BMW approved tires?
Discussion
I came across a few posts on this forum mentioning "BMW approved tires". I have my E70 booked for winter tire fitting soon and of course I have the staggered set - 275/40 R20 front and 315/35 R20 rear. Best tires I could get at this time were Continental WinterContact TS 860 run flats. But how am I supposed to find out if those are among "BMW approved"? How important is that if the measurements are right? Apparently if they are not "BMW approved" they can cause transfer box issues?
If they are the right size, whether BMW approved or not, the transfer box will be just fine. Some manufacturers work with tyre manufacturers to create specific compounds etc for their cars - those tyres are then marked for those specific manufacturers.
See for example your front tyres on Camskill - these are “OE BMW” so BMW-marked: https://www.camskill.co.uk/m63b0s11468p0/Car_Tyres...
But honestly unless you are obsessive about it, any tyres that are the right size will be fine on the drivetrain. I think you really need to be in supercar territory for the OE tyre types to make any sense in my opinion. I’ve heard some quote that you might have an insurance issue if you have an accident with non-manufacturer approved tyres on but I seriously doubt it.
See for example your front tyres on Camskill - these are “OE BMW” so BMW-marked: https://www.camskill.co.uk/m63b0s11468p0/Car_Tyres...
But honestly unless you are obsessive about it, any tyres that are the right size will be fine on the drivetrain. I think you really need to be in supercar territory for the OE tyre types to make any sense in my opinion. I’ve heard some quote that you might have an insurance issue if you have an accident with non-manufacturer approved tyres on but I seriously doubt it.
With the early BMW X3's, the various online forums were full of threads where someone had endless transfer case problems, with all and sundry saying it cannot possibly be related to tyres, only to have all the problems subsequently resolved with the fitment of a set of "approved" tyres.
The E83 X3's were notorious for this, with anything other than identical tyres with very similar tread wear on all 4 corners being a recipe for problems. In cases where staggered sizes were fitted (Msport models), it was essential to ensure the circumference of front and rear tyres was identical. This is absolutely not always the case with all tyre manufacturers, despite the sizes suggesting they should be very close. With some tyres the differences can be large. Hence the approved "star rated" tyres where the manufacturer essentially provides an assurance that the circumference differences will be within tolerance. I've seen mention of 1% or so difference being the allowed variance.
Apart from front / rear sizes, with the X3's it was also important that the specific make/model of all 4 tyres fitted was identical.
I don't know to what extent these issues apply with the E70 - perhaps the Xdrive system is more tolerant, but don't be too quick to dismiss such advice simply because it doesn't necessarily seem logical to those with no knowledge or experience of these systems.
Where front and rears are the same size, approved tyres are not likely to be an issue, provided the tyres are all the same, and tread depth is not too different. With staggered sizes, just be aware that there could potentially be issues.
The E83 X3's were notorious for this, with anything other than identical tyres with very similar tread wear on all 4 corners being a recipe for problems. In cases where staggered sizes were fitted (Msport models), it was essential to ensure the circumference of front and rear tyres was identical. This is absolutely not always the case with all tyre manufacturers, despite the sizes suggesting they should be very close. With some tyres the differences can be large. Hence the approved "star rated" tyres where the manufacturer essentially provides an assurance that the circumference differences will be within tolerance. I've seen mention of 1% or so difference being the allowed variance.
Apart from front / rear sizes, with the X3's it was also important that the specific make/model of all 4 tyres fitted was identical.
I don't know to what extent these issues apply with the E70 - perhaps the Xdrive system is more tolerant, but don't be too quick to dismiss such advice simply because it doesn't necessarily seem logical to those with no knowledge or experience of these systems.
Where front and rears are the same size, approved tyres are not likely to be an issue, provided the tyres are all the same, and tread depth is not too different. With staggered sizes, just be aware that there could potentially be issues.
DaveZed said:
With the early BMW X3's, the various online forums were full of threads where someone had endless transfer case problems, with all and sundry saying it cannot possibly be related to tyres, only to have all the problems subsequently resolved with the fitment of a set of "approved" tyres.
The E83 X3's were notorious for this, with anything other than identical tyres with very similar tread wear on all 4 corners being a recipe for problems. In cases where staggered sizes were fitted (Msport models), it was essential to ensure the circumference of front and rear tyres was identical. This is absolutely not always the case with all tyre manufacturers, despite the sizes suggesting they should be very close. With some tyres the differences can be large. Hence the approved "star rated" tyres where the manufacturer essentially provides an assurance that the circumference differences will be within tolerance. I've seen mention of 1% or so difference being the allowed variance.
Apart from front / rear sizes, with the X3's it was also important that the specific make/model of all 4 tyres fitted was identical.
I don't know to what extent these issues apply with the E70 - perhaps the Xdrive system is more tolerant, but don't be too quick to dismiss such advice simply because it doesn't necessarily seem logical to those with no knowledge or experience of these systems.
Where front and rears are the same size, approved tyres are not likely to be an issue, provided the tyres are all the same, and tread depth is not too different. With staggered sizes, just be aware that there could potentially be issues.
Indeed. My E70 is MSport with staggered set - 275/40 R20 front and 315/35 R20 rear and I have triple checked these numbers. The tires I chose are Continental WinterContact TS 860 S SSR and they do have the approval star on them.The E83 X3's were notorious for this, with anything other than identical tyres with very similar tread wear on all 4 corners being a recipe for problems. In cases where staggered sizes were fitted (Msport models), it was essential to ensure the circumference of front and rear tyres was identical. This is absolutely not always the case with all tyre manufacturers, despite the sizes suggesting they should be very close. With some tyres the differences can be large. Hence the approved "star rated" tyres where the manufacturer essentially provides an assurance that the circumference differences will be within tolerance. I've seen mention of 1% or so difference being the allowed variance.
Apart from front / rear sizes, with the X3's it was also important that the specific make/model of all 4 tyres fitted was identical.
I don't know to what extent these issues apply with the E70 - perhaps the Xdrive system is more tolerant, but don't be too quick to dismiss such advice simply because it doesn't necessarily seem logical to those with no knowledge or experience of these systems.
Where front and rears are the same size, approved tyres are not likely to be an issue, provided the tyres are all the same, and tread depth is not too different. With staggered sizes, just be aware that there could potentially be issues.
The only thing I'm not 100% sure of is how the load index is determined - 113 front and 110 rear in my case. The way I see it, when cornering, outer tires will experience significantly more load and V8 E70 is a heavy beast.
There are tables online that will give you the load ratings. From what I can see, 110 is 1060 kg, and 113 is 1150 kg (per tyre).
The quoted max speed ratings (H, V, W etc) are at the above loaded values, but I don't know that cornering loadings are added. I suspect not - the speed rating likely provides an allowance for that.
The quoted max speed ratings (H, V, W etc) are at the above loaded values, but I don't know that cornering loadings are added. I suspect not - the speed rating likely provides an allowance for that.
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