BMW 745LI Manual Do Utilizador

Página de 229
Wheels and tires
186
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. 
The tread depth should not drop below 
0.12 in (3 mm), although, for example, 
European legislation only specifies a 
minimum tread depth of 0.06 in (1.6 mm). 
At tread depths below 0.12 in (3 mm) there 
is an increased risk of high-speed hydro-
planing, even when only small amounts of 
water are present on the road surface.
Wear indicators at the tread-groove base, 
see arrow, are distributed over the tire's 
circumference and are marked on the tire 
sidewall with TWI – Tread Wear Indicator. 
These indicators signal at a tread depth of 
0.06 in (1.6 mm) that the legal wear limit 
has been reached. 
Never attempt to continue driving on 
a flat tire. Because a flat tire will 
seriously impair your vehicle's handling 
and braking response, attempts to drive on 
a flat tire can lead to loss of control over the 
vehicle. 
To avoid loading the tires beyond their 
approved carrying capacity, never overload 
the vehicle. Overloading can lead to 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 defect. This 
can, for example, be caused by driving over 
curbs. These kinds of problems may also 
be signaled by other changes in vehicle 
response, such as a strong tendency to pull 
to the left or right. Should this occur, 
respond by immediately reducing your 
speed. Carefully proceed – or have your 
vehicle towed – to the nearest BMW center 
or tire dealer to have the wheels or tires 
inspected. 
Tire damage, extending to sudden and 
complete loss of pressure in extreme 
cases, can pose a potentially lethal safety 
hazard for the vehicle's occupants and 
other road users alike.
<
 
Run-flat tires* 
Run-flat tires consist of self-contained tires 
and special rims. The tire reinforcement 
ensures that the tire retains some residual 
safety in the event of pressure drop and 
driving remains possible to a restricted 
degree, refer to page 
The vehicle is equipped with a Flat Tire 
Monitor or TPM Tire Pressure Monitor 
which indicates flat tires. 
Tire replacement 
To maintain good handling and vehicle 
response, use only tires of a single tread 
configuration from a single manufacturer. 
BMW tests and approves specific wheel 
and tire combinations. 
DOT Quality Grades 
Treadwear 
Traction AA A B C 
Temperature A B C
All passenger car tires must conform 
to Federal Safety Requirements in 
addition to these grades.
<
 
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative 
rating 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 
Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 197 - © 11/02 BMW AG