XSeries-forum

After moaning a few weeks ago that the X handled like a wheely bin in the wet, I found out why on the way home last week.  Rear passenger tyre blow out on the M74.  subsequent analysis indicates my rear set up is shot

It seems common that the insides of the tyres wear more quickly and in this case the insides has worn right though,



Clearly this all needs fixing before the winter rubber goes on.  Im guessing there is way to much camber but why there is way too much is anybody's guess.  In my defence I only checked the tread on them about 2k miles ago and don't recall hitting a curb or pot-hole since then???

Anyway will any decent tyre place know the correct set up for the X (i.e. more than just the standard tracking stuff) or should it go to a BMW indy??

Oh, and whoever said n the bad handling may not be the tyres and I shouldn't assume the suspension/set up was all tip top was dead right!!

Yipe!  How often do you check your tyres?

Richard

What mileage was on that tyre? Is the other side also in a bad way?

Don

X5Sport - Not often enough clearly!  Like I said, I think this has happened recently, I had the rears off about 3 months ago (needed a rim welding) and tread was fine.  AlsoI dint quite get how extreme the inside wear can be, at a glance from the kerbside, nothing looks wrong because the outer is fine.  Never had this kind of wear on a car before, so caught me a bit unawares!

Hi Don, the other tyre is showing similar (if not as drastic..yet) wear.  Outside edge looks fine, inner is completely smooth, but not to the braiding so far as I can see... not yet anyway.  truth is I've no idea how many miles are on the tires.  They were on it when I bought it in May this year and the tread was pretty deep.  Ive done about 9K total miles since then.

Seems theres differing views regarding dialing out the neg camber?

I'm surprised it's gone from ok to that in 2k miles.

The outside even looks really work which would be noticeable.

The camber might not be that bad as even though there is more wear to the inside the outside is warn quite a lot too and only just a little less showing camber but even wear. Just get an alignment done properly.

Yeah given the wear is so even across the width I would be suspecting your toe settings are out. Which could be an adjustment issue or it could be worn bushings or bent components. Either way you will have to fix it as a new set of tyres will go just as quick. The west pattern is just the symptom, need to address the cause.


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If it were toe causing the issue it wouldn't wear evenly it would completely scrub the inner or outside edge.

So if it's not toe adjustment, and it's not camber (which would only cause inside edge wear) - what is it? Line lock burnouts??

Castor is not a consideration on the rears so there are no other variables. I believe the toe is out, and the camber is out meanings it's scrubbing/feathering the outside and then the camber is wearing down the inside.

But then again, this is the internet and I'm just a punter - OP needs to get it on an alignment rack regardless.

Easy dude I'm not having a go just explaining what I've found.

The OP definitely needs to get an alignment done but to me it looks more like the tyre has worn as you'd exoect but it's just been left and not changed when needed. Of course I could be wrong and I'm not saying I am 100% right.

Just get the alignment done and hopefully shouldn't be any further issues.

[quote="Nick73"]
After moaning a few weeks ago that the X handled like a wheely bin in the wet, I found out why on the way home last week.  Rear passenger tyre blow out on the M74.  subsequent analysis indicates my rear set up is shot

It seems common that the insides of the tyres wear more quickly and in this case the insides has worn right though,



Clearly this all needs fixing before the winter rubber goes on.  Im guessing there is way to much camber but why there is way too much is anybody's guess.  In my defence I only checked the tread on them about 2k miles ago and don't recall hitting a curb or pot-hole since then???

Anyway will any decent tyre place know the correct set up for the X (i.e. more than just the standard tracking stuff) or should it go to a BMW indy??

Oh, and whoever said n the bad handling may not be the tyres and I shouldn't assume the suspension/set up was all tip top was dead right!!
[/quote]

I’m a bit puzzled (and worried) by your post on this. You start by saying you'd been moaning a few weeks ago about bad handling in the wet, but that post wasn't a few weeks ago it was only 12 days ago on October 18. In it you mention shoulder wear on the front but you don’t (initially at least) specifically mention any issues with the rears. You then go on to say in this thread that you had this problem last week so that would only be at the most a week after your initial post.

Leaving aside the inner wear which is both my opinion and experience on my own car is down to four wheel alignment (not every tyre dealer can do four wheel alignment), how could you not have noticed such excessive wear when you checked the tyres for your previous post.

You mention needing a rim welded. Not sure what has caused that as they don't just fail all by themselves so would assume it some kerbing or potholing which also would not have helped tyre integrity.

You also mention you checked the tread 2k ago - was that a visual check (in which case may I suggest a trip to Spec Savers - although other opticians are available) as this level of wear did not go from fine and legal to this in 2000 miles. You also indicate motorway driving so again I would not excessive long motor way trips to wear out the tyre so badly (although long trip will soon eat the inner edge if the tracking is out), or did you use a tread depth gauge in which case would you care to share with the group what the reading was - I cannot envisage it being anywhere near legal to that level of wear within 2k.

What worries me further is that in your original post 12 days ago AW8 advised you check the inners of thee rears. You responded saying the driver side had ‘very little wear’ and the passenger side “seems fine has some wear but not significant”

How could you possibly not have seen this level of wear two weeks ago?

If you think having checked them (assuming you actually did it) that this tyre was ‘fine’ or had little wear 12 days ago then I worry for your own safety and that of other road users.

Please have all your tyres checked by a tyre dealer, scrap them if they are illegal and have your winters checked too (by someone else).

And as long as you get the tracking done (on a four wheel system) and have the independently checked regularly you should be fine and you will be amazed at the transformation in the wet (although to be fair if you hit standing water, lots of cars will aquaplane and as we sadly saw at the Japanese Grand Prix not even the best drivers can deal with that)

These cars will start to handle very badly once the tread gets thin - which is why Insurers get twitchy at 3mm or below regardless of the legal limits.  Having worked as part of a Police force I know we changed our tyres at 3mm, ir just above if a service was more than one month away.

As Raj says, that looks like normal wear to me.  Tyre tread depth should ideally be checked weekly , and certainly monthly for the average mileage user, and tyres changed at or just below 3mm as the aquaplaning risk rises exponentially below that depth.  Use a proper depth gauge and check then in the centre as well as both edges.

That being said, I've seen a lot worse.  One of our ex-neighbours' sister turned up after having driven 50 miles on a flat.  The tyre steel belt had broken up and the tyre literally looked like a hedgehog, as well as being red hot!  She just said she thought it 'smelt at bit and handled strangely'.  She wanted to know if it was safe to drive back to London on?  (I went and got a jack and tools!!)

There is a useful mnemonic to use too 'FLOWER'
Fuel
Levels (washer/brakes/PAS etc)
Oil
Water (Coolant)
Electrics
Rubber


Richard

check (replace) your suspension if need be -> change the tyres and do the wheel balancing + alignment and it should work like a treat... something to also check in line with suspension is to see how your shocks are behaving... and it all applies if you plan to drive on road .

If you are into drifting, off you go and ignore the above ...

Update:  new rubber now on with a wheel alignment.  Garage said it was "3 degrees out" .  Doesn't sound a lot to me, but maybe in the scheme of things it is???

I think the fact that the blow out was on the inside made me assume the inner edge wear was worse than it was.  Also I had assumed inner edge meant the inner half of the tire, not the actual inside edge, seems theres a learning curve with these X's.

Even so the other rear had over 4 mm on the outer edge and was a slick on the inner when it came off.  10K miles ago when I bought the car, it looked like a new tire so that seems like a lot of wear in 10K.

Anyway, will keep a closer eye on the new tread, see how it wears now.  Actually, I realised the other day, whithin a month of buying the car, I had the rear brake pipes corrode out, and piddle brake fluid all over one rear bush, so maybe that has started to deteriorate extra quickly..

One other thing,  the tyre place seem to have put in much higher pressures than I do (37.5 psi front, 40psi rear).  Certainly higher than the sticker on the door says?  Is that a winter tyre thing (never had to fit winter tyres previously)?

Winter tyres normally run at the same pressures as Summer ones.  2.2bar - 32psi unless heavily laden.

3 degrees does sound like a lot, especially if it's in one direction and causes scrubbing.

Hope it's sorted now though.

Richard