[Mountain_Commando]

Hi guys,

I need to replace the front tires on my 435i Gran Couple (rears are just 6 months old and barely used) and I've decided to go with NON-rft's.

Currently my fronts are 225/40/19/89Y's, but these tramline horribly.

Now my primary requirement are tires that don't tramline. I don't care how hard it gets to turn or corner, I just want tires that will keep me going straight and not have the steering react to every ridge/groove on the road.

So with that in mind, what measurement tires should I get for minimal tramlining? I'm assuming that the width and rim is dictated by my wheels, and hence HAS to be 225 and 19 respectively. But what profile and load/speed index should I get?

Cheers.

[floydarogers]

225 is pretty much the minimum recommended width, for all size wheels on these cars.

You'll have to go to an 18" or 17" wheel to reduce tramlining: the higher aspect ratio on those will minimize it.

Check your tire pressures front and rear. Really can make a difference if not exactly on.

[Mountain_Commando]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

225 is pretty much the minimum recommended width, for all size wheels on these cars.

You'll have to go to an 18" or 17" wheel to reduce tramlining: the higher aspect ratio on those will minimize it.

Check your tire pressures front and rear. Really can make a difference if not exactly on.

Right. Will get tire pressure optimised when installing the new tires. Also hoping the fresh treads/grip will help.

But do profile and load/speed index make any difference?

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by Mountain_Commando

Right. Will get tire pressure optimised when installing the new tires. Also hoping the fresh treads/grip will help.

But do profile and load/speed index make any difference?

Fresh tires don't generally tramline as much as after some wear.

Profile and width are probably 90%. Narrow is better - my old 2001 330xi had two sets of wheels/tires, and the 205/50R17 tramlined much less than the 225/45R17 set. Higher profiles allow more flex: less tramlining.

Suspension setup also has an effect. BMWs are set up with small castor and a fair bit of camber, which causes more tramlining than others with a less aggressive setup.

[jnecr]

Tramlining has mostly to do with the tread pattern. Long uninterrupted tread will create more tramlining as those grooves latch onto any longitudinal imperfection in the road. Load rating has nothing to do with it. Lower profile tires are worse, but mostly just because low profile tires are usually high performance tires.

The most important thing to know is what brand and model tire do you have now?

I think to really reduce tramlining you'll want to go to an 18", or even 17", wheel. There aren't many non-performance tires available in 19" sizes. All-season tires will usually tramline less due to their tread pattern being less aggressive. I have a set of 17" wheels that I use when travelling on long trips. I have 225/50/R17 all-seasons on them and they barely tramline at all.

[Mountain_Commando]

Originally Posted by jnecr

Tramlining has mostly to do with the tread pattern. Long uninterrupted tread will create more tramlining as those grooves latch onto any longitudinal imperfection in the road. Load rating has nothing to do with it. Lower profile tires are worse, but mostly just because low profile tires are usually high performance tires.

The most important thing to know is what brand and model tire do you have now?

I think to really reduce tramlining you'll want to go to an 18", or even 17", wheel. There aren't many non-performance tires available in 19" sizes. All-season tires will usually tramline less due to their tread pattern being less aggressive. I have a set of 17" wheels that I use when travelling on long trips. I have 225/50/R17 all-seasons on them and they barely tramline at all.

The part about the tread makes sense. Right now, I have some cheapie brand RFT's which are extremely worn. I'm replacing them with another cheapie brand () that are NON-rft's. Changing the wheels is not really an option, because I like the size and design of my ///M twin spokes.

Well the die is cast since the tyres are already here and I will be getting them fitted tomorrow. Lets see how it goes...will post feedback.

[Mountain_Commando]

Ok so I just had the new front tyres put in, and there is a HUGE improvement!

The tyres in question are Winrun 225/40/R19/93W's non-RFT. Same dimensions as before, but higher load index and lower speed index (previous were 89Y's). The tread pattern is also more elaborate which has no doubt helped.

$252 AUD including shipping and fitment for the pair. Sweet!

[kyle47]

Originally Posted by Mountain_Commando

Ok so I just had the new front tyres put in, and there is a HUGE improvement!

The tyres in question are Winrun 225/40/R19/93W's non-RFT. Same dimensions as before, but higher load index and lower speed index (previous were 89Y's). The tread pattern is also more elaborate which has no doubt helped.

$252 AUD including shipping and fitment for the pair. Sweet!

Hey mate,

Sorry for bringing back an old post. I got the same tramlining issue on my F30. Recently I changed my wheels and tyres from 17'' to 19''. And the tramlining problem is driving me crazy on the new 19''. I plan to change to NRFT as you did. Did you replace all 4 RFT to NRFT or just the front and still keeping the RFT on the rear?

[Mountain_Commando]

Originally Posted by kyle47

Hey mate,

Sorry for bringing back an old post. I got the same tramlining issue on my F30. Recently I changed my wheels and tyres from 17'' to 19''. And the tramlining problem is driving me crazy on the new 19''. I plan to change to NRFT as you did. Did you replace all 4 RFT to NRFT or just the front and still keeping the RFT on the rear?

Hey mate,

I only changed the front two. Instantly solved the tramlining problem!

Close to two years later (wow, time files ), tyres still performing perfectly!

[kyle47]

Originally Posted by Mountain_Commando

Hey mate,

I only changed the front two. Instantly solved the tramlining problem!

Close to two years later (wow, time files ), tyres still performing perfectly!

Good to hear that! So you are mixing the tyres, 2 NRFT in the front and 2 RFT in the rear, and everything is perfect for the mixing?

[Mountain_Commando]

Originally Posted by kyle47

Good to hear that! So you are mixing the tyres, 2 NRFT in the front and 2 RFT in the rear, and everything is perfect for the mixing?

Yep, no issues mixing at all.

The only 'issue' I have with the rear tyres is that they're not grippy enough. But this only became an issue after I applied FBO and MHD stage2+ tune, so now the car has 430hp but the stock rear RFT's aren't thick enough for that much power and I'll occasionally get wheelspins but only on sports+ mode.