BMW z4 roadster 2.5i-2003 Manual Do Utilizador

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 73
Tire condition
Tire tread – Tire damage
Inspect your tires frequently for tread wear, 
signs of damage and for foreign objects 
lodged in the tread. Check the tread depth.
Tread depth should not be allowed to go 
below 
1
/
8
 in / 3 mm, even though in 
Europe, for example, the legally specified 
minimum tread depth is only 
1
/
16
 in / 
1.6 mm. 
Tread wear indicators in the tread-groove 
base – see arrow – are distributed around 
the wheel circumference and are labeled 
on the tire sidewall as TWI – Tread Wear 
Indicator. At a tread depth of 
1
/
16
 in / 
1.6 mm, the indicators signal that the 
legally permissible wear limit has been 
reached. 
Avoid overloading the vehicle so that 
the permitted load on the tires is not 
exceeded. Overloading can cause over-
heating and damage inside the tires.
The ultimate result can assume the form of 
a sudden air loss.
Unusual vibrations encountered during 
normal vehicle operation can indicate tire 
failure or some other vehicle malfunction. 
This type of problem can be caused by 
contact with curbs, etc.  This is also true for 
irregularities in the vehicle's handling char-
acteristics, such as a pronounced ten-
dency to pull to the left or right. Should this 
occur, respond by immediately reducing 
your speed. Proceed carefully to the near-
est BMW center or professional tire center, 
or have the vehicle towed there to have it 
and its wheels or tires inspected.
Tire damage – up to and including sudden 
and complete air loss – can pose an 
extreme hazard for both vehicle occupants 
and other road users.
<
Tire replacement
To maintain good handling and vehicle 
response, use tires of a single tread config-
uration from a single manufacturer. 
BMW advises against using retreaded 
tires as this could negatively affect 
driving safety. This is due to possible varia-
tions in casing structures and, in some 
cases, to their extreme age, factors which 
can lead to a decrease in their durability.
<
Tire age
The date on which the tire was manufac-
tured is indicated by the code on the side-
wall:
DOT … 3602 indicates that the tire was 
manufactured in week 36 of the year 2002.
BMW recommends the replacement of all 
tires every 6  years at the latest, even if a tire 
usage of 10 years is possible.
Run Flat tires
When replacing tires, always use 
Run Flat tires since a spare wheel is 
not provided to replace a flat tire.
Run Flat tires are labeled on the sidewall 
with a circular symbol containing the letters 
RSC. Refer to page 
.
<
DOT quality grades
Tread wear 
Traction AA A B C 
Temperature A B C
All passenger car tires must conform 
to Federal Safety Requirements in 
addition to these grades.
<
 
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when 
tested under controlled conditions on a 
specified government test course. 
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear 
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