Bit of a noob tire-care question

[altecw]

Hey Everyone,

I'm just wondering- should/how should I rotate my wheels/tires?

My Haynes manual suggests a standard wheel rotation... but I learned long ago that Haynes' aren't good for much.

The OM says I shouldn't rotate the tires period. -And that if I did want to just switch left and right I could, but that it will "adversely effect braking performance and handling characteristics."

-My e36 is the first car I've owned that actually handles worth a damn, and I'd like to avoid doing anything too stupid. :help

Thanks! Ben

[samger2]

Rotating tires on BMWs is a question you'll most likely get different opinions on.

First thing to consider is that from the factory BMW's alignment specs are geared toward performance and not tire wear. In other words, the camber is set to a negative spec to help cornering abilities at high speeds...in other words, the alignment specs help you to achieve the driving characteristics that you're used to having.

BMW's stance on rotation is NOT to rotate due to the fact that based upon this negative camber, tires could and should develop specific wear patterns...if you move those tires from their location into a different location where the footprint of the tire isn't sitting in that "developed" wear pattern, you may not get the desired handling characteristics.

So if you are having your BMW aligned to factory BMW specs, those specs are probably going to wear your tires out anyway, so rotating may not be worth your while.

However, if you have a shop align your vehicle outside of BMW specs...but INSIDE specs that will not cause irregular tire wear, then you could rotate them and extend the life of them...HOWEVER, taking the vehicle outside of factory specs, will affect your handling characteristics.

So basically you're left with the question...do you want "the ultimate driving machine" or the "ultimate tire wear machine"?

With one you sacrifice the other...BMW's are geared for performance and handling...not tire longevity...

[altecw]

'"the ultimate driving machine" or the "ultimate tire wear machine"'

-lol, well put. I'd figured something along those lines, the one bit that threw me was that (according to my OM) the front wheels are set to have positive camber (-"prone to wear on the outer shoulder") - I don't claim to know much about suspension/steering geometry, but that just seemed a bit back-asswards to me.

[samger2]

My apologies if my statement came off "asshole-ish" :)

I didn't mean for it to...I'll be 100% honest that I'm not really sure what is called for on the front axle...but I do know that the rear axle is aligned with negative camber. But if the front had positive camber that would make some sense to me simply because positive camber is supposed to reduce steering effort and improves high-speed stability...so it having positive camber up front would make more sense than having it on the rear...however, the wheels on the rear are stationary and not affected by steering, therefore having them cambered out negatively should allow for a bit more stability at higher speeds not allowing them to lose their contact patch as much when driving aggressively.

[ponatcon]

Interesting thought, i completely agree with your perspective


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[altecw]

I hadn't found your post ass-holeish in the least- sorry if my post made i appear as if I had gotten that impression. I appreciate the input- I definitely don't think I'll bother rotating them- plus, it'll be time for the snow tires in about 1.5 months anyways.

Thanks for the advice!