BMW serie 3 sedan 2001 Manuale Utente

127

Index

Data

Technology

Repairs

Car care

Controls

Overview

Tire replacement

Tire rotation

Tire age

The date on which the tire was manu-
factured is indicated by the code on the
sidewall:
DOT ... 4100 means that the tire was
manufactured in week 41 of 2000.

BMW recommends the replacement of
all tires when the tires are no more than
6 years old, even if a tire life of 10 years
is possible.

Spare tires over 6 years old should be
used only in case of emergency. A tire
in this condition should be replaced by
a new tire immediately, and should not
be mounted together with new tires.

Between the axles

The tread wear patterns at the front end
differ from those at the rear – the actual
patterns will vary according to indi-
vidual driving conditions. In the inter-
ests of safety and maintaining optimal
handling characteristics, tire rotation is
not recommended.

If a proposed interaxle rotation of tires
is based on economic considerations,
one should consider whether the costs
for the rotation are likely to be recap-
tured by any increase in the service life
of the tires that might be realized. In
principle, interaxle rotation must be
performed in short intervals, with a
maximum of 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
Consult your BMW center for more
information.

Should you decide to rotate the tires, it
is essential to comply with the following:
Rotate tires on the same side only, since
braking characteristics and road grip
could otherwise be adversely affected.

Following rotation, the tire inflation
pressure should always be corrected.

If different tire sizes are mounted
on the front and rear axles (refer to

page

130

), the wheels may not be

rotated from one axle to the other.