Tire rotation question

[fredo328]

I have a '98 328 and I keep reading that the BMW manual does not recommend tire rotation, is this true? I know that steel belted need to stay on only one side of the car so rotation really only means moving them back and forth on the same side.

[Jeron]

I still abide by the direction of rotation although it is less critical than it once was. However some tread patterns are directional and should certainly not be counter-rotated or you will sacrifice rain traction.

I run alot of camber so my tires wear excessively on the inside shoulder. All BMW's tend to have more camber than regular cars and tend to wear this way.

I buy directional but not asymetric(inside/outside) tires and once in their life I have them removed from the rim and have then flipped so that the good outside shoulder is moved inside. When the tires go back on the car they will end up on opposite sides of the car but they will be in their original direction of rotation. This costs about $30 if you have lifetime balance on the tires.

For me this results in longer tire life. Otherwise I would hit the cords on the inside long before I hit the wearbars on the outside.

Tire rotation is primarily a treadwear and longevity issue so it isnt necessary, but could save you some money on tires. If you think you can extend the usefullness of the tire by more than the cost of the rotation then do it. Keep in mind that it will actually accelerate wear in the deep tread areas until the tire settles into its new position on the car. So if your wear is close to even it is probably cheaper and better to just leave it alone.

Back to your original question. (Sorry it took so long to get back to it. Yes, I believe that BMW does not recommend tire rotation and unless you remove the tires from the rims and flip them then you should only move then back to front.

Assuming you are running stock suspension geometry and have the same tire size all around then you are probably wearing fastest on the inside shoulder of the rear. If this is far more than the inside wear on the front and you want to buy your tires 4 at a time then swapping back to front is worth it.

If the difference is not excessive or you like to stagger your tire purchases and buy them 2 at a time then just wear away the rear tires and buy 2 when they are gone.

[fredo328]

Very helpful Jeron, thanks. I do not stagger and the tire rotation is included with the Firestone purchase so no $ going out to rotate. The tires are uni-directional so moving them back and forth on the same sides is ok. They (Firestone) recommended that I rotate every 5,000 miles, seems to me that since these cars toe in a little that doing so will help with the front tire wear on the outside of the tire experienced when taking turns at faster speeds like on and off-ramps. My tires currently have 6,500 miles on them and I did rotate them at 5,000. You think I should keep doing the 5,000 mile thing?

[Jeron]

It certainly wont hurt to rotate them and if you plan to have them rotated it is best to do it often. 5000 miles is a good rotation interval so, yes I think you should continue.

The main benefit is that they will all wear out at the same time and also that Firestone will be sure to let you know when they want you to replace them.

[fredo328]

thanks man

[parolof]

personally I've never rotated a wheel in 27 years

[fredo328]

must be a sweedish thing

[parolof]

yes, we're too lazy:-)

[fredo328]

Nice ride by the way, I especially like the wheels.
I put some e46 16" wheels on mine but I wish I had held out for some 17" wheels instead.

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