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[deutschmann59]

This doesn't really apply to me in my case because all four of my tire dimensions are 205/55R-16 (standard 325i tires). But I'm just curious about this, and maybe this will help others in deciding to get the performance tires or not. How does one rotate front and back tires after they get like 10,000 miles on them when they are different dimensions? On the 330i with SP, the front tires are 225/40R-18 and the rear tires are 255/35R-18.

I would think the front tires still get more wear than the rear since those front tires are used for steering, so how do you rotate them to balance out the wear? Or, since low profile tires don't have the tread life of regualr tires, is tire rotating not an issue? I had Pirelli P7000 on my old car for the summer and those front tires were always a lot more worn than the rear, but I could easily rotate them because all the dimensions were the same.

[Broken1]

I think you don't rotate them. I used to drive a black 325 with the individual wheels on the...225's in the front and 245's at the back if I remeber correctly, and when my front tires wore out, i replaced them, and when my back tires wore out i replaced them. It's a hassle, but if you are "rich" enough to get the sport performance tires, I guess you're "rich" enough not to rotate them...

[johnfkitchen]

You don't rotate front-to-rear, of course. And tires that have a defined direction of rotation don't get swapped to the other side of the car. That's how my C5 Corvette works (the one that is going to make room for the 330i )

[E90Fleet]

BMW advises against rotating tires, they always have

[deutschmann59]

Thanks, guys. I guess that answers my question. If there are tires specially made for the rear and special different-sized tires for the front, I couldn't see bringing the rear ones to the front and the front ones to the rear. That didn't make a whole lot of sense.

I guess in a way I'm glad I didn't get the sport package. I see all the tire packages have run-flats, which I think still cost around $400 a tire. Not only that, but I think the sport tires are only good for around 10,000 miles, maybe a little more. I guess for some people that isn't a problem at all, but for me, I personally couldn't afford that until the whole thing is completely paid off . Thanks again guys!

[Armen52]

I don't know where people are coming up with these numbers. The sport tires will be good for about 20K miles if you drive normally around town with occasional spirited driving. If you're auto-crossing the car often, then yeah, don't expect more than 10K miles. But then, you wouldn't expect such a thing if you autocross.

Also, I don't think the standard all-season run-flats are $400. Probably closer to $300. This is easily checked at TireRack, links provided in this forum. That would be better than just randomly guessing numbers and misinforming people.

[deutschmann59]

Sorry Armen, I didn't realize they came down in price. The last time I checked they were around $400.00. Maybe 10,000 miles is a little low, but like I said, I had a set of Pirelli P7000s and I only drove them in the summer for about three years and I know for a fact I didn't put more than 10,000 miles on them and they were nearly bald. Maybe it's just Pirelli, or maybe that's just the way sports tires are.

[deutschmann59]

You're right about the price of the run-flats. Tire rack says about $850.00 for a set of 4 for the 325i SP, but I was pretty close for the 330i SP. You're still looking at $1440.00 for a set, or around $360.00 a tire.

[segfault]

If the SP tires are not directional, you could rotate them left to right (reversing their direction of rotation which may cause drivability problems), but there is probably little point in this as left and right tires on the same axle will have similar wear rates and patterns, unless you're driving around an oval track a lot. BMW recommends against tire rotation, but many owners do it anyway.

I do not plan to rotate the summer tires on my 325i SP, but do plan to rotate the winter tires at the end of each season (mark them and install them "rotated" the next season).

[deutschmann59]

Originally Posted by segfault

I do not plan to rotate the summer tires on my 325i SP, but do plan to rotate the winter tires at the end of each season (mark them and install them "rotated" the next season).

What kind of winter tires do you have/are you getting? I think putting winter tires on is a good idea even though I have the all-seasons, because I read since the car is RWD, it will probably perform better in the snow with winter tires. Also, are you buying separate rims?

[romeo26]

segfault you cannot rotat tires from left to right!!!!! that is very dangerous!!!! the tires get used to running in a cirtain direction!!! you can rotate them front to back but not with stagared tires(sport pack i think)!!!

[segfault]

Originally Posted by romeo26

segfault you cannot rotat tires from left to right!!!!! that is very dangerous!!!! the tires get used to running in a cirtain direction!!! you can rotate them front to back but not with stagared tires(sport pack i think)!!!

I noted that this can cause drivability/vibration problems, for the reason that you said. I don't agree with your assessment that it is dangerous for tires in good condition, as it is recommended by Tire Rack for non-directional staggered performance tires, and it is identical in function (reversing the rotation direction) to the cross-rotation recommended by many tire and vehicle manufacturers.

Tire Rack Link

[segfault]

Originally Posted by sharp1183

What kind of winter tires do you have/are you getting? I think putting winter tires on is a good idea even though I have the all-seasons, because I read since the car is RWD, it will probably perform better in the snow with winter tires. Also, are you buying separate rims?

I will choose from what sizes of 17" non-staggered runflats are available for the next season--a narrow market, and obviously there isn't a lot available in June. I will be buying a set of non-staggered 17" wheels to mount them on. I live in Kentucky and have never had snow tires before--only all-seasons, but the Tire Rack tests seem to indicate that snow tires have about 33% more traction on snow than all-seasons do. Also, RWD/FWD/AWD does not matter in that a given car will always perform better in snow with snow tires, although a car with a RWD drivetrain may receive a greater benefit from snows than an AWD car.

There are lot of variables that go into whether winter tires are "right" for someone who is running all-seasons, such as:
* Whether the "all-seasons" you are running are performance all-seasons with marginal winter traction compared to standard all-seasons
* The desirability of replacing the all-seasons with summer tires when they wear out should you get winter tires
* The frequency and severity of snows you see in your driving environment, and the length of the snow season
* The added expense and short treadwear of winter tires
* If you continue to run all-seasons in conjunction with the snows, the convenience/ability to wait until after the first few snows before switching to winter tires, and take them off before the absolute end of the snow season
* The treadwear saved on the main tires through use of the winter tires

[Armen52]

Originally Posted by sharp1183

You're right about the price of the run-flats. Tire rack says about $850.00 for a set of 4 for the 325i SP, but I was pretty close for the 330i SP. You're still looking at $1440.00 for a set, or around $360.00 a tire.

By the time you or I need some tires, odds are they'll be cheaper still. That's good news for us.