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[nboksa]

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem to mine...

I took delivery of my wife's 2012 328i Sport Wagon E91 just before Christmas 2011. I noticed almost immediately that it had a vibration between 60-80 mph and had a "sway" in the alignment, it would not track straight.

They picked the car up, said the tires were balanced fine but did an alignment. The sway was MOSTLY cleared up but the vibration was as bad as ever.

They picked it up a second time, this time admitting there was a vibration. They balanced the wheels, tried changing all 4 existing Continental tires to a new set of Continentals. Problem still persisted. They have found that another brand of tires, in my case Bridgestone, solved the problem. I have yet to receive the car back to see for myself.

This is a brand new car with less than 1,500 miles on it. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem? Are Bridgestones an exceptable brand?

[nichojo]

Sounds more like your wife ate a curb.

[roundle]

Horrible luck!

My 2011 328i E91 (ZSP) came from the factory with Bridgestone RFTs. They lasted about 30K. They were OK for the first 20K miles; the last 10K were very loud. I've since switched to a non-RFT Michelin (Pilot Primacy HP).

BMW uses Pirelli, Michelin, Bridgestone, and Continental. What you end up with is usually determined by your production date. All are considered to be "premium" brands.

[impactplayer]

That really sucks, sorry

[cssnms]

Try getting the tires ROAD FORCE balanced. If the Road Force machine cannot get them balanced it will provide a report to substantiate which tire/wheel cannot be balanced and if the rim is bent or tire is out of out of round. Then you can take the report to the dealer and have the faulty wheel or tire replaced by the dealer.

[billiebob]

My brand new 328i with continentals does the same thing between 60 and 80 and it's really darn annoying. The dealer road force balanced the tires and replaced two of them with the same kind but this didn't help.

Many posts on the forum suggest this is just the way bmws with rfts feel on the highway. I hate it and I hope it goes away once I switch to non rft tires.

[like'n'i6]

my continental extreme contact dw doesn't do that. i go about 70-80 mph daily.

[nboksa]

Thanks all. She didn't have time to "eat a curb," the car vibrated on the ride home from delivery. The tires were road force balanced and it did not help. This is my 5th 3-series, 2nd with RFT's... never have had a problem like this. I will report back after I drive it with the Bridgestone RFT's.

[nboksa]

They changed all 4 tires out to Bridgestone Potenza RFT's and the problem is completely gone.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by nboksa

They changed all 4 tires out to Bridgestone Potenza RFT's and the problem is completely gone.

It sounds like you just got one or more bad OEM Continental tires which were properly replaced under waranty.

While most folks seem to prefer the Conti ProContact SSR tires to the Bridgestone EL 42, the EL 42s on my '07 E91 have been fine for 15,000 miles. The only issue I've noticed is that the wet traction could be a bit better.

Also, it's not a question of whether Continental and Bridgestone are "acceptable" brands - they are premium brands but they both make many different types and models of tires. The question is better framed "Is this tire good for my car and my driving needs?"

Tom

[R12ax7]

Originally Posted by billiebob

My brand new 328i with continentals does the same thing between 60 and 80 and it's really darn annoying. The dealer road force balanced the tires and replaced two of them with the same kind but this didn't help.

Many posts on the forum suggest this is just the way bmws with rfts feel on the highway. I hate it and I hope it goes away once I switch to non rft tires.

Originally Posted by like'n'i6

my continental extreme contact dw doesn't do that. i go about 70-80 mph daily.

Originally Posted by nboksa

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem to mine...

I took delivery of my wife's 2012 328i Sport Wagon E91 just before Christmas 2011. I noticed almost immediately that it had a vibration between 60-80 mph and had a "sway" in the alignment, it would not track straight.

They picked the car up, said the tires were balanced fine but did an alignment. The sway was MOSTLY cleared up but the vibration was as bad as ever.

They picked it up a second time, this time admitting there was a vibration. They balanced the wheels, tried changing all 4 existing Continental tires to a new set of Continentals. Problem still persisted. They have found that another brand of tires, in my case Bridgestone, solved the problem. I have yet to receive the car back to see for myself.

This is a brand new car with less than 1,500 miles on it. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem? Are Bridgestones an exceptable brand?

I am no expert here but I'm surprised this hasnt been suggested yet (then again, that may be because its not a good solution...), but have you tried playing with the tire pressure? Adding/subtracting a few psi? Either in all 4 tires or just front/just back?

Obviously you shouldnt be having this problem, period. But a few psi can make a big difference.

Originally Posted by nboksa

They changed all 4 tires out to Bridgestone Potenza RFT's and the problem is completely gone.

Nice! You really can't ask for a better outcome than that IMO...I'd imagine most dealerships would have said "we couldn't duplicate the problem" and then sent you on you're way.

Either way, glad you got the problem solved without too much headache!