Weird Tire Wear

M302_imola · 12-30-2018, 09:36 PM

Was working on the exhaust today, and noticed my passenger side rear tire is wearing badly on the inside. Almost looked as if it was rubbing on something although I saw nothing that stood out. Going to get it by buddies alignment shop this week, but was curious if anyone else has seen wear like this? Wear on the inside isn't uncommon but in my case it's only the passenger side rear tire. BTW, stock 19" wheels on stock Pirelli run flats. X5 mileage is right around 63K.

admranger · 12-30-2018, 09:45 PM

Two things cause inside tire wear; camber and toe. My guess is one or both are out of spec.

alphaod · 12-31-2018, 11:44 AM

It's normal for the rears to have slightly more wear on the inside, but not on one-side only.

M302_imola · 12-31-2018, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by admranger

Two things cause inside tire wear; camber and toe. My guess is one or both are out of spec.

My exact thoughts but this looks different than normal wear from toe or camber being out. I'll let a professional diagnosis and report back.

M302_imola · 01-04-2019, 10:35 AM

Mechanic says that alignment is dead on and he chalks the abnormal wear to lack of rotation. I should have been more diligent in rotating the tires. Didn't think it was a huge deal being all wheel drive but I was wrong. Plus I've only owned it about 7K miles and I don't previous owner rotated them. Oh well, need to find a new/used tire now as that tire is on it's last leg. Hit me up if you have 1 Pirelli scorpion 255/50/R19 fun flat lying around. I'll post in classifieds as well.

KillFox91 · 01-04-2019, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M302_imola

Mechanic says that alignment is dead on and he chalks the abnormal wear to lack of rotation. I should have been more diligent in rotating the tires. Didn't think it was a huge deal being all wheel drive but I was wrong. Plus I've only owned it about 7K miles and I don't previous owner rotated them. Oh well, need to find a new/used tire now as that tire is on it's last leg. Hit me up if you have 1 Pirelli scorpion 255/50/R19 fun flat lying around. I'll post in classifieds as well.

My tire shop said the same thing when I put winters on my 35i. Very important to rotate your tires on the X5; as you will get wear on the inside of both rears.

Curious to know how long staggered setups last? My shop said to plan on half life on the rears when I go staggered.

M302_imola · 01-04-2019, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillFox91

My tire shop said the same thing when I put winters on my 35i. Very important to rotate your tires on the X5; as you will get wear on the inside of both rears.

Curious to know how long staggered setups last? My shop said to plan on half life on the rears when I go staggered.

The strange part to me is both rears weren't worn on the inside; only the passenger side rear was. That's why I thought it was an alignment issue but everything checked out.

I've wondered the same about the staggered setup. Guess I'll find out soon enough. My E46 M3 had a staggered setup and the rears didn't last long of course it was rear wheel drive. Looking at the Atturo AZ850 tires once I go staggered. At they're fairly cheap if they don't last long.

Maverik259 · 01-06-2019, 12:47 AM

Just replaced my tires and I was surprised to see I had very even wear in both rears. The fronts are much more tread over all but the insides were much more worn down due to camber. But both sides were even to the other. Got 25k out of my Dueller RFT. If I would've "rotated" the fronts side to side I bet they would have gone another 10k. Rears were maybe 1-3k from being getting bald spots.

1Louder · 07-03-2019, 10:33 PM

Hi everyone - seemed to be the right place to ask this question.

So today our right rear tire failed on our 2015 35i. It has 38k miles, Pirelli Scorpion run flats. Seems like the same kind of damage being described here. So I'm guessing this is typical? The tire place said they see this a lot because of what they called a more "aggressive negative camber" on the X5. I can understand why that would cause this problem, but I have a hard time believing it's standard. Thoughts? BTW it's a CPO we got at 30k miles, so we are not the original owners.

I don't have the picture where I can upload via url, but it's literally a 8" tear right at place where the tread meets the sidewall. Plus, the inside of the tire is a LOT more worn than the outside. The left rear was on it's way, but hadn't failed yet.

RED_Y_ · 07-03-2019, 11:33 PM

How many times did you rotate your tires?

menelaos · 07-04-2019, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

How many times did you rotate your tires?

I do rotate my winter set, but only at the beginning of the winter, upon install.
Did some measurements when it was my only set, and they were the same.
I think his problem is camber, or toe. It's simple too extreme.

P1 · 07-04-2019, 08:12 AM

On my E70 X5, I was washing the car one day and noticed the threads separating on the inside of the rears. The outside looked just fine. With the camber of these tires, it’s important to keep an eye on these things.

1Louder · 07-04-2019, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

How many times did you rotate your tires?

I was off earlier - we got this as a CPO at 20K, so I'm not sure what happened before that. It had the standard 30k service and tires were rotated then. I didn't have any idea about this issue so didn't think to do it more frequently. If I had to guess they were only rotated at the 10k service intervals, so three times.

We had them replaced at a local Les Schwab where we get free tire rotations - you bet we'll be in there every 5K from now on. Or is there recommended interval that helps prolong tire life?

Also the tire guy recommended maybe going a bit over standard tire pressure too - anyone try that?

Is the issue just on the rear tires, or do all four have a camber adjustment?

alphaod · 07-04-2019, 10:54 AM

I never rotate my tires. I do however go higher on tire pressures. I use the over 100 mph tire pressure specs.

F15GorDe · 07-04-2019, 03:32 PM

I haven’t rotated mine, either. I run the label pressures, 36 & 44, and keep a close eye on them. When I replaced the Pirelli RFTs at 50500 miles they still had another 5k left and were evenly worn across all 4 tires.

Might be a good idea to confirm that your servicing dealer is rotating your wheels. Mine doesn’t and they aren’t the only ones.

And, as always, YMMV definitely applies.

RenoGary · 05-04-2022, 07:14 PM

G05 with 15k miles with excessive wear on both front outside edges. Obvious alignment issue. Shop wouldn’t do an alignment because they want the tires replaced first.
The shop manager (The Senior Guy) explained that this type of wear was typical of x5 and is worsened by the roll of Run Flat tires.
And, bmw never ( not ever ) rotates x5 tires. He was clear. The wear pattern is very different front to back. Like a FWD, one can replace fronts and skip the rears once. But (he said) never rotate to even out the wear.
And, all Run Flat tires will be discontinued within 2 years. Ecologically speaking they are a huge problem; so OUT they go. Better get em if you want them. There are some brands already on close out (since I now have to fire shop.)
I think lots of you will view this BMW service “position” as a BS story. I’m tempted too. I do not NOT want the next set to end up with 7/8 great tread and 1/8 worn to danger.
I’m buying the new 3MPSF Mich set. We’re avid ski drivers.
Would enjoy your opinions.

M302_imola · 05-06-2022, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RenoGary

G05 with 15k miles with excessive wear on both front outside edges. Obvious alignment issue. Shop wouldn’t do an alignment because they want the tires replaced first.
The shop manager (The Senior Guy) explained that this type of wear was typical of x5 and is worsened by the roll of Run Flat tires.
And, bmw never ( not ever ) rotates x5 tires. He was clear. The wear pattern is very different front to back. Like a FWD, one can replace fronts and skip the rears once. But (he said) never rotate to even out the wear.
And, all Run Flat tires will be discontinued within 2 years. Ecologically speaking they are a huge problem; so OUT they go. Better get em if you want them. There are some brands already on close out (since I now have to fire shop.)
I think lots of you will view this BMW service “position” as a BS story. I’m tempted too. I do not NOT want the next set to end up with 7/8 great tread and 1/8 worn to danger.
I’m buying the new 3MPSF Mich set. We’re avid ski drivers.
Would enjoy your opinions.

Yeah runflats are garbage. What size wheels and tires did your G05 come with?

P1 · 05-07-2022, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RenoGary

G05 with 15k miles with excessive wear on both front outside edges. Obvious alignment issue. Shop wouldn’t do an alignment because they want the tires replaced first.
The shop manager (The Senior Guy) explained that this type of wear was typical of x5 and is worsened by the roll of Run Flat tires.
And, bmw never ( not ever ) rotates x5 tires. He was clear. The wear pattern is very different front to back. Like a FWD, one can replace fronts and skip the rears once. But (he said) never rotate to even out the wear.
And, all Run Flat tires will be discontinued within 2 years. Ecologically speaking they are a huge problem; so OUT they go. Better get em if you want them. There are some brands already on close out (since I now have to fire shop.)
I think lots of you will view this BMW service “position” as a BS story. I’m tempted too. I do not NOT want the next set to end up with 7/8 great tread and 1/8 worn to danger.
I’m buying the new 3MPSF Mich set. We’re avid ski drivers.
Would enjoy your opinions.

I just mounted a fresh set of MPSS (285/325) on my F15. Had excessive wear on the outer edges of my fronts also. Rears wore beautifully even. Taking it in for an alignment on Monday. Will share the results.

P1 · 05-09-2022, 10:48 PM

Results of the alignment today. Let's see if that fixes it.

1norseman · 05-11-2022, 09:22 AM

I have found alignment shops are not always doing a good job, people relying on their alignment machine over the naked eye. Just last weekend I could see my car wasn't right, but alignment shop claimed it was done. In their defense, they had not been exposed to H&R VTF and SPC camber arms before. So I'm heading back again this week for a redo.

Regardless, if alignment is done right and you are not constantly driving with lots of weight on one side of the vehicle, rotating tires or not should not make one tire wear down differently than the other side.

If you have a square set up and aligned correctly, the only way you should be able to get uneven wear, is if a shop doesn't bother marking the tires and puts back tires in the wrong place. I.e switches front and back on one side only.
(Side note; I'm not sure about all the sizes of OEM wheels, but I believe for the F15's, the 19" versions are the only ones that are not staggered. AFAIK vehicles with OEM 20", or 21" wheels are all staggered set ups, and can't be rotated. But I could be wrong.)

I hope your new alignment takes care of issue. I'd recommend marking your tires also, so you know they were put back on the vehicle in the right place anytime you have work done.

12-30-2018, 09:36 PM	#1
M302_imola Major 843 Rep 1,497 Posts Drives: '15 X5 35i Xdrive Mineral Whit Join Date: May 2018 Location: Tennessee iTrader: (1)	Weird Tire Wear Was working on the exhaust today, and noticed my passenger side rear tire is wearing badly on the inside. Almost looked as if it was rubbing on something although I saw nothing that stood out. Going to get it by buddies alignment shop this week, but was curious if anyone else has seen wear like this? Wear on the inside isn't uncommon but in my case it's only the passenger side rear tire. BTW, stock 19" wheels on stock Pirelli run flats. X5 mileage is right around 63K.
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12-30-2018, 09:45 PM	#2
admranger Retired Curmudgeon 2985 Rep 4,047 Posts Drives: ‘19 X3M40i, ‘18 m550i Join Date: May 2011 Location: Las Vegas, NV iTrader: (1)	Two things cause inside tire wear; camber and toe. My guess is one or both are out of spec. __________________ '19 X3 M40 Carbon Black/Oyster, '23 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit, Past BMWs: '18 M550i, '18 330 GT, '16 X5 40e, '11 E90M3, '06 X5 4.4, '03 330i ZHP, '02 M3, '97 Z3 2.8, '95 M3 (2x), '94 530i (manual), '92 525i (manual), '88 M3, '87 325iS
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12-31-2018, 11:44 AM	#3
alphaod Mmmmm… 1151 Rep 2,426 Posts Drives: F15 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: New York iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i [10.00]	It's normal for the rears to have slightly more wear on the inside, but not on one-side only. __________________ 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i BMW CCA 509766
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01-04-2019, 10:35 AM	#5
M302_imola Major 843 Rep 1,497 Posts Drives: '15 X5 35i Xdrive Mineral Whit Join Date: May 2018 Location: Tennessee iTrader: (1)	Mechanic says that alignment is dead on and he chalks the abnormal wear to lack of rotation. I should have been more diligent in rotating the tires. Didn't think it was a huge deal being all wheel drive but I was wrong. Plus I've only owned it about 7K miles and I don't previous owner rotated them. Oh well, need to find a new/used tire now as that tire is on it's last leg. Hit me up if you have 1 Pirelli scorpion 255/50/R19 fun flat lying around. I'll post in classifieds as well.
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01-06-2019, 12:47 AM	#8
Maverik259 Major General 4140 Rep 7,160 Posts Drives: F90 M5 / F15 50i Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Virginia iTrader: (1) Garage List 2020 BMW M5 [10.00] 2014 X5 50i [0.00]	Just replaced my tires and I was surprised to see I had very even wear in both rears. The fronts are much more tread over all but the insides were much more worn down due to camber. But both sides were even to the other. Got 25k out of my Dueller RFT. If I would've "rotated" the fronts side to side I bet they would have gone another 10k. Rears were maybe 1-3k from being getting bald spots. __________________ '07 Yamaha R1 (sold) '06 C55 AMG (sold) ‘?20 M5, MP Carbon Pro Spoiler, MP Carbon Diffuser, MP Black grille and gills, MP Carbon Mirrors, CF side sills, 789M w/ Ti studs, eventuri, Dinan X pipe '14 X5 50i (wife’s now)
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		BMW X5 and X6 Forum (F15/F16) > BMW X5 (F15) and BMW X6 (F16) Forum > BMW X5 and X6 (F15/F16) Forum
Weird Tire Wear

07-03-2019, 10:33 PM	#9
1Louder Registered 3 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 2015 X5 i35xDrive Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (0)	Hi everyone - seemed to be the right place to ask this question. So today our right rear tire failed on our 2015 35i. It has 38k miles, Pirelli Scorpion run flats. Seems like the same kind of damage being described here. So I'm guessing this is typical? The tire place said they see this a lot because of what they called a more "aggressive negative camber" on the X5. I can understand why that would cause this problem, but I have a hard time believing it's standard. Thoughts? BTW it's a CPO we got at 30k miles, so we are not the original owners. I don't have the picture where I can upload via url, but it's literally a 8" tear right at place where the tread meets the sidewall. Plus, the inside of the tire is a LOT more worn than the outside. The left rear was on it's way, but hadn't failed yet.
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07-03-2019, 11:33 PM	#10
RED_Y_ Colonel 1060 Rep 2,513 Posts Drives: 2014 X5 3.5d Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: SF Bay Area iTrader: (0)	How many times did you rotate your tires?
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07-04-2019, 08:12 AM	#12
P1 Lieutenant General 11574 Rep 11,136 Posts Drives: 2004 3/4 ton Duramax Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: United States iTrader: (1)	On my E70 X5, I was washing the car one day and noticed the threads separating on the inside of the rears. The outside looked just fine. With the camber of these tires, it’s important to keep an eye on these things.
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07-04-2019, 10:54 AM	#14
alphaod Mmmmm… 1151 Rep 2,426 Posts Drives: F15 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: New York iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i [10.00]	I never rotate my tires. I do however go higher on tire pressures. I use the over 100 mph tire pressure specs. __________________ 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i BMW CCA 509766
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07-04-2019, 03:32 PM	#15
F15GorDe Well versed in the care and feeding of BMWs 261 Rep 733 Posts Drives: F15d, F10 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: NorCal iTrader: (0)	I haven’t rotated mine, either. I run the label pressures, 36 & 44, and keep a close eye on them. When I replaced the Pirelli RFTs at 50500 miles they still had another 5k left and were evenly worn across all 4 tires. Might be a good idea to confirm that your servicing dealer is rotating your wheels. Mine doesn’t and they aren’t the only ones. And, as always, YMMV definitely applies. __________________ B&O, parking assistant, executive package, 3rd row seats and the manual rear shades are the ONLY items we didn't order. Having everything else makes our F15d a NICE ride.
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05-04-2022, 07:14 PM	#16
RenoGary New Member 2 Rep 10 Posts Drives: X5 G05 Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: Reno iTrader: (0)	Tire wear & rotation G05 with 15k miles with excessive wear on both front outside edges. Obvious alignment issue. Shop wouldn’t do an alignment because they want the tires replaced first. The shop manager (The Senior Guy) explained that this type of wear was typical of x5 and is worsened by the roll of Run Flat tires. And, bmw never ( not ever ) rotates x5 tires. He was clear. The wear pattern is very different front to back. Like a FWD, one can replace fronts and skip the rears once. But (he said) never rotate to even out the wear. And, all Run Flat tires will be discontinued within 2 years. Ecologically speaking they are a huge problem; so OUT they go. Better get em if you want them. There are some brands already on close out (since I now have to fire shop.) I think lots of you will view this BMW service “position” as a BS story. I’m tempted too. I do not NOT want the next set to end up with 7/8 great tread and 1/8 worn to danger. I’m buying the new 3MPSF Mich set. We’re avid ski drivers. Would enjoy your opinions.
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05-09-2022, 10:48 PM	#19
P1 Lieutenant General 11574 Rep 11,136 Posts Drives: 2004 3/4 ton Duramax Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: United States iTrader: (1)	Results of the alignment today. Let's see if that fixes it.
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05-11-2022, 09:22 AM	#20
1norseman Captain 400 Rep 648 Posts Drives: X5 50i Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Pavement iTrader: (0)	I have found alignment shops are not always doing a good job, people relying on their alignment machine over the naked eye. Just last weekend I could see my car wasn't right, but alignment shop claimed it was done. In their defense, they had not been exposed to H&R VTF and SPC camber arms before. So I'm heading back again this week for a redo. Regardless, if alignment is done right and you are not constantly driving with lots of weight on one side of the vehicle, rotating tires or not should not make one tire wear down differently than the other side. If you have a square set up and aligned correctly, the only way you should be able to get uneven wear, is if a shop doesn't bother marking the tires and puts back tires in the wrong place. I.e switches front and back on one side only. (Side note; I'm not sure about all the sizes of OEM wheels, but I believe for the F15's, the 19" versions are the only ones that are not staggered. AFAIK vehicles with OEM 20", or 21" wheels are all staggered set ups, and can't be rotated. But I could be wrong.) I hope your new alignment takes care of issue. I'd recommend marking your tires also, so you know they were put back on the vehicle in the right place anytime you have work done.
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