Excessive tyre wear

[bmw_convert]

Hi all. Just wondering if anyone here has had any problems with the tyres? My X6 is just under 1k miles and just found out that both front tyres are excessively wearing out but both rear tyres are like new! Mine is fitted with 20" alloys. Called BMW service to have them checked but before that, could any please post their opinion so I wont be taken for a ride by them!

p.s. since I live in Central London, I am not a speed freak and avoid speed humps..although the service center mentioned that tyre wear under 1k is rare but they have suggested that I may have driven over speed humps / pot holes at speed! Also the alignment / tracking is not 'off' as well.

Many Thanks!

[dmlgc]

Sounds strange if your alignment is ok and you are not a hard driver.
I have about 13k on my 20"Run Flats and my SA told me I will need to replace somewhere around 15-17k. I live in California and visit Nevada a lot and drive it hard so mine is expected.
What brand of tires are they ?

[archwerks]

Originally Posted by bmw_convert

Hi all. Just wondering if anyone here has had any problems with the tyres? My X6 is just under 1k miles and just found out that both front tyres are excessively wearing out but both rear tyres are like new! Mine is fitted with 20" alloys. Called BMW service to have them checked but before that, could any please post their opinion so I wont be taken for a ride by them!

p.s. since I live in Central London, I am not a speed freak and avoid speed humps..although the service center mentioned that tyre wear under 1k is rare but they have suggested that I may have driven over speed humps / pot holes at speed! Also the alignment / tracking is not 'off' as well.



Many Thanks!

If checked & tested, & nothing wrong w/ suspension/ alignment, wheel balance, nor tire pressure, it's got to be defective tires.

[motex]

1k for tireware is way too strange, even with a tire brand with very low treadware number is not usual to get visible tireware on daily city driving, potholes dont get tireware, they make problems to the sidewalls, never to the tread.
Where exactly is the tire ware located ? on the inner side, on the outer side or all over the tread ?
IMO you have a set of defective tires, I know a case here in Costa Rica that a friend who owns a Q7 virtually distroyed the complete set of tires at 6000 Kms ( not miles....) so it hapens, I will ask for a new set and better a new brand

[bmw_convert]

Many thanks for the feedback & advice. The tyres are Bridgestone and the wear is fairly even. But hopefully BMW could rectify the problem and provide 'hassle free' tyre replacements under warranty. I dont think I could bear to fork out £700 for a new set! Anyway, dropping into the service center tomorrow..I'll post again after that. They might say its a camber issue as well..

Thanks!

[sesh1957]

What brand are the tires? Anyone having trouble with the Michelin 255/50 19 run flats. I would assume 20/21" would wear longer.

[motex]

I do have Continental's RF 255-50/19 , 9000 Kms on them and they still look like new, no complaints so far

[Kojak]

I have just about 22K miles on my Bridgestone RF 255-50/19s. I have lots of tread left in the middle but can see additional wear/rounding at the edges. Pretty much the same front and back supporting BMWs advice not to bother rotating them. I hope to get another 10K miles out of them

[bmw_convert]

Went to BMW yesterday, the manager mentioned that the wear is normal in 4X4's!?? The front tend to wear faster then the back!?? It's because of turning, cornering etc!! Strange isn't it! I did mention that by the looks of it, I would need to replace the tyres in another 1000-2000miles!! He said thats normal!!? Wow..didnt know driving an X6 is like driving a super sports car with low profile tyres! Is that what you call BMW Efficient Dynamics?

He did mention the BMW company car he drives has the same wear..(yeah..thats cos you're not paying for the maintenance / replacements!)

Realising that I can't argue / reason much with him, I just said OK! I could sense that he was trying to 'upsell' at my expense. He also mentioned only the same brand of tyres are RECOMMENDED by BMW i.e only get my tyres from BMW service!

I may drive a new X6 in the current economic downturn..but still money doesn't come easy!

Anyway..I think its better for me to email BMW instead..

[motex]

Your dealer service manager is full of BS !
The only way to wear the tires so early is taking the car to a race track, or using the tire with too much or too liitle air preasure, it is not "normal" at all as he says.....
Don't blame the car, avoid this cheap advisor and go to the next level to BMWNA and have them know about it.
Good luck

[dmlgc]

Originally Posted by motex

Your dealer service manager is full of BS !
The only way to wear the tires so early is taking the car to a race track, or using the tire with too much or too liitle air preasure, it is not "normal" at all as he says.....
Don't blame the car, avoid this cheap advisor and go to the next level to BMWNA and have them know about it.
Good luck

+1
I've owned lots of 4x4 , no way is this normal wear.
I've owned svereal BMW X5's so this is just BS.
motex is correct file a complaint.

[bmw_convert]

Thanks for the feedback! Called BMW customer service & they recommended another service center. Thankfully the service centers are within a 5 mile radius from my place. Hopefully they have a diffrent opinion this time! Will update again further!

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by bmw_convert

Went to BMW yesterday, the manager mentioned that the wear is normal in 4X4's!?? The front tend to wear faster then the back!?? It's because of turning, cornering etc!! Strange isn't it! I did mention that by the looks of it, I would need to replace the tyres in another 1000-2000miles!! He said thats normal!!? Wow..didnt know driving an X6 is like driving a super sports car with low profile tyres! Is that what you call BMW Efficient Dynamics?

He did mention the BMW company car he drives has the same wear..(yeah..thats cos you're not paying for the maintenance / replacements!)

Realising that I can't argue / reason much with him, I just said OK! I could sense that he was trying to 'upsell' at my expense. He also mentioned only the same brand of tyres are RECOMMENDED by BMW i.e only get my tyres from BMW service!

I may drive a new X6 in the current economic downturn..but still money doesn't come easy!

Anyway..I think its better for me to email BMW instead..

Sorry buddy he's talking crap , rears are the ones that go first on this car and not anywhere in that mileage, my M6 was thrashed and never touched the fronts in 9K. My X6 35D has covered 9K and fronts are 8.5MM, rears are 8MM, both were 9MM new. New tyres required pronto free of charge.

[bmw_convert]

Went to the other BMW service center in NW10, London this morning..basically had to INSIST that the guy have a look at the tyres (honestly)! Anyway, he still mentioned that it is normal wear especially for X5 & X3's! He argued that I needn't worry cos theres still alot of thread left!!WHAT!! Again I argued that I'll probably need to replace the tyres after 3k when I should actually get at least 15k!

He 'mentioned' that I come back after a while beacuse 1k is too early to tell..YEAH RIGHT..then after another 2-3k, only to tell me that I failed to check the tyre pressure / alignment all along in the first place!

Anyway, here are the pics..please advice if BMW is right or I am just being too paranoid! Both front L& R tyres are the same wear.

Thanks!

[motex]

Got a couple of questions for you.
1. What is the Treadware of those tires
2. Looking at the first front tire picture, reminds me when I use to race rallie's, do you drive the car on gravel roads ? That tireware on the edges usually is made by loose gravel or stones
3. Also, the center of the tire looks too slick already in the center treadline, looking at the rear tire picture I see the center tread has a little linear "groove" that I don't see on the front ones, too much wear at the center of the tire for such a short use IMO

[motex]

One more thing that occurs to me, is the rotation of the tire in the right side of the car?

[JOHNBMWM5]

BMW service centre NW10, just where are they please?, go to a main BMW dealer and first call BMW directly and tell them the fronts are all but gone in 1000 miles they should want the car in straight away.

[bmw_convert]

I've only driven the car on London roads. The center of the front tyres look already 'slick' well before 1k mileage and hence my concern! I would confidently catergorise this as excessively abnormal!

The BMW center, NW10 is in North Acton, London. (H R Owen). Previously went to Battersea as recommended by my sales rep. Funny that when I first called Battersea and spoke to a real 'technical' person, he agreed that wear under 1K is not normal!

Looks like I'll just have to be persistent in my efforts...looks like another call to BMW customer service then...

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by bmw_convert

I've only driven the car on London roads. The center of the front tyres look already 'slick' well before 1k mileage and hence my concern! I would confidently catergorise this as excessively abnormal!

The BMW center, NW10 is in North Acton, London. (H R Owen). Previously went to Battersea as recommended by my sales rep. Funny that when I first called Battersea and spoke to a real 'technical' person, he agreed that wear under 1K is not normal!

Looks like I'll just have to be persistent in my efforts...looks like another call to BMW customer service then...

Yep keep the pressure on them.

[chuck92103]

I cannot tell the wear by the pics. They look ok to me. Maybe some overinflation causing wear in the center?

How many millimeters are left in the center (tread depth)?

[motex]

I remember in one of my past cars that I had a tread design similar to yours, that center treadline which looks "slick" sometimes is normal since the factory groove is not deep as the grooves on the sides......keep monitoring the aire preasure

[teagueAMX]

Originally Posted by motex

I remember in one of my past cars that I had a tread design similar to yours, that center treadline which looks "slick" sometimes is normal since the factory groove is not deep as the grooves on the sides......keep monitoring the aire preasure

+1 I would say that's true as well.

Ideally, tires wouldn't need groves at all, but we know that won't work unless you can afford to have summer and winter tires.

The summer tires have only minimal tread siping and smooth sections to provide good dry pavement grip. Your tyres (I like the English spelling) look like a compromise. My Goodyear passenger car tyres are similar to yours with those diagonal treads for water and a hard rubber center section for freeway driving.

I have to say that the cuffing on the rear edge of your outer tread is not uncharacteristic of taller vehicles. I have an all wheel drive SUV and it's done that from day one. Obviously, the X6 is designed to drive like a coupe and not a SUV, so it's likely the steering geometry is more like a car as well so the cuffing shouldn't be as pronounced as a SUV.

Looking at your photos, the overall tread height looks pretty much the same across your tyres. If you really had worn out that center section the groves on either side would be almost gone as well.