What tyre sizes should my car have?

[mrmjn]

Sorry if this is listed else where i did look but didnt find any thing

I have got a 3.0d sport e53 on a 53 plate and it has got 19" wheels both front and back both have 285/45/19 tyres i was expecting larger on back to the front as my previous 3 series had larger on rear

im sure some one will have the answer i am waiting for my owners manual from the dealer they took folder to stamp service book and didnt return it to car

its just bugging me only reason i looked was cause had nail in tyre which lucky was fixed just looking at prices

thanks mark

[Sanj]

This is OEM:

255/50/19 Fronts

285/45/19 Rears

Backs should be staggered.

[mrmjn]

thanks sanj will this be a problem? is there a reason for this being done? not long had car

mark

[Sanj]

No idea - sorry.

Rears are dearer than the fronts, but how would you come across an extra set of fronts to do a full set (why go through the trouble)???

You can see they don't sit far out enough on the rears - dealer buy or private. Any chance to challenge?

Either way DO NOT despair - eBay and a couple of saved searches and you'll get the correct rears for not much money. Don't lose sleep over it, above all else.

[mrmjn]

dont understand what u mean about about but how would you come across an extra set of fronts to do a full set ?

i see it i have the wrong tyres on front? am i missing something its been a long day sorry if im being thick!

yes dealer bought they have just rebuilt gearbox under warenty so sure they will be well happy for me to say bout tyres

will it matter is the question? is the steering slightly heavier maybe?

thanks

Mark

[AW8]

It's not just the front & rear tyre sizes that should differ - it should also be the wheels too.

BMW Alloy Wheels
Details of original wheels fitted to E53 Sport

Type: V Spoke
Style :63
Diameter 19''
Rear wheels part number: 36111096228 (10JX19 ET:45)
Front wheels part number: 36111096231 (9JX19 ET:48)


Tyres on yours should be should be at least speed rating V.........assuming it's a sport, ( should have 3 spoke steering wheel, black window trims & anthracite roof lining).

Load index on the 255/50R19 V is 103 & on the 285/45R19 V this is 107

I believe the castings on inside of alloys will have the 9J & 10J references.

Don't feel sorry for trader that supplied the car.

Worst case hypothetical scenario stuff, but in event of your car being in an accident & an assessor seeing it, he/she may refuse to honour your claim &/or declare your insurance void if car has wrong size wheels &/or tyres fitted........So in my opinion - Yes it does matter & that's without any references to handling/steering etc.

I genuinely hope issues on your car get sorted.

If the supplying trader, (I only use the term dealer for main dealers), wishes to dispute then refer to the handbook &/or tyre sticker inside the door shut panel.

I wouldn't mention this site - whilst happy with advice & info personally given I suggest it mat be beneficial to have freedom to discuss matters with lesser chance of them seeing thoughts & consumer advice you have been given by others.

Cost of replacement or rebuild box plus new alloys & tyres to front will be significant but thats not your fault. If not happy or to stand by problems then IMO they shouldn't have retailed the car &/or sold it.

The box & alloy/tyre issues plus entire absence of parcel shelf don't paint a great picture. Comments re not having service book in possession don't reassure either.

If they refuse or delay sorting issues I would ask them to give a full refund.

In any case now might be a good time to have cause the car to be given a good going over to ensure no other surprises in store. I would also call BMW UK to try to obtain as much info on the cars documented history & documented mileage in relation to of main dealer visits.



Good Luck

[Sanj]

I can't really add much more than AW8's advice, do take the car back and don't worry about how they feel. Rears are 10J fronts 9J (Width of the alloy before the tyre goes on) so in theory you may have 10J rear alloys on the front too. Do they look like they stick out too much?

On full-lock you must get some inside arch rubbing? An yes steering will be heavier, more work for the pump to do, potential earlier failure, etc.

[CondorX5]

Absolutely agree with AW8 - those wide sleds on the front must be rubbing and the steering must be awful, not to mention the unhappy potential scenario of an accident and insurance invalidity etc. Also wondering how it passed an MOT as the fronts must be sticking out considerably and thought that was meant to be a fail. Worrying about all these faults, lack of history, missing parcel shelf etc etc. I would get back to the dealer poste-haste and also consider rejecting the car. Obviosuly lots they have missed or haven't disclosed or have "lost" (ie service book) - you wonder what unpleasant surprise next awaits you. Good luck.

[JimmySpeed]

It may be that it has the right wheels but someone just put the wrong on tyres - 285s will fit on the fronts but they will bulge out at the sides more - when you look at them next to a 285 on a rear wheel you will see the difference definitely so an easy way to check what's going on there.

If they are rear wheels at the front, I would want something done just so that everything is proper, but wouldn't worry about it in the meantime. I was trying to diagnose a wheel problem recently so put my backs on my fronts and vice versa for a day. It did full lock fine, no rubbing, wheel didn't poke out too much, and steering wasn't heavy; i.e. drove not too different from normal. If I didn't know the difference I wouldn't have thought it was wrong. As I said though, I would just want it sorted simple because they sold you the car, they should have sold it how it was meant to be!

[mrmjn]

thanks for all your helpful replies

I can confirm i have the correct size wheels front and back, front are aprox 25mm smaller than rear and the front tyre does bulge over side of rim more than rear.

the wheels do not rub on full lock but I want my car as it should be,

what part would fail mot tyres overhanging rim or just rim sticking out to far in general?

my ratings are w on rear and v on front (if this is incorect on front they cant argue the change can any one advise?)
the door sticker says w rating front and rear for 19" s which i have and v for 20" wheels

Also I had the service book but gave it back as they hadnt stamped it for pre delivery service forgot to ask for it as i picked car up from gearbox rebuild last thing, they should of left in car but not end of world,

parcel shelve was damaged when i agreed to have car and dealer said would replace but had trouble getting one as I have electric rear seats and it different to normal one (dont know about this) I agreed to have it re upholstered as long as it was ok and to be fair it is perfect

thanks for your help again

mark

[JimmySpeed]

It would have failed if the wheels were overhanging the arches, but even when I put my rears up front this did not happen so you'll be fine. The wider tyres on the fronts won't be an MOT fail either, I have seen 285 on 9j and they fit okay

[AW8]

[quote=""mrmjn""]
my ratings are w on rear and v on front (if this is incorect on front they cant argue the change can any one advise?)
the door sticker says w rating front and rear for 19" s which i have and v for 20" wheels [/quote]

The correct details are those I prior gave you have read the label incorrectly. My door sticker specifies V rating for 19's & W rating on 20's. W is a higher rating than V. Personally I don't see the higher rating as an issue but the size issue is in my view an issue & for reasons I have stated plus aesthetics.

[quote=""mrmjn""]Also I had the service book but gave it back as they hadnt stamped it for pre delivery service forgot to ask for it as i picked car up from gearbox rebuild last thing, they should of left in car but not end of world,[/quote]

I take your terminology "pre delivery service" to refer to service conducted prior to you receiving the car, however, I should clarify that the words "Pre Delivery" only appear in BMW service schedule when car is new & when a "Pre Delivery Inspection" is conducted for 1st owner. There shouldn't be a need to perform a service unless service lights or long duration since last service/inspection. In practice some traders perform or claim to perform a service as part of a used purchase package. If you wish or need to do so then check stamps in service book are correct.

[mrmjn]

sorry i stand corrected AW8 i did miss read the door label and V rating are infact the corect rating unfortunatly I am still running the wrong size tyres I will be popping into the dealer tommorow to put my point across

also yes the pre delivery service was a full service provided by the dealer which was due, it has been done as i have checked clean oil new filters ect with this stamp it will bring me up to fsh

I have dont 400 mile this week end and the car hasnt skipped a beat very happy just the tyres to sort out and collect my service book tommorrow and all is good thanks again for all your help time to start enjoying my car..... much more a drivers car compared to my range rover

[Raj]

I am not surprised that the dealer have missed the fact that the car has been supplied with 285 tyres on the 9J rims up front even though they should be 255. Dealer should be willing to replace them no problems as they have been supplied incorrectly.

As for them being an MOT failure or being an issue for normal use, you'll be fine. Running a 285 tyre on a 9J rim is perfectly acceptable and will not stick out the arches or rub (hence no MOT failure). Previous owner has simply done the opposite of the stretched Euro tyre look and gone with a wider tyre and narrower (probably got them very cheap before trading the car in to the dealer or something).

You will find that the car will tramline more until the correct size tyres are fitted and as said turn in will be heavier.

I'm running 10.5J AC Schnitzer rims up front with 295 tyres and no issues, etc.