc.
However, given your work situation and the fact that you have some tread left on one axle pair, is it worth trying to find a rear pair of Dunlop * marked in the correct sizes which are part worn, for example on ebay?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255-45-18-99V-MFS-Dunlop...
I was going to suggest changing the rear only but it seems this transfer case issue is really that sensitive going by posts in this thread.
jagr said:
Only buy Star tyres.
If your fronts are less than 6mm change them as well.
I feel your pain as I have a 2007 X3 SD but with the 19" staggered set up and just replaced all 4 at a cost £750 (Pirellis).
My SD had the 18's - and i briefly considered sourcing a set of the 19's as i prefer the design of the wheels, but i stuck with the 18's as i preferred the Dunlops to the Pirellis If your fronts are less than 6mm change them as well.
I feel your pain as I have a 2007 X3 SD but with the 19" staggered set up and just replaced all 4 at a cost £750 (Pirellis).
So I have an X3 e83 SD which has odd tyres front and rear so wanted to get star rated but have struggled to get the 235 45 19 fronts apparently BMW can't provide them as they are back order and they don't know when they will get them in all other tyre fitters say they don't supply them anymore. BMW advised to buy star rated for the rear and fit non star rated on the front! Worried that if I do that I'll get all the issues of the mentioned clunking noises everyone is talking about. What have others fitted on 19" alloys to over come this?
Star rated tyres and getting the right wheel and tyre size are two different things. Star rated BMW tyres are a quality guarantee that the tyres are as good as the high-quality ones fitted out of the factory. Manufacturers always apply the toughest quality checks to the tyres supplied for factory-fitting, but that leaves you with the challenge of getting as good when you come to change them. With star-rated tyres you know the quality control is at the same level. Personally, having worked for a tyre manufacture, I'd say the difference is minimal as long as you're buying a quality replacement (from Pirelli, Dunlop, Michelin etc.) and not some unknown cheap brand. But I can see that it's reassuring and there is a genuine - albeit statistically small - quality difference, so I can understand why you'd opt to pay a bit more. But it's not essential.
What going to BMW does guarantee is that the sizing is correct for your VIN.
As a starter, I'd check my Owners Manual to see what combinations of wheel and tyre are certified for my vehicle. Particularly the wheel width, indicated by the number before the 'J' and expressed in inches. It's surprising how often previous owners fit wheels which are too wide e.g. 8.5J (8½") when only 7.5J (7½") or 8J (8") are certified. Or who fit too-wide tyres e.g. 245 (mm) when the Manual only goes up to, say 225 (mm) tyre width on that wheel size. There's some indication that 'stretching' your tyre width to the limit or slightly beyond for that wheel width can cause xDrive problems.
Even if you're within the certified range of wheel and tyre sizes, I'd still avoid super-low-profile combinations on an xDrive. I'd go for the winter wheel sizes which are not only more comfortable but less stress on the tyre. Yes, you lose some agility but on SUV models, they're never going to achieve M Performance levels of coupé agility. So, for example, if you can take 17", 18" and 19" wheels but the recommended winters are only 17" and 18" then that's the size I'd go for and ditch my 19" wheels on eBay. And the winter setup will normally be 'square' i.e. the same front and back, which seems to be beneficial on xDrive models. The new wheels will cost, but an upside is usually that the smaller wheel sizes often have a far wider range of tyres available for them, so you get more choice.
See what an independent wheel and tyre dealer can do for you in terms of a set of 4 square winter-sized wheels and tyres. You may find it's close enough to the super-low-profile tyre change cost and achieves two things (a) the next tyre change will be cheaper (due to the greater choice of suppliers) and (b) obviates the xDrive box problems associated with staggered /super-low-profile sizes.
What going to BMW does guarantee is that the sizing is correct for your VIN.
As a starter, I'd check my Owners Manual to see what combinations of wheel and tyre are certified for my vehicle. Particularly the wheel width, indicated by the number before the 'J' and expressed in inches. It's surprising how often previous owners fit wheels which are too wide e.g. 8.5J (8½") when only 7.5J (7½") or 8J (8") are certified. Or who fit too-wide tyres e.g. 245 (mm) when the Manual only goes up to, say 225 (mm) tyre width on that wheel size. There's some indication that 'stretching' your tyre width to the limit or slightly beyond for that wheel width can cause xDrive problems.
Even if you're within the certified range of wheel and tyre sizes, I'd still avoid super-low-profile combinations on an xDrive. I'd go for the winter wheel sizes which are not only more comfortable but less stress on the tyre. Yes, you lose some agility but on SUV models, they're never going to achieve M Performance levels of coupé agility. So, for example, if you can take 17", 18" and 19" wheels but the recommended winters are only 17" and 18" then that's the size I'd go for and ditch my 19" wheels on eBay. And the winter setup will normally be 'square' i.e. the same front and back, which seems to be beneficial on xDrive models. The new wheels will cost, but an upside is usually that the smaller wheel sizes often have a far wider range of tyres available for them, so you get more choice.
See what an independent wheel and tyre dealer can do for you in terms of a set of 4 square winter-sized wheels and tyres. You may find it's close enough to the super-low-profile tyre change cost and achieves two things (a) the next tyre change will be cheaper (due to the greater choice of suppliers) and (b) obviates the xDrive box problems associated with staggered /super-low-profile sizes.
Edited by msej449 on Wednesday 9th May 04:11
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff