[arts711]

I've been searching all over and can't seem to get a clear answer to this...

With xdrive and square setup (pirelli run flat all seasons) , do we or do we not rotate the tires. The OM says no but common logic and practice seems yes. Anyone have advice on this?

[ska///235i]

If tires are nondirectional, rotate wont hurt

[SteveInfante]

I was also told at the dealer that they don't rotate the tires. I'm trying to figure out why. Yes they are non-directional tires. Looks like I'm rotating them myself.

[pjohns21]

Originally Posted by SteveInfante

I was also told at the dealer that they don't rotate the tires. I'm trying to figure out why. Yes they are non-directional tires. Looks like I'm rotating them myself.

BMW recommends never rotating tires, especially for xDrive vehicles. For RWD, the rear wheels provide the acceleration and the fronts do the steering. Over time, as the tires break themselves in, they get better at their respective tasks. The only justification for rotating tires is to provide more even wear. This makes more sense when a car is FWD, but much less so with RWD, as each set of wheels has their own duties to perform. Concerning xDrive, you have 40% of the engine's power to the front and 60% of it to the rear tires 99% of the time, so you can expect similar wear throughout. Rotating the tires may extend the life of the tires a slight bit, but you can expect the tires to take another couple of hundred miles to reach a similar level of performance you had before the wheels were rotated. Rotating staggered tires makes much less sense. Rotating tires that must be mounted so that they spin in only one direction (aka directional tires- the sidewalls have arrows indicating which way the wheel is meant to spin going forward, so they can only work on the left or the right side of the car, respectively) complicates the issue further. There is no excuse for putting extra maintenance into a vehicle against manufacturer recommendation. BMW expects owners or lessees to do things their way, especially when you are under a warranty and/or free maintenance period, or they will tell you to hit the road (with a voided warranty, of course). Not that tires are part of BMW's manufacturer warranty, mind you.

[pjohns21]

Also, who rotates their tires every 5k? I though it was more every 10-15k, once again according to manufacturer's recommendations. Many tire models sold on new BMWs today are exclusive to the brand and developed in conjunction with BMW and the tire manufacturer (at least is the case with the original tires on my f30 from Bridgestone)- I think tire companies would be on board with BMWs recommendation (or vice versa) when they are partnered with the Germans and working so closely together to put such specific and exclusive tires on performance vehicles. Or, this way causes more excessive tire wear and more frequent tire replacement. It could go either way, lol. .

[2msport]

Personally before I had staggered tires I would rotate them around every 5k. To me 10-15k is too much distance and if there is improper wearing that distance will do enough damage to cut the life of the tire short. Also depending on the tires capable life, if you're only going to get 25k-30k out of them only rotating them once doesn't seem right. It's supposed to be an interval thing.

Rotating tires is to get the most even wear possible for best handling and getting maximum life out of the tire. Rear and front tires wear differently due to their respective jobs. If you take corners hard or accelerate quickly (often) tire rotation is more important. IMO.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by 2msport

Personally before I had staggered tires I would rotate them around every 5k. To me 10-15k is too much distance and if there is improper wearing that distance will do enough damage to cut the life of the tire short. Also depending on the tires capable life, if you're only going to get 25k-30k out of them only rotating them once doesn't seem right. It's supposed to be an interval thing.

Rotating tires is to get the most even wear possible for best handling and getting maximum life out of the tire. Rear and front tires wear differently due to their respective jobs. If you take corners hard or accelerate quickly (often) tire rotation is more important. IMO.

I agree. Every time I have bought square tires the tire dealer tells me to come back every 5K for a free tire rotation.

[Tpeterson]

Originally Posted by 2msport

Personally before I had staggered tires I would rotate them around every 5k. To me 10-15k is too much distance and if there is improper wearing that distance will do enough damage to cut the life of the tire short. Also depending on the tires capable life, if you're only going to get 25k-30k out of them only rotating them once doesn't seem right. It's supposed to be an interval thing.

Rotating tires is to get the most even wear possible for best handling and getting maximum life out of the tire. Rear and front tires wear differently due to their respective jobs. If you take corners hard or accelerate quickly (often) tire rotation is more important. IMO.

I also agree. With my year round car ,not my 228i, I rotate them every 5K to keep the tread depth close to equal front to back.

[SteveInfante]

Originally Posted by 2msport

Rear and front tires wear differently due to their respective jobs. If you take corners hard or accelerate quickly (often) tire rotation is more important. IMO.

This is key. I had to rotate every 5K or so on my Mustang GT because of the rears wearing out much faster than the fronts. I had 275/40/19's squared. I tend to take corners faster than most people and find the apex inside my lane. I can't help myself.