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No, you don't have to live with it...first of all what are your alignment specs?

Second, how many miles on the car?

Are the control arms, tie rod ends, etc. all in good condition?

[simba_RR]

The car has run for 150 000 km, the worn out tires have run approximately 20 000km and have about 4-5mm of tread left except for the inner half inch where it is totally worn out. The alignment specs are original and well within the tolerance. I have not seen any damage on the control arms and the car is always serviced at the local BMW dealership and they have not commented on any faults. I love to pull at the red lights.

[simba_RR]

Originally Posted by simba_RR

The car has run for 150 000 km, the worn out tires have run approximately 20 000km and have about 4-5mm of tread left except for the inner half inch where it is totally worn out. The alignment specs are original and well within the tolerance. I have not seen any damage on the control arms and the car is always serviced at the local BMW dealership and they have not commented on any faults. I love to pull at the red lights.

I´ve given this issue some thought, I've been driving the car on some trips with 4 people and the boot heavily loaded with luggage. Could it be that the dampers are going soft? How about the springs, what life expectancy do they have? The dampers show no sign of leakage and they do dampen any travel without delay that I can feel but it´s hard to say if they are softer than new or not. The alignment settings can be seen here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ljifa51lz...2047.jpeg?dl=0 The alignment settings are fine. I have now chosen to buy Michelin Pilot Super Sport runflats instead of the Bridgestone Potenza RE 050 Run Flat I have run on this far, hopefully they will give more even tread wear.

[bbnks2]

Originally Posted by simba_RR

I´ve given this issue some thought, I've been driving the car on some trips with 4 people and the boot heavily loaded with luggage. Could it be that the dampers are going soft? How about the springs, what life expectancy do they have? The dampers show no sign of leakage and they do dampen any travel without delay that I can feel but it´s hard to say if they are softer than new or not. The alignment settings can be seen here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ljifa51lz...2047.jpeg?dl=0 The alignment settings are fine. I have now chosen to buy Michelin Pilot Super Sport runflats instead of the Bridgestone Potenza RE 050 Run Flat I have run on this far, hopefully they will give more even tread wear.

Alignment looks fine except for front camber is off from side to side by -.5*. That is a decent amount and it will generate a thrust issue. The car will always be pulling to one side... Otherwise, the toe settings look fine.

Someone else had a good looking alignment sheet too, but they found their aftermarket toe arms were not tightened so the car was not staying in alignment. can't help you over the internet beyond telling you that more toe (+ or -) = faster rate of tire wear. More camber = more wear on the instead of the tire vs the outside when driving in a straight line.

[simba_RR]

Originally Posted by bbnks2

Alignment looks fine except for front camber is off from side to side by -.5*. That is a decent amount and it will generate a thrust issue. The car will always be pulling to one side... Otherwise, the toe settings look fine.

Someone else had a good looking alignment sheet too, but they found their aftermarket toe arms were not tightened so the car was not staying in alignment. can't help you over the internet beyond telling you that more toe (+ or -) = faster rate of tire wear. More camber = more wear on the instead of the tire vs the outside when driving in a straight line.

Thanks for commenting on the alignment values. The alignment was adjusted last year prior to buying new rear tires and a year later the values are the same so it seems that the alignment stays the same which is good but the very uneven tire wear puzzles and worries me.

[bbnks2]

Originally Posted by simba_RR

Thanks for commenting on the alignment values. The alignment was adjusted last year prior to buying new rear tires and a year later the values are the same so it seems that the alignment stays the same which is good but the very uneven tire wear puzzles and worries me.

You can probably cut the front toe in half and double the rear toe. Converting minutes to degress you have .3* total toe up front, which is usually what I run out back. Out back your have closer to .15* total toe which is what I usually would expect to see up front lol.

Other than that, who knows...

Originally Posted by bbnks2

You can probably cut the front toe in half and double the rear toe.

Agreed.

Since you're having issues with the rear tires only, you need to increase "toe in" out back. I run .1* total toe in the rear and have never had an issue, but it looks like you need a lot more to keep from burning up the inner portion of the tire.

Given your current alignment specs, and the number of miles on your car, it looks like you got some worn bushings out back, etc. which are likely contributing to your tire wear issues. Time to give all your control arms, guide rods, toe arms, etc. back there a shake and see what needs replacing.

[simba_RR]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Agreed.

Since you're having issues with the rear tires only, you need to increase "toe in" out back. I run .1* total toe in the rear and have never had an issue, but it looks like you need a lot more to keep from burning up the inner portion of the tire.

Given your current alignment specs, and the number of miles on your car, it looks like you got some worn bushings out back, etc. which are likely contributing to your tire wear issues. Time to give all your control arms, guide rods, toe arms, etc. back there a shake and see what needs replacing.

I'm greatfull for the input. When the car is parked on level ground I can see the negative camber but given the alignment specs should I really be able to see this with my own eyes? I have to check and see how the alignment measures are noted if it's done with car on its wheels or not. The obvious answer should be yes right? I will also look into the bushings. Is there a difference in the bushings between the 330 and the 335 and if so if I do change should I go for harder bushings. I'm starting to think that camber differs a lot between loaded and unloaded car and I have been driving a lot lately with the car heavily loaded on road trips.

Originally Posted by simba_RR

I'm starting to think that camber differs a lot between loaded and unloaded car and I have been driving a lot lately with the car heavily loaded on road trips.

If that's the case, dial out negative camber in the rear too; go back to the shop with the car loaded up as you normally would drive it (plus full tank of gas, etc.) and have them do the alignment then...target something at/under the "minimum spec" value.

Also, with your miles there's likely to be a ton of worn out shit...really depends how far down the rabbit hole you're willing to go.

[simba_RR]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

If that's the case, dial out negative camber in the rear too; go back to the shop with the car loaded up as you normally would drive it (plus full tank of gas, etc.) and have them do the alignment then...target something at/under the "minimum spec" value.

Also, with your miles there's likely to be a ton of worn out shit...really depends how far down the rabbit hole you're willing to go.

With the price of premium tires I'm willing to go quite far to resolve the root of this problem. Would new shocks raise the car anything resulting in less negative camber or is it only held up by the springs? Is it expected behaviour that shocks turn soft with wear but still work well as shock absorbers? I've asked the mechanic who checked my car last time who suggested to change all four shocks for a cost of around $2500 a cost I can take if I'm sure to have this problem resolved.

1. No
2. No
3. That is absurd. Find a new shop.

[simba_RR]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

1. No
2. No
3. That is absurd. Find a new shop.

Thanks for your answers, much appreciated! Still waiting for this mechanic to call me back and I will make sure to ask specific questions to a, get to know if he's a newbie at work or a well qualified BMW mechanic and b make sure I don't spend money on something that won't solve the issue!

[techwhiz]

Originally Posted by simba_RR

I have an E93 330dA 2007 running on Bridgestone RE 050 run flats (225/35/19 front and 255/30/19 rear) and my alignment was checked at the local BMW dealership and everything was perfectly aligned. My tires were worn to the cord on the inner half inch of the rear tires. The shocks seem to be performing well and yes I do have the M sport suspension. What can be causing this? Should I change to another brand of run flats?

Run the tires hard (slightly over inflated).
With the negative camber on these cars, an under inflated tire will wear on the inside and cause the excessive wear you describe.

I had the exact same problem.
I have had the car re-aligned and run the tires hard.
I no longer have that issue. I also run the camber at the minimum negative value. I added camber plates to the front and run the front on the minimum negative also.

I get much better tire wear.
I don't miss the extra negative camber since I'm running 19x9 with a 245/35 in the front and a 19x9.5 and a 275/30 in the rear. The car feel planted. Since my car is not a track car, I can live with this. I need decent tire wear.

You might try what I did.

[simba_RR]

Originally Posted by techwhiz

Run the tires hard (slightly over inflated).
With the negative camber on these cars, an under inflated tire will wear on the inside and cause the excessive wear you describe.

I had the exact same problem.
I have had the car re-aligned and run the tires hard.
I no longer have that issue. I also run the camber at the minimum negative value. I added camber plates to the front and run the front on the minimum negative also.

I Will see to do this. Where can I find camber plates? I'm still waiting for the mechanic to call me, I heard he thought my car was softer than others he had driven, could this be caused by worn bushings? My experience of dampers is that they work or they don't not that they turn soft.

Originally Posted by techwhiz

I added camber plates to the front and run the front on the minimum negative also.

omg that is the saddest thing I've read all week poor car

Anecdotally my setup is as follows:
Camber F|R = -2.0*|-1.4*
Total Toe F|R = 1/16"|3/32"

My tires have lasted me 50,000 miles and counting. Wear is almost completely even across the entire face of each tire.

Yes, I do have the benefit of rotating given that I run a square setup, but it still proves the point; if your only disposition for not burning through tires involves removing *all* camber, your car is broken...that is not a proper fix.

[simba_RR]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Anecdotally my setup is as follows:
Camber F|R = -2.0*|-1.4*
Total Toe F|R = 1/16"|3/32"

Yes, I do have the benefit of rotating given that I run a square setup, but it still proves the point; if your only disposition for not burning through tires involves removing *all* camber, your car is broken...that is not a proper fix.

I got my first BMW in 2007 and have since been hooked to the great handling the beemers have. I don't want to loose this but I can't afford to buy new tires after only 12000 miles. My shocks work but if they are soft I don't know, are the bushings soft from wear? I really have to get this solved. The mechanic hasn't called me yet, time to try and call him instead.

[simba_RR]

Update: I was called up by a senior mechanic who will do a total checkup on my car, see how it reacts to a full load when checking the alignment, check the bushings, springs and shocks. Up front he feels that the shocks should last a bit longer but nothing will be left unturned. This will be done on the 7th of September and I will post here and let you know where this goes and what the solution will be. Thanks for all your input, I'll keep you all posted! Greetings from Sweden!

Originally Posted by simba_RR

I got my first BMW in 2007 and have since been hooked to the great handling the beemers have.

If that's the case, don't bother wasting money on verifying inadequate factory parts to begin with.

Do yourself a favor and replce those dampers with more capable units. You'll wish you had done it a long time ago.