[alex2364]

I just got new rear tires (Continental ExtremeContact DWS) and during high speed curves it feels really loose and wobbly. I thought it was my tire pressure, but I double checked it's exactly what it was before. My old tires were also Conti DWS and so are my front tires. I also checked my lug nuts and they all seem tight. Anybody have an idea what it could be?

I don't know if this is related, but when I'm in reverse, parking the car, and the steering wheel is in full lock, sometimes I hear a clunk coming from the car. But this has been happening for a few months before getting the tires replaced. I didn't think anything of it.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Might not be the answer but new tires can be squirmy. As the mold release compound wears off & the go through some heat cool cycles they tend to firm up & should be like the ones you have. Most people notice it changing from run flats because of the sidewall stiffness of the RFT, but am surprised its that noticeable going from the same tire to your new one.

Was the tread pretty much done on the old tires? Higher new tire tread can also make them feel funny

[WilliamS]

My DWS on my STS-V took about 500 miles of highway heat and they firmed up nicely. they were still 100% better than the runflats in terms of harshness, but the wobble went away after some heat.

[axztx]

I put DWS on my old e90 330i and I had the same wobbly feeling after they were put on. I believe there's a release agent on the tires from the manufacturing process that needs to wear off. I increased tire pressure 2-3 lbs per tire to get a more solid feel but the wobbly feeling should disappear over time/mileage.

[alex2364]

I had 4/32" left on my old rears. My pressure is 2 lbs above the recommended and so were my old tires. I guess it needs a couple heat cycles and hopefully it'll get better.

[SilverII]

or do a burnout to get rid of the outer layer

[trk06]

check out the tire pressure, same happened to me...

[roundle]

Your first set of non-RFTs?

[tofu-]

Originally Posted by alex2364

I just got new rear tires (Continental ExtremeContact DWS) and during high speed curves it feels really loose and wobbly. I thought it was my tire pressure, but I double checked it's exactly what it was before. My old tires were also Conti DWS and so are my front tires. I also checked my lug nuts and they all seem tight. Anybody have an idea what it could be?

I don't know if this is related, but when I'm in reverse, parking the car, and the steering wheel is in full lock, sometimes I hear a clunk coming from the car. But this has been happening for a few months before getting the tires replaced. I didn't think anything of it.

DWS always felt soft to me. Nothing horrible, but there's no denying they have soft sidewalls compared to most of the performance tires people use. That being said, the ability to get around in light snow with them more than makes up for it.

On the other hand, since you're complaining about straight line issues, i'd say check your alignment, specifically the toe angle. The RFTs may have been masking the issue.

Lastly, tires do improve with some break-in.

[skim7x]

You know, I have the same problem with new tires... I believe that it's the release compound... It sure does take a lot of miles to get it off, though!!

On a slightly separate note... I am having the same kind of symptoms from my new snow tires, but a bit more severe -- the car seems to be tracking irregularly and unpredictably in sweeping bends. I used to have Dunlop M3 Sport Winter tires all around, but then got a rear flat and had to replace the rears with Bridgestone Blizzaks (they don't make M3 Sports anymore)... could the difference in the treads really make THAT much difference? I do have the same brand tires on the front axle and the both blizzaks on the rear axle... I was just hoping that I didn't have to change all 4 tires just because of one flat tire... could there be any other reason for the unsteadiness of my car, especially at higher speeds? Or is it time to buy 2 more blizzaks for the front wheels?

[RaddM4]

Check the tire pressure. I have had the same thing before.

[alex2364]

Do people not read? lol My replacement tires are the exact same model as the old ones, so it's not a RFT issue. I already checked my tire pressure so it's not that.

I think it just needs to be broken in so I'll wait a week or two and see what happens.

[Meeni]

Just check the lug bolts torque, for peace of mind.

The clunk when turning full lock is "normal".

[E9TOU]

If the problem continues, check the suspension settings. My car was like this as well and after I got the rear aligned and the toe/camber adjusted, everything was copacetic.

[RaddM4]

haha.. don't get your panties in a bunch. I bet its a tire pressure issue. add a few psi in the rears. Most tire places put the same psi in all your tires. If your stagger, the rears should have a little more. Good Luck Jackkk!

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by alex2364

I had 4/32" left on my old rears. My pressure is 2 lbs above the recommended and so were my old tires. I guess it needs a couple heat cycles and hopefully it'll get better.

Tires need to "break in" too.

[ugeni]

I'm experiencing exactly the same issue on my e90 335 sedan, staggered 18's, fronts are 225 dws's (less than 2 yrs old, good amount of tread left), rears are just replaced with brand new 255 dws06's (old tires were dws's as well). Car feels wobbly at both slow and high speed, even with minimal steering input. PSI is at stock levels 36f/41r.

Alex did your issue go away once the tires were broken in? if so, about how many miles did it take? I've done about 150 miles with no noticeable improvement, very frustrating to say the least...

Thanks in advance for any help!

[alex2364]

My problem went away after 1-2 months. I guess it just needed to be broken in. But I was using the original DWS, not the new version.

[bmwmsport]

The problem is you have Continental tires... throw some Michelin Pilot SuperSports on there, that'll fix it

[ugeni]

Thanks for the quick reply!
I guess patience is key, and I just need to wait for them to break in.

[blown07]

If I read correctly you said you only replaced the rear tires. This is half the problem as the squirm feeling is amplified by having "seasoned" front tires which can make the backend feel that much worse.
I replaced just my rear tires with Falken 912's but had used Conti's up front and the car was out of control on country roads and switching lanes on the highway. It took several months for these tires to firm up.
This year I replaced just the rears with Michelin Pilot SS with the same old fronts and the car was much more stable right away. Still felt some sway in the rear on country roads at higher speed for the first 1500 miles.

[melloww22]

I replace my rears every 11 months and my fronts every 24 months....

The wobble feeling goes away after 500 miles driving or roughly 2-3 weeks. Make sure to check alignment, and tire pressure.

Brand new tires will need a breaking period to release the protective oils... Give it time, also thread difference if the fronts are very low under 5/32 to 3/32 and you got new tires at 10/32 you will notice a huge wobble.