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[CJBimmer]

So I went to throw the summer tires on as the winter season draws to a close and I noticed that the rear tires have hit/exceeded the wear bar. The tires have seen I would GUESS ~8,000 miles.

Im running Continental ExtremeContact DW 235/35(?)/19 front and 265/30(?)/19 rear. I dont think the aspect ratio is relevant otherwise Id go outside again and check.

The fronts are at 5-6/32nds (depending on how generous you want to be with the gauge).

The rears are at 1/32!!

I mean 5-6/32 in one year/8k miles is a lot but with only 1/32 on the rear!! Thats crazy, right?! Is anyone else having any issues with these tires? And no, not one burnout. I drive spirited but I dont think ive ever spun the wheels for the sake of burning rubber.

I have to speak with continental about this but my warranty issue will undoubtedly be complicated due to 1. They're not on the car all year so the milage isn't well documented and 2. I bought a new car last fall (328 to 335 whoop whoop!). But that kind of wear is ridiculous.

Are you guys seeing this kind of wear? Im considering another brand (Michelin PSS anyone?) but hopefully I can get them to last ~20,000 miles.

Ill do the ol' to figure out what to get next but I would like experiences on aggressive tread wear.

Cheers

[///M3NACE]

Is it wear evenly? are you dropped? It can be most likely due to your driving ability. You do donuts? Launch? Drive aggressively?

[Wolf 335]

Was your alignment good?

[tigermack]

DW wears really good... this sounds like really bad alignment or some tire pressures never been checked...

[Karbon]

I had Conti Extreme Contact DW's on my old 530i and they only lasted ~15k miles which I thought was total crap.


I thought it was just me but... maybe not? I had my alignment checked every 3 months (bought an alignment package that was unlimited alignment) and rotated them regularly. Pressure was good and they had Nitro in them.

Never drove it that hard, stock non-sport suspension. Tires just didn't last worth a crap.



EDIT: I should also mention they were supposedly the 'old' version of the tire with the softer side walls.

[CJBimmer]

Thanks for the replies.

To address a few points: the tires did wear very evenly, right in the middle. Both in the same spot. My car isn't dropped. Stock sport suspension. No heavy launching, no doughnuts, drifting, crazyness. Aggressive driving ... meh. I mean its my daily driver. Do I enjoy throwing it into and out of turns every once and a while, of course, but my daily commute isn't an autocross adventure. Its worth mentioning Ive had the same Blizzak LM-25's on there for 5 winters now. They're not at the tread bar yet but they'll probably get replaced next season. if I had an unusual setup or driving habits I would have expected it to show on those tires as well. In addition, the run-craps before lasted quite a while (45k miles then I ran over a bolt and that was that).

I'll do some digging to see if the batch I was running was of inferior quality. Just find it strange the fronts and rears wore so disproportionately and early. I think i have the original receipt and that has lot production #s (which I had to submit for a rebate) so I'll do some inquiries with that.

Thanks again for the input.

[VMRWheels]

Do you have pics of your tires? That doesn't sound normal at all.

[mrbillytalent]

Wearing in the middle is a tell tale sign of overinflation

[BmerMeUp]

^ +1. Center burn is over-inflation, with "improper inflation" (over or under) being the #1 cause of premature tire failure.

[///M3NACE]

This is exactly why I asked you this... Always check your tires when its cold. When I mean cold I mean in the morning before you start driving so the tires don't generate heat.

They are so many reasons why I mean 8k is nothing. I just put on 8k and only lost 1/32 if even that. You lost 10-11/32 in that time...

[CJBimmer]

OK, so I snapped some pictures. It does look like the rears wore more on the inside of the tire, which is reasonable given the slightly negative camber in the rear. The Potenzas did the same. I tried to give a nice perspective across the crown of the tire where the wear bars are.

To address the overinflation. To get a dramatic bubbling of the tire you're talkin 40-45 PSI or something stupid. The tires (all my tires) are kept in the 32-35 range. I dont expect that to be the issue. Especially BOTH the rears and neither of the fronts. Overinflation would also be a reasonable explanation for a strange wear pattern but not excessive (this excessive) early wear.

Also, for kicks I did some spitball calculations. Assuming I put snow tires on November 1 and take them off March 31 and I drive 15k miles a year (all very reasonable assumptions) these ExtremeContacts would have seen ~11,250 miles. Thats garbage in anyones book.

Enjoy the pictures and thanks again for the input.

[anpk05]

I've had these on my e46 m3 lowered on the rear, they wore out really strong. Alignment issues?

[///M3NACE]

You need to get an alignment. That is not normal wear on your tires. You can have suspenison issues that caused the uneven wear but most likely not considering its a newer vehicle.

If this was a E46 or E36 I would suggest checking rear sub frame but e90s they are no known issues.

[BmerMeUp]

Ok ya - wow! I'm no pro, but that's pretty extreme!
What is the width of the rim on the 265's?
9.5 is apparently optimal for 265, anything smaller could start arching your tread? A guess.
Everything else (other than air) suggests significant alignment toe/camber issues... that's where I'd start before burning out a new set of shoes.
Good Luck!

[gtaccord]

He said that he has not had a problem with his winter tires which would point to this not being an alignment issue. Looks like maybe a bad set of tires and/or inflation issues. Tbh I run 41 psi in my rears and have never had an issue like this.

[David1]

That's all I expect for miles on a sticky tire. My PS2's on the rear are at the wear bars with only 8200 miles. So at 10k they will be done. Your wear pattern is not that bad.

[VMRWheels]

The tread did wear out pretty evenly, but that still isn't normal for those tires. Take your car to a suspension shop to see if they can look into why your tires haven't lasted very long.

[CJBimmer]

OK, so an update. I took the car to a suspension shop (they were kind enough to squeeze me in) and they confirmed theres nothing overtly wrong. I'll probably get an alignment next trip to BMW but there wasn't any reason to currently. So no alignment issues. Even Continental was disappointed to hear about the wear and are having me take the car to a Continental dealer to inspect the wear and potentially help me out. There is no tread life warranty on the DW tires.

Anyway, there you have it.

[Rickygst]

I had the same issue. The front wore really good. I could go through 3 sets of rears before I would need fronts. I had my alignment done right after I put the DW on. So I'm not sure it is an alignment issue are just the way they wear. I have since went to super sport and will see how they wear.

[BmerMeUp]

Originally Posted by CJBimmer

OK, so an update. I took the car to a suspension shop (they were kind enough to squeeze me in) and they confirmed theres nothing overtly wrong. I'll probably get an alignment next trip to BMW but there wasn't any reason to currently. So no alignment issues. Even Continental was disappointed to hear about the wear and are having me take the car to a Continental dealer to inspect the wear and potentially help me out. There is no tread life warranty on the DW tires.

Anyway, there you have it.

Hunh. A bona fide mystery - which some have reproduced. Good job getting in there to so promptly rule out alignment! Wow.

Always find it entertaining when the manufacturer / dealer says, "Hunh. That's weird...!"

[asus389]

FWIW I have the Potenza s04 Pole Position (a similar tire from bridgestone) and my rears are at 6/32" after one season. They had 10/32" when they were new. I have done about 8000 miles on them. No burn outs, mixed city/highway. It was *very* hot last summer though... not sure if that matters. I don't expect them to last more than 2 seasons.

[Thorium]

Ferris Bueller didn't park your car? Just though i throw it out there