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[raver]

I recently bought a 08 328i Sedan. All wheels and tires are same size – 205/55/16. – Turanza EL42 RFTs

I use this car for around town and running errands. Don't have high performance expectations.

I noticed that rear tires were older and more worn out compared to front. (rear 4/32, front 8/32). At times I would lose traction when starting.

During service I asked the dealer to rotate the tires. The SA told me that BMW does not recommend rotation and I should buy to new tires for rear. I plan to wear out these tires and then move to non-RFTs.

I went to discount tire and guy rotated the tires without any problem.
I get better traction now. Steering feels little soft but nothing outrageous.

What’s the scoop? Do people rotate their tires on E90?

[apc3libras]

I heard from someone that tire rotations are an American thing, that nobody else does this. I have always rotated my tires but recently got a staggered set of OEM wheels/tires that will go on in the Spring. I don't think I can rotate those since the tires are directional so not sure what to expect. Will the ride suffer as the rears wear or will I even notice?

[DDS2015]

Rotating your tires is generally done to improve tire life. On the BMWs the camber in the rear is set up so that the inside edge wears much faster than the outside edge. If you're running a square set-up (like you are) then it can't hurt. If your running staggered set-up then you don't rotate.

[Nr!qUe]

BMW recommends that you dont rotate because the tyres are carved in a certain way so if you rotate them you lose traction? idk i have a staggered set of tires so i cant rotate. You should just buy rear tires right now and when your front ones wear then you change those.

[70X200]

Read the article in Bimmer magazine, it has a complete write up on tires and rotation. April 2012 edition.

[Potty_Pants]

Originally Posted by DDS2015

Rotating your tires is generally done to improve tire life. On the BMWs the camber in the rear is set up so that the inside edge wears much faster than the outside edge. If you're running a square set-up (like you are) then it can't hurt. If your running staggered set-up then you don't rotate.

+1

rotate man rotate !

[achien]

BS, another stealership that tries to generate more sales.

If you have a square set-up, rotating your tires will improve their overall life. This is obviously not what your stealership wanted.

Originally Posted by checkm8

I recently bought a 08 328i Sedan. All wheels and tires are same size – 205/55/16. – Turanza EL42 RFTs

I use this car for around town and running errands. Don't have high performance expectations.

I noticed that rear tires were older and more worn out compared to front. (rear 4/32, front 8/32). At times I would lose traction when starting.

During service I asked the dealer to rotate the tires. The SA told me that BMW does not recommend rotation and I should buy to new tires for rear. I plan to wear out these tires and then move to non-RFTs.

I went to discount tire and guy rotated the tires without any problem.
I get better traction now. Steering feels little soft but nothing outrageous.

What’s the scoop? Do people rotate their tires on E90?

[Spoolin335]

I swap my rear tires because mine always wear on the inside due to excessive camber.

[ENINTY]

Okay, forget what everyone else said, except some did have good advice.

The real reason BMW does not recommend tire rotations are for two reasons:

1) The tires set in in place in each corner they are on. Moving the tires to a new position can affect the (feel) of the handling. This is the philosophy BMW has had since the '70s.

2) Because BMWs are rear-wheel drive and have almost neutral (small) caster and camber settings and the fronts and rears generally wear at the same rate and it makes no ECONOMIC sense to spend money to have a shop rotate the tires for you. The cost you pay to have the tires rotated does not equal the amount of additional tire life value you may gain by rotating the tires (so BMW is actually not trying to rip you off by making you buy more tires). In other words, you may spend $100 getting 5 tire rotations but may only get an additional $50 of tire life by rotating the tires, so you are actually losing money.

Now, if you are like a lot of us owners here, who rotate their own tires (after investment in the proper tools to do the work safely), the economic issue goes away and it makes total sense to rotate the tires because you will gain some additional tire life at no additional cost to you other than your own labor (which should be free). As far as the handling issue goes, I've never found any real disconcerting change in the handling of a BMW after rotating the tires. I rotate my tires every 5,000 miles and find it helps in getting additional tire life from a set of tires. But I kind of agree with BMW, if you have to pay for rotations then it is probably not worth it.

[tibra1]

Mehh..Rotating tires is over-rated..I have found that each corner of the car wears tires just a little bit differently when you rotate them sometimes you get the tires fighting you a bit.

As long as they arent directional and same size you can do it tho

[asus389]

What about the issue of uneven wear? I have been told that not rotating is a common cause of cupping and I can't stand cupped tires. True or BS?

[TotalPower]

there's a difference between staggered and directional tires...staggered directionals can't be moved. staggered can be swittched side to side, directional front/back(as long as the size is the same)

[boredsports]

I have a 328xi with a squared set up. What about rotating with awd? yes...no?

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

But I kind of agree with BMW, if you have to pay for rotations then it is probably not worth it.

When I asked my SA about rotating the 16" EL42s on my '07 E91, he quoted a price of $25, so I had it done at 16k miles. So far, I haven't noticed any handling issues, although there was only 2/32" difference between the F/R tread depths.

And when it comes time to replace them, my local tire shop includes free rotation and balancing for the life of the tires.

Tom

[Traveling1]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Okay, forget what everyone else said, except some did have good advice.

The real reason BMW does not recommend tire rotations are for two reasons:

1) The tires set in in place in each corner they are on. Moving the tires to a new position can affect the (feel) of the handling. This is the philosophy BMW has had since the '70s.

2) Because BMWs are rear-wheel drive and have almost neutral (small) caster and camber settings and the fronts and rears generally wear at the same rate and it makes no ECONOMIC sense to spend money to have a shop rotate the tires for you. The cost you pay to have the tires rotated does not equal the amount of additional tire life value you may gain by rotating the tires (so BMW is actually not trying to rip you off by making you buy more tires). In other words, you may spend $100 getting 5 tire rotations but may only get an additional $50 of tire life by rotating the tires, so you are actually losing money.

Now, if you are like a lot of us owners here, who rotate their own tires (after investment in the proper tools to do the work safely), the economic issue goes away and it makes total sense to rotate the tires because you will gain some additional tire life at no additional cost to you other than your own labor (which should be free). As far as the handling issue goes, I've never found any real disconcerting change in the handling of a BMW after rotating the tires. I rotate my tires every 5,000 miles and find it helps in getting additional tire life from a set of tires. But I kind of agree with BMW, if you have to pay for rotations then it is probably not worth it.

+1

I use a thread depth gauge to check that each tire is wearing even and that the fronts and rears have close to the same thread depth.
I also run my hand across the thread surface to feel for any cupping,etc.
After almost 20,000 miles there is only 1/32" difference b/t the fronts and the rears.
I was going to rotate mine myself, but after checking them, decided not to.

[e90will]

I rotate mine every oil change at 7500 miles.. I've been doing it ever since I got my car new. You will have no problems.

William
127K