Different tread pattern on XDrive F30
Discussion
Hey all,
Had a damn puncture so got both front tyres replaced. I ordered the exact same tyres and got them fitted (same markings, Pirelli p zero etc). I’ve just noticed that the tread pattern on the front tyres doesn’t match the rear even though they both say Pirelli P zero, both run flat, both the same tyre measurements. The other markings on the front tyres are different. These new tyres looks new and have a fancy QR code on them, rear ones do not.
Just wondering, this car is a 335d XDrive with 20 inch M Performance rims. Is this going to cause problems for the car? Even though the brand is the same but the tread pattern differs slightly?
Thanks In Advance
Had a damn puncture so got both front tyres replaced. I ordered the exact same tyres and got them fitted (same markings, Pirelli p zero etc). I’ve just noticed that the tread pattern on the front tyres doesn’t match the rear even though they both say Pirelli P zero, both run flat, both the same tyre measurements. The other markings on the front tyres are different. These new tyres looks new and have a fancy QR code on them, rear ones do not.
Just wondering, this car is a 335d XDrive with 20 inch M Performance rims. Is this going to cause problems for the car? Even though the brand is the same but the tread pattern differs slightly?
Thanks In Advance
As said, Pirelli is the brand, P Zero is the range.
You have P Zero Neros, Rossos, Corsa, Corsa System, Nero GT etc. etc.
I hate different tyres front and rear regardless, but mainly as many RWD cars can get twitchy, feel less planted and so why bother?
On an AWD system you can do some serious damage. Been a few on the X3 forum who have run different tyres front and rear and had problems with noises and clunking. Some have been fine and suddenly their transfer box has given up.
BMW will refuse any warranty claims on xdrive if different tyres are fitted front and rear.
You have P Zero Neros, Rossos, Corsa, Corsa System, Nero GT etc. etc.
I hate different tyres front and rear regardless, but mainly as many RWD cars can get twitchy, feel less planted and so why bother?
On an AWD system you can do some serious damage. Been a few on the X3 forum who have run different tyres front and rear and had problems with noises and clunking. Some have been fine and suddenly their transfer box has given up.
BMW will refuse any warranty claims on xdrive if different tyres are fitted front and rear.
Mdotlife said:
Just to add, the tyres aren’t identical on the rear. The markings are slightly different (255 vs 225, 92Y vs 90Y, Rear vs Front). Perhaps they are slightly different and I may have just answered my own question. Never took notice before ...
You have staggered wheels, of course, with the rears being wider. So the 225 width front and 255 rear is perfectly normal, as is the difference in load indexgizlaroc said:
As said, Pirelli is the brand, P Zero is the range.
You have P Zero Neros, Rossos, Corsa, Corsa System, Nero GT etc. etc.
I hate different tyres front and rear regardless, but mainly as many RWD cars can get twitchy, feel less planted and so why bother?
On an AWD system you can do some serious damage. Been a few on the X3 forum who have run different tyres front and rear and had problems with noises and clunking. Some have been fine and suddenly their transfer box has given up.
BMW will refuse any warranty claims on xdrive if different tyres are fitted front and rear.
I got the tyres ordered and fitted from Kwik fit. There were only 2 types of Pirelli p zero listed. No mentions of any other special names. Only difference being the wet rating and noise rating being better on one than the other (B vs E rating I think). Naturally, I went with the better rated ones as they were the same price You have P Zero Neros, Rossos, Corsa, Corsa System, Nero GT etc. etc.
I hate different tyres front and rear regardless, but mainly as many RWD cars can get twitchy, feel less planted and so why bother?
On an AWD system you can do some serious damage. Been a few on the X3 forum who have run different tyres front and rear and had problems with noises and clunking. Some have been fine and suddenly their transfer box has given up.
BMW will refuse any warranty claims on xdrive if different tyres are fitted front and rear.
It'll be absolutely fine, different tread pattern is irrelevant as long as the rolling radius is right, tyres change pattern between generations regularly.
What does the manual say about wear front and rear? If the rears are quite worn and the fronts new then you'll have a reasonable difference and conceivably might wind the centre diff up, but that's a very, very slim chance imho.
ETA: Just checked the manual for the US-market, usually they'd be right on it with advice as they're the litigation kings, but they don't say anything about tread depth matching, so don't fret about it.
What does the manual say about wear front and rear? If the rears are quite worn and the fronts new then you'll have a reasonable difference and conceivably might wind the centre diff up, but that's a very, very slim chance imho.
ETA: Just checked the manual for the US-market, usually they'd be right on it with advice as they're the litigation kings, but they don't say anything about tread depth matching, so don't fret about it.
Edited by Krikkit on Tuesday 23 June 11:16
The BMW garage gave us the advice that the tyres needed to be within I think 3mm front to back otherwise it's not good for xDrive but who knows... Wouldn't even tyre pressures also make a difference to circumference?
There's also the question about which generations of xDrive are affected (if any). Initial reports were on the first gen X3s but does that apply to the F25 X3 as well?
The odd post here and there on forums isn't a good way to understand this mess and take a view on it. Wish there was better and more official advice!
There's also the question about which generations of xDrive are affected (if any). Initial reports were on the first gen X3s but does that apply to the F25 X3 as well?
The odd post here and there on forums isn't a good way to understand this mess and take a view on it. Wish there was better and more official advice!
gizlaroc said:
On an AWD system you can do some serious damage. Been a few on the X3 forum who have run different tyres front and rear and had problems with noises and clunking. Some have been fine and suddenly their transfer box has given up.
BMW will refuse any warranty claims on xdrive if different tyres are fitted front and rear.
Different tread wouldn't seem to make much sense... Out of curiosity what was the reason?BMW will refuse any warranty claims on xdrive if different tyres are fitted front and rear.
Edited by david-j8694 on Tuesday 23 June 16:25
No one really knows why?
This comes up time and time again, people get drivetrain noises, and some have had their transfer box fail.
This has been discussed for the last 20 years or so now, and is not that rare.
Grab a snap shot of the BMW instructions when replacing tyres on cars.....
Quite clearly on AWD all tyres should be the same.
If it is driving fine go with it, if the traction light starts to show its face, have a rethink, if it feels less planted, if you get any drivetrain grumbles etc. then have a rethink.
I don't mix tyres front and rear on any BMW after some really dodgy experiences with different versions of tyres front and rear on the M3. Even had the techs at BMW scratching their heads and throwing now dampers, springs, control arms etc. at the car, before realising we had a different Pilot Sport up front to rear. All matched up and perfect.
Having experienced that I can now feel it in less powerful cars too. Why bother buying a BMW and take handling away from it? May as well buy an Audi.
Look at all the posts on the E83 X3 when that was popular, people were mixing * marked tyres with the non star marked ones and having all sorts of issues.
Turns out the star marked tyre was actually a slightly different dimension to the non star marked version, enough to wind the transfer case up.
Funnily enough I bought a set of 19" tyres from Jaguar/Land Rover dealer for our X3, they had hundreds of them for sale on eBay. Turns out that Land Rover had done a deal with Pirelli for these tyres for the Disco Sport and they were causing issues, such bad issues that the couldn't actually use them on the new cars, hence they had a few thousand that they were clearing out cheap. I bought a set of 4 for £240. All had less than 20 miles on them.
Look at the issue Mercedes have had with the GLE with the standard 19" tyres, crabbing really badly. In the end Mercedes were swapping out brand new sets of tyres for customers as it was that bad.
Tyres are so important, and when it comes to such sensitive systems as xdrive you need to be a bit careful.
This comes up time and time again, people get drivetrain noises, and some have had their transfer box fail.
This has been discussed for the last 20 years or so now, and is not that rare.
Grab a snap shot of the BMW instructions when replacing tyres on cars.....
Quite clearly on AWD all tyres should be the same.
If it is driving fine go with it, if the traction light starts to show its face, have a rethink, if it feels less planted, if you get any drivetrain grumbles etc. then have a rethink.
I don't mix tyres front and rear on any BMW after some really dodgy experiences with different versions of tyres front and rear on the M3. Even had the techs at BMW scratching their heads and throwing now dampers, springs, control arms etc. at the car, before realising we had a different Pilot Sport up front to rear. All matched up and perfect.
Having experienced that I can now feel it in less powerful cars too. Why bother buying a BMW and take handling away from it? May as well buy an Audi.
Look at all the posts on the E83 X3 when that was popular, people were mixing * marked tyres with the non star marked ones and having all sorts of issues.
Turns out the star marked tyre was actually a slightly different dimension to the non star marked version, enough to wind the transfer case up.
Funnily enough I bought a set of 19" tyres from Jaguar/Land Rover dealer for our X3, they had hundreds of them for sale on eBay. Turns out that Land Rover had done a deal with Pirelli for these tyres for the Disco Sport and they were causing issues, such bad issues that the couldn't actually use them on the new cars, hence they had a few thousand that they were clearing out cheap. I bought a set of 4 for £240. All had less than 20 miles on them.
Look at the issue Mercedes have had with the GLE with the standard 19" tyres, crabbing really badly. In the end Mercedes were swapping out brand new sets of tyres for customers as it was that bad.
Tyres are so important, and when it comes to such sensitive systems as xdrive you need to be a bit careful.
gizlaroc said:
No one really knows why?
This comes up time and time again, people get drivetrain noises, and some have had their transfer box fail.
This has been discussed for the last 20 years or so now, and is not that rare.
Grab a snap shot of the BMW instructions when replacing tyres on cars.....
Quite clearly on AWD all tyres should be the same.
If it is driving fine go with it, if the traction light starts to show its face, have a rethink, if it feels less planted, if you get any drivetrain grumbles etc. then have a rethink.
I don't mix tyres front and rear on any BMW after some really dodgy experiences with different versions of tyres front and rear on the M3. Even had the techs at BMW scratching their heads and throwing now dampers, springs, control arms etc. at the car, before realising we had a different Pilot Sport up front to rear. All matched up and perfect.
Having experienced that I can now feel it in less powerful cars too. Why bother buying a BMW and take handling away from it? May as well buy an Audi.
Look at all the posts on the E83 X3 when that was popular, people were mixing * marked tyres with the non star marked ones and having all sorts of issues.
Turns out the star marked tyre was actually a slightly different dimension to the non star marked version, enough to wind the transfer case up.
Funnily enough I bought a set of 19" tyres from Jaguar/Land Rover dealer for our X3, they had hundreds of them for sale on eBay. Turns out that Land Rover had done a deal with Pirelli for these tyres for the Disco Sport and they were causing issues, such bad issues that the couldn't actually use them on the new cars, hence they had a few thousand that they were clearing out cheap. I bought a set of 4 for £240. All had less than 20 miles on them.
Look at the issue Mercedes have had with the GLE with the standard 19" tyres, crabbing really badly. In the end Mercedes were swapping out brand new sets of tyres for customers as it was that bad.
Tyres are so important, and when it comes to such sensitive systems as xdrive you need to be a bit careful.
Thanks, that's the first time I've seen anything from BMW on this. Should have said I have all the same tyres on all wheels, star marked and I'm also about to remove 2 tyres as they're not within 2mm (8mm vs 4mm IIRC). This comes up time and time again, people get drivetrain noises, and some have had their transfer box fail.
This has been discussed for the last 20 years or so now, and is not that rare.
Grab a snap shot of the BMW instructions when replacing tyres on cars.....
Quite clearly on AWD all tyres should be the same.
If it is driving fine go with it, if the traction light starts to show its face, have a rethink, if it feels less planted, if you get any drivetrain grumbles etc. then have a rethink.
I don't mix tyres front and rear on any BMW after some really dodgy experiences with different versions of tyres front and rear on the M3. Even had the techs at BMW scratching their heads and throwing now dampers, springs, control arms etc. at the car, before realising we had a different Pilot Sport up front to rear. All matched up and perfect.
Having experienced that I can now feel it in less powerful cars too. Why bother buying a BMW and take handling away from it? May as well buy an Audi.
Look at all the posts on the E83 X3 when that was popular, people were mixing * marked tyres with the non star marked ones and having all sorts of issues.
Turns out the star marked tyre was actually a slightly different dimension to the non star marked version, enough to wind the transfer case up.
Funnily enough I bought a set of 19" tyres from Jaguar/Land Rover dealer for our X3, they had hundreds of them for sale on eBay. Turns out that Land Rover had done a deal with Pirelli for these tyres for the Disco Sport and they were causing issues, such bad issues that the couldn't actually use them on the new cars, hence they had a few thousand that they were clearing out cheap. I bought a set of 4 for £240. All had less than 20 miles on them.
Look at the issue Mercedes have had with the GLE with the standard 19" tyres, crabbing really badly. In the end Mercedes were swapping out brand new sets of tyres for customers as it was that bad.
Tyres are so important, and when it comes to such sensitive systems as xdrive you need to be a bit careful.
BMW * marked tyres can differ considerably in terms of width/construction and shape to the generic versions, on xdrive cars this can lead to issues..that's before you talk about differing tread depths across the same axle which can also be an issue hence a puncture after a few miles often means changing both tyres.
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