Quote:
Originally Posted by adi555
My car has done around 10k kms with the first service due. Workshop people say there's no need to rotate the tires. I disagree because my car is not AWD. What do you guys think?
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Hi
Unless there is a contrary recommendation in the handbook (BMW just say it is possible but seek advice) then the the advice, almost universally, regardless whether front, rear or all wheel drive, is best tyres (tires in USA) on the rear. Tyrefitting companies will normally insist on putting two new tyres on the rear. The reason is that it is easier to recover loss of front wheel grip when driving than loss of rear wheel grip. Also, front tyres usually have heavier load and therefore better grip in normal driving conditions. Tyre manufacturers and some national safety, have done significant research on this area and whilst there are benefits and disadvantages for having better tyre on front versus rear, depending on car drive train and road conditions, the clincher is that it is normally easier to stabilise loss of grip on the front than the rear.
So, the X1 is primarily, or for sdrive exclusively, front wheel drive (xdrive on X1 is a part time system) which given engine weight and steering means that front wheel tyre wear will normally be significantly greater than rear. It would therefore not be recommended to switch front tyres with greater wear to the rear of the car. Whilst tyre rotation used to be popular with the argument it balanced the wear of tyres it is no longer regarded as good practice by tyre manufacturers (for the reasons given earlier). As a final point, tyre rotation does not slow tyre wear so it does not save money (at best you end up with 4 tyres needing replacement at same time rather than just two) and once tyres pass certain tread depth (do not let them get below 2mm / 3/32” regardless of legal minimum) replace them.