[capt_slow]

Through a bit of luck, or lack thereof, I only have 1 original factory tire on my F31. The rest were replaced by America's Tire Road Hazard certs. Here's how my setup is:

Pirelli Cinturato P7 RFT, 225/45/R18 square
Current Odometer: 39400
Front Right: Original factory tire, 4/32nd
Front Left: Replaced at 5380 (34K on this tire), 5/32nd
Rear Right: Replaced at 19K (20K on this tire), 5/32nd
Rear Left: Replaced at 19K (20K on this tire), 5/32nd

The front right (original factory tire) has developed a uneven wear, such that both shoulders are wearing out faster. The center treads are at 4/32nd. The wear at the shoulders usually mean under inflation, but I check and adjust it every month.


For comparison, the front left tire looks like this and is starting to show signs of shoulder wear.


Is the wear on the original factory tire severe enough to warrant an immediate replacement? Or can it be deferred for another 10K? The plan was to replace all 4 tires with non-RFT Michelin Pilot Sport AS4s in about 10K (around December). The remaining good tires would be sold off as lease returns or as a full size-spare.

[Shawnto]

The indicator shows that you need to replace your tire now. Check out 4wheelonline for more details.

[alohasurftoad]

In the top photo, I doubt it'll go another 10k before the ply is exposed. I'd replace it soon.

toe out of alignment spec may be the cause, not sure though.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

In the top photo, I doubt it'll go another 10k before the ply is exposed. I'd replace it soon.

toe out of alignment spec may be the cause, not sure though.

I agree. The tire in the top photo ought to be replaced soon.

When was the 4-wheel alignment done?

[chowser51]

Replace all four and look into an alignment.

Rubber is life.

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by chowser51

Replace all four and look into an alignment.

Rubber is life.

Darn right!!! 100% agree. The tires touch the road and getting a few extra miles out of them makes no sense, if they might in anyway be compromised.

[capt_slow]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

I agree. The tire in the top photo ought to be replaced soon.

When was the 4-wheel alignment done?

The alignment was done by a local indy shop at 19K, around the same time the rear tires were replaced. The before/after measurements:



If I'm going to get new tires and go non-RF, I may as well make good use of the RFs I have now. Since they are all at least 4/32s in tread or more, should I..

1. Sell entire set as lease returns?
2. Keep a good tire as a full-sized spare and sell the rest?

[chowser51]

Are you leasing?
get new tires and toss your RFs in the garage for when it's time to return.

if you're not leasing, then get new tires and throw the old ones away.

You getting summers or all seasons?

a set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 in 225/45/18 is well under $1k.

i live in a multi weather climate, when my all season tires get to 4/32 or less, I replace them all.

[CajunBMW]

I have had RFT and was thinking what to do with my next set as they were getting worn. I actually decided to keep RFTs and went with the new Michelin Sport 4 ZPs. I have been really impressed. My car is DD and I often travel to places away from civilization with kids for soccer, so RFTs were important. These new Michelin's so far are really good. They are quiet and feel really good on my car. Hypothetically speaking of course, they run really well above 75-80 mph.

[capt_slow]

Originally Posted by chowser51

Are you leasing?
get new tires and toss your RFs in the garage for when it's time to return.

if you're not leasing, then get new tires and throw the old ones away.

You getting summers or all seasons?

a set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 in 225/45/18 is well under $1k.

i live in a multi weather climate, when my all season tires get to 4/32 or less, I replace them all.

Not a lease. I don't do a lot of spirited driving plus SoCal doesnt have a lot of inclement weather, so summers or all seasons will work for me. I read the Michelin Pilot AS4s had improved winter performance and better all around, so that's why I'm eyeing it.

[MacklinUSOB]

Originally Posted by capt_slow

The alignment was done by a local indy shop at 19K, around the same time the rear tires were replaced. The before/after measurements:

[IMG]https://www.dropbox.com/s/f69jsi4hxu...9185.png?raw=1[/IMG]

If I'm going to get new tires and go non-RF, I may as well make good use of the RFs I have now. Since they are all at least 4/32s in tread or more, should I..

1. Sell entire set as lease returns?
2. Keep a good tire as a full-sized spare and sell the rest?

Couple of things jumping out here on that alignment sheet. Both your caster and camber are quite a ways off FL to FR, and those typically should match. Seeing that paired with the uneven tire wear it begs the question, did the car sustain any pothole damage?

[capt_slow]

Originally Posted by MacklinUSOB

Couple of things jumping out here on that alignment sheet. Both your caster and camber are quite a ways off FL to FR, and those typically should match. Seeing that paired with the uneven tire wear it begs the question, did the car sustain any pothole damage?

At around the same time (19K), the front right rim was found bent. It was subsequently repaired and moved to the back axle. After the repair was when the alignment was done. I didnt notice any other damage to the suspension.

An earlier alignment was done at around 17K and captured the original condition untouched from factory. Camber and caster is closer:


Interesting to note that the guys who repaired my rim also had some interesting things to say about the folks who did the alignment. That said, I'll be doing the next alignment at a local BMW indy shop after I install the new Michelins in a few days.

[MacklinUSOB]

Good on you for keeping all of your alignment sheets handy.

I will say the difference there is not super extreme by any means, it only stood out to me in the context of that uneven wear pattern between FR & FL, despite their slight mileage difference. That L<->R difference is mostly the same prior to that pothole @ 19k~ so I agree it couldn't have been that bad. The OEM wheels are really prone to bending, anyway. I've had all of mine repaired at this point.

I also see the wear and know that our cars love eating the outer edge when driven hard, so I know you're going to love carving up those left handers on that new rubber. Enjoy.

[capt_slow]

Finally got the AS4's mounted! It's definitely a quieter ride and handles much better than the old tires. And love the look of the sidewalls! I'm extremely happy with this decision. The set of 4 cost about $900 out the door from America's Tire, including their excellent Road Hazard certs.


Drove it for about 120 miles before I got the alignment done.

[5w20]

Lack of tire rotation will cause shoulder wear on the front tires.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by 5w20

Lack of tire rotation will cause shoulder wear on the front tires.

That's why I'm a fan of square tire setups. My Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are amazing! 245/40-18. Being able to rotate them regularly front to back keeps the wear very even to obtain maximum wear and performance during their lifespan. I record tread depth measurements every time I remove them for winter.

[capt_slow]

Originally Posted by 5w20

Lack of tire rotation will cause shoulder wear on the front tires.

Can you explain why this is the case? I'm actually curious.

In my case I had shoulder wear on right side only. I suspect if I rotated them regularly, it would see the same wear (albeit slower) on the two right-side tires. That said, with the fresh rubber and a fresh alignment, I'm going to rotate them front-to-back every 10K now.

[CajunBMW]

I can't address the specific's in this case, but I can add at least my experiences. My car came with a staggered set up and directional tires. For me, the biggest deal was getting the correct tire pressure. The first set of tires I burned through in 15k. In my case alignment did not seem to be the case. Once I changed the tire pressure as recommend by the dealer, I got 30k on my tires. I went from 32/25 to 36/36 psi. I just replaced them as pointed out above. When I had them replaced there was even wear right to left on both the fronts and back.

[5w20]

Originally Posted by capt_slow

Can you explain why this is the case? I'm actually curious.

In my case I had shoulder wear on right side only. I suspect if I rotated them regularly, it would see the same wear (albeit slower) on the two right-side tires. That said, with the fresh rubber and a fresh alignment, I'm going to rotate them front-to-back every 10K now.

most vehicles are front heavy, and when making turns the vehicle the weight is pushed towards the shoulders of the tires.

Under inflated tires will cause the same wear as well.

[capt_slow]

Originally Posted by 5w20

most vehicles are front heavy, and when making turns the vehicle the weight is pushed towards the shoulders of the tires.

Under inflated tires will cause the same wear as well.

Thanks. That does make sense.

It's been 115 miles since the alignment, so I might be overthinking this. But does the right side contact patch look farther out to the shoulders than that of the left?

Front-right


Front-left


I checked the inside shoulders and they look even left to right.

[5w20]

Originally Posted by capt_slow

Thanks. That does make sense.

It's been 115 miles since the alignment, so I might be overthinking this. But does the right side contact patch look farther out to the shoulders than that of the left?

Front-right


Front-left


I checked the inside shoulders and they look even left to right.

That’s normal according to your alignment specs. The side with -0.2° will have slightly more outer shoulder wear (contact with the road) since it’s closer to zero degrees which makes the wheel sit basically upright.

[capt_slow]

Originally Posted by 5w20

That’s normal according to your alignment specs. The side with -0.2° will have slightly more outer shoulder wear (contact with the road) since it’s closer to zero degrees which makes the wheel sit basically upright.

That makes sense. I wonder why the Hunter (or the factory) called for less camber on the right side. Both sides are within tolerance, but I'm curious the reasoning behind it.