Get Operation, care and maintenance -> Wheels and tires: Inflation / Condition / Replacement Guide for BMW M5 4 Door Third Generation (1998-2003)

¹²⁸ⁿTire inflation pressure

Tire condition

Do not drive on a deflated (flat)

tire. A flat tire greatly impairs

Information for your safety

The factory-approved radial tires are

matched to the vehicle and have been

selected to provide optimum safety and

driving comfort on your vehicle.

steering and braking response, and can

lead to complete loss of control over

the vehicle.

Avoid overloading the vehicle so that

the permitted load on the tires is not

exceeded. Overloading can lead to

overheating and increases the rate at

which damage develops inside the

tires. The ultimate result can assume

the form of a sudden air loss.

It is not merely the tire's service life, but

also driving comfort and – above all else

– driving safety that depend on the

condition of the tires and the mainte-

nance of the specified tire pressure.

Incorrect inflation pressure is a frequent

cause of tire damage. It also signifi-

cantly influences the roadholding ability

of your BMW.

Unusual vibrations encountered during

normal vehicle operation can indicate

tire failure or some other vehicle defect,

as can variations in normal vehicle

response, such as a pronounced

tendency to pull to the left or right.

Should this occur, respond by immedi-

ately reducing your speed and carefully

proceeding to the nearest BMW center

or professional tire center, or having the

vehicle towed in to have it and its tires

inspected.

Tire tread – Tire damage

Inspect your tires frequently for tread

wear, signs of damage and for foreign

objects lodged in the tread. Check the

tread depth.

Check tire inflation pressures on

a regular basis (refer to page 26),

at least every two weeks and before

beginning a longer trip. If this is not

done, incorrect tire pressures can

cause driving instability and tire

damage, ultimately resulting in acci-

dents.<

Tread depth should not be allowed to

go below 0.12 in (3 mm), even though

the legally specified minimum tread

depth is 0.063 in (1.6 mm). At a tread

depth of 0.063 in (1.6 mm), tread depth

indicators (arrow) in the tread-groove

base indicate that the legally-permis-

sible wear limit has been reached.

Below 0.12 in (3 mm) tread depth, there

is an increased risk of aquaplaning,

even at relatively moderate speeds and

with only small amounts of water on the

road.

Tire damage (up to and including blow-

outs) can endanger the lives of both the

vehicle occupants and other road

users.<

Tire replacement

129n

Sustained high temperature can cause

To maintain good handling and vehicle practices and differences in road

response, use only tires of a single

tread configuration from a single manu-

facturer. BMW tests and approves

wheel/tire combinations. Refer to

page 133.

characteristics and climate.

the material of the tire to degenerate

and reduce tire life, and excessive

temperature can lead to sudden tire

failure. The grade C correspods to a

level of performance which all

Traction

The traction grades, from highest to

lowest, are AA, A, B and C.

passenger car tires must meet under

the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-

dard No. 109. Grades B and A repre-

sent higher levels of performance on

the laboratory test wheel than the

minimum required by law.

Those grades represent the tire's ability

to stop on wet pavement as measured

under controlled conditions on speci-

fied government test surfaces of

DOT Quality Grades

Tread wear

Traction AA A B C

Temperature A B C

asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C

may have poor traction performance.

All passenger vehicle tires must

conform to Federal Safety

Requirements in addition to these

grades.<

The temperature grade for this

tire is established for a tire that is

properly inflated and not overloaded.

Excessive speed, underinflation, or

excessive loading, either separately or

in combination, can cause heat buildup

and possible tire failure.<

The traction grade assigned to

this tire is based on straight-

ahead braking traction tests, and does

not include acceleration, cornering,

hydroplaning, or peak traction charac-

teristics.<

Tread wear

The tread wear grade is a comparative

rating based on the wear rate of the tire

when tested under controlled condi-

tions on a specified government test

course.

Temperature

Uniform Tire Quality Grading

The temperature grades are A (the

highest), B and C, representing the

tire's resistance to the generation of

heat and its ability to dissipate heat

Quality grades can be found where

applicable on the tire sidewall between

tread shoulder and maximum section

width. For example:

For example, a tire graded 150 would

wear one and one-half (1 g) times as

well on the government course as a tire when tested under controlled condi-

graded 100. The relative performance tions on a specified indoor laboratory

Treadwear 200 Traction AA

Temperature A

of tires depends upon the actual condi- test wheel.

tions of their use, however, and may

depart significantly from the norm due

to variations in driving habits, service

¹³⁰ⁿTire replacement

Tire rotation

Do not use retreaded tires, since

If different tire sizes are mounted

on the front and rear axles (refer to

page 133), the wheels may not be

rotated from one axle to the other.<

Between the axles

driving safety may be impaired.

This is due to the possible variations in

casing structures and, in some cases,

to their extreme age, which can lead to

a decrease in their durability.<

The tread wear patterns at the front end

differ from those at the rear – the actual

patterns will vary according to individ-

ual driving conditions. In the interests of

safety and maintaining optimal handling

characteristics, interaxle tire rotation is

not recommended.

Tire age

The date on which the tire was manu-

factured is indicated by the code on the

sidewall:

If a proposed interaxle rotation of tires is

based on economic considerations, one

should consider whether the costs for

the rotation are likely to be recaptured

by any increase in the service life of the

tires which might be realized. In prin-

DOT ... 3400 indicates that the tire was

manufactured during week 34 of the

year 2000.

BMW recommends the replacement of ciple, interaxle tire rotation should be

all tires when the tires are no more than performed at short intervals, with a

6 years old, even if a tire life of 10 years maximum of 3,000 miles (5,000 km).

is possible.

Consult your BMW center for more

information.

Should you decide to rotate the tires, it

is essential that you comply with the

following:

Rotate tires on the same side only,

since braking characteristics and road

grip could otherwise be adversely

affected.

Following rotation, correct the tire infla-

tion pressure.

Operation, care and maintenance -> Wheels and tires: Inflation / Condition / Replacement for Your BMW M5 4 Door Third Generation (1998-2003)

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