Best place for tyre and wheels balancing for our E90

[Schwepps]

Rachel, if you want your tyres to last longer, align your wheels often. Our road surfaces are bad and the alignment gets whacked when you hit potholes. They don't check your wheels during servicing at the dealers.

6 to 7k sounds right, coz it's every 3 months for me.

 

[astroboy]

.. Our road surfaces are bad and the alignment gets whacked when you hit potholes.....

This is very true. The bigger our rims, the thinner our tyre rubber to cushion the impact from the potholes.. so such punishment to our alignment is far greater than my MPV which is running a far smaller rim but super thick rubber.

Remember, rubber can protect..

As for the alignment interval, it depends on the road condition u travel.. I'm wrong to be generic, but for a women driver, this alignment interval is recommended to be shorten.. :wink: .. and I'm sure Rachel is a better driver than the many ladies I know..

3k? 5k? 10k? I did my first alignment job after delivery at

 

[racheltoh]

yeah, after the cameron trip, on straight road, the car already one sided. then i bring it to IA for my service at 29k km. Mr Faisal said, everything OK....I purposely informed him that my car tyre is bad...when he said ok, i relax lor. but just yesterday i realized the tyre already going botak

 

[Schwepps]

Tyre wasted lor... Very sayang if it's a RM2k RFT.

 

[astroboy]

Trust no one!

... go to an independent tyre shop to take your alignment readings and seek advice as 2nd opinion. I should have done that right after collecting the car from the SC..

Like my case, when I noticed my rear tyre is suffering irregular wear and found out my rear camber is off, I wonder if it was not right in the first place or was it due to the punishment from our ill road condition through out this 20k km of usage..

 

[ebby37]

if you do alignment every 6-7k, do u hv to rotate the tyres too ?

 

[Schwepps]

Of course, ebby37. That counteracts any uneven wear caused by left toe/camber being unequal with right toe/camber. The settings you choose (within allowed range) don't matter as much as left and right being as close to the same as practically possible. In my quarterly checking, all my settings are always still within range, but left and right are usually slightly out.

My tyres usually last so long that I change them because of age (max 2 years), not because they're threadbare.

 

[astroboy]

..My tyres usually last so long that I change them because of age (max 2 years), not because they're threadbare.

So Mr. Schwepps, can u put me in the waiting list for your 2 year-old tyres ka? do u sell them or gift them out for "friendship".. It will be a lot more meaningful if its near my birthday..

 

[Schwepps]

Sure thing! I'll even stick some candles in between the thread. Err, how many candles ah?

 

[racheltoh]

ok...now i m lazy to read back the first post. where is the best place in usj to do balancing n alignment?

 

[astroboy]

Sure thing! I'll even stick some candles in between the thread. Err, how many candles ah?

TQ!! TQ!! TQ!! wah! can still stick candles eh, longkang must be damn deeeeep.. u apa size le? 14", 15", 17" I sapu! :love:

ok...now i m lazy to read back the first post. where is the best place in usj to do balancing n alignment?

~ Lim Tyre at TTDI: Danc, E46Fanatic..
~ Manji Lai in Sunway: t2ribena, affan66..
~ Consistent Distinction at Taman Sri Manja off Old Klang Road (behind Heritage which is facing NPE): Shaifulo, feisaldzul..
~ Tan&Tan at Jln Sg Besi (few doors down from AB Sg Besi): astroboy..

... and I couldn't find where Schwepps did his.. Mana ya?!

 

[MSport]

if you do alignment every 6-7k, do u hv to rotate the tyres too ?

Not if you have staggered tyres.

 

[Schwepps]

Even if staggered, you still rotate side to side to change the direction of tyre rotation and wear bias, if any. Makes the wear more even.

 

[racheltoh]

Aiyah none in USJ. means hv to try Sunway......
Thanks Astroboy.

 

[E46Fanatic]

BMW doesn't recommend tyre rotation esp on unidirection tyres and staggered setup.

-----
BMW's stance is this, depending on individual operating conditions, different wear patterns appear on the front and rear axles. So for safety and handling reasons, BMW does not recommend to rotate the tires.

The possible benefit of slightly improved tire wear will be negatively offset by reduced traction while the tire "wears-in" in its new location. In addition, more and more BMW vehicles are equipped with different tire sizes on front and rear axles, so for those cars it does not make sense to rotate tires.

So the bottom line is: due to the above reasons, it's not worth the cost and effort to perform tire rotation.

---

I think its somewhere in our owner's manual as well. Something I found amusing even from my E46 days.

 

[t2ribena]

bmw also do not recommend the use of nitrogen gas...

 

[Schwepps]

Yes E46F, it's in the manual that rotation is not recommended. Rotating unidirectional and staggered tyres is physically impossible. But for asymetrical, same axle tyres, I don't see the harm, expecially as I do it every 3 months. :top:

They also don't recommend changing the ATF, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Every other marque including MB recommends both these actions, and in fact my W211's ATF was changed during the free maintenance period.

 

[peanut]

Yes E46F, it's in the manual that rotation is not recommended. Rotating unidirectional and staggered tyres is physically impossible. But for asymetrical, same axle tyres, I don't see the harm, expecially as I do it every 3 months. :top:

.

If you attend the BMW Advanced Driving, they will also tell you not to rotate as your contact patch will change after rotation (that is assuming rotation is possible). This changes the handling characteristic of the car somewhat. It is OK to rotate as long as you understand this and don't drive like a maniac immediately after rotating the tire.

 

[azaman]

I have just bought a 325isport, and I find the steering very heavy and not to my liking. Now it is fitted with run flats 225/40/18 front and 255/35/18 for the rear.
I think the hard run flats and the low profile is contributing to this. It is even heavier than my E65 and also the E46 which I like very much.
I wonder whether anyone can advise me what I can do. I have read the brochure of the 3 series and found out that the 325isport comes only with 205/55/16. I have a feeling that it is BMW Malaysia that decided to make it more sporty by putting 18 inch tyres, and because of the already lowered suspension, they have to install the very low profile tyres. I have visited Lim Tayar at TTDi and they say that I can even convert back to ordinary tyres but i have to get a kit for RM1500, which is really a temporary spare. Problem is there is no space for a spare. But if if provides me with comfort as I have experienced in my other cars, then I'm willing to forrgoe some boot space. Any advise?

azaman email:azaman@muda.com.my

 

[astroboy]

Its the 18" wheel too heavy to the steering, it have nothing to do with the RFT, but more towards the bigger contact surface/grip to the ground. Downgrading to conventional tubeless tyre won't help lightening the steering because contact surface remain.

Want to down grade to 17"? Confirm steering lighter, I don't mind swapping for u.. I pay for labor.. .. on second thought.. better not.. the tyre cost will kill me, higher FC, lesser pickup.. no thank you..

If you attend the BMW Advanced Driving, they will also tell you not to rotate as your contact patch will change after rotation (that is assuming rotation is possible). This changes the handling characteristic of the car somewhat. It is OK to rotate as long as you understand this and don't drive like a maniac immediately after rotating the tire.

Same goes with camber adjustment, contact surface pressure will change. Run in process needed, all over again.