Mixed Tires (front and back different) Bad Experience

[alkao]

I was wondering if anybody else has experienced this. A quick search of the forums didn’t bring up anything like this.

I just changed the rear tires (original Bridgestone Potenza RE080 on a 330i ZHP) with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 after reading the reviews on TireRack. Drives ok at low speeds but fast lane changes at >70MPH… Really bad. The DSC even kicked in during a quick lane change! :yikes: Since I am still breaking them in (<100 miles) I haven’t driven that hard yet but I am guessing I will see it at lower speeds if I take a few fast turns.

I’m chalking it up to the differences in traction between the two different tires. The F1 is better in the water but worse dry than the RE080.

alkao

P.S. I’m ordering another set of Goodyears tonight for the front axel so everything will be balanced!

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

What's the big deal if DSC kicks in?

[wag-zhp]

I'm only guessing here, but I would bet you are loosing traction on the new rear tires. If that is the case, it's to be expected. New tires feel pretty "greasy" for the first couple hundred miles. I even think the specs say you should allow 300 miles for break in of new tires. Once the fronts are replaced both axles will be pretty slippery, but at least they should be equally slippery, with the rear hopefully having a little more traction and keeping you from spinning the car.

[Josh (PA)]

am I wrong to believe that individual tire performance is relatively independent of the other tires (assuming they're all the same size, properly inflated, etc.) as in if you're experiencing loss of traction at a particular tire, it wouldn't matter if you had one of those tires on or 4. The overall grip of the car will be dictated by the tire with the least traction.

[alkao]

I'm only guessing here, but I would bet you are loosing traction on the new rear tires. If that is the case, it's to be expected. New tires feel pretty "greasy" for the first couple hundred miles. I even think the specs say you should allow 300 miles for break in of new tires. Once the fronts are replaced both axles will be pretty slippery, but at least they should be equally slippery, with the rear hopefully having a little more traction and keeping you from spinning the car.

I was thinking it might be that as well but... I didn't expect it to be as bad as I felt. (Then again this is my first sporty car so I don't have a good reference point)

[LDV330i]

I was wondering if anybody else has experienced this. A quick search of the forums didn’t bring up anything like this.

I just changed the rear tires (original Bridgestone Potenza RE080 on a 330i ZHP) with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 after reading the reviews on TireRack. Drives ok at low speeds but fast lane changes at >70MPH… Really bad. The DSC even kicked in during a quick lane change! :yikes: Since I am still breaking them in (<100 miles) I haven’t driven that hard yet but I am guessing I will see it at lower speeds if I take a few fast turns.

I’m chalking it up to the differences in traction between the two different tires. The F1 is better in the water but worse dry than the RE080.

alkao

P.S. I’m ordering another set of Goodyears tonight for the front axel so everything will be balanced!A few months ago there was a thread discussing people's concerns about mixing different brands/models of tires. Many people experienced having their car be a little unpredictable.

BTW, I believe your car came with Bridgestones RE040's. The only other OEM tire was the Michelin Pilots.

[alkao]

I read that thread but I didn't notice that anybody had so much unpredictability that the DSC kicked in during a highway non-emergency lane change.

And you are probably right about the RE0xx. I'm just too lazy to walk out and check my car. :)

[TLudwig]

I read that thread but I didn't notice that anybody had so much unpredictability that the DSC kicked in during a highway non-emergency lane change.

And you are probably right about the RE0xx. I'm just too lazy to walk out and check my car. :)

Yeah, the original tire was the RE040, which has now been replaced by the RE050.

It's probably a combination of the new wheels, which will be pretty slick for the first 300 miles or so due to the manufacturing process (keeps the tires from sticking to the mold), and the mixed front and back. The front tires don't have the grease on them and they also have slightly different driving characteristics.

[Pinecone]

DSC can kick in for various reaons.

But the bottom line is, MIXING TIRES IS A BAD IDEA. You are now a tire test engineer, without the safety equipment and runoff areas.

BTW the limit of the car is limited by the lowest traction tire, but what happens when you reach that limit will be determined by various things.

If you have sticky tires up front and less sticky tires at the rear, the rear will break away first leading to spins and backing off the road. If the fronts are less sticky, at the limit you will find the car will not turn, and you go off the road frontways. Much nicer, but still not a good idea.

[alkao]

What's the big deal if DSC kicks in?
No big deal at all... when you do something that you expect will trigger it. I even had it turn on during this big soft curve on a elevated highway to highway connector sort of thing. On the downhill part of the curve I took my foot off the gas so that I wouldn't hit the car in front. All of the sudden the DSC flashes. I expect this if was taking a hard curve and hit the breaks (lifting the weight off the rear tires). But not on a wide curve on the highway!

[alkao]

End of the Story...

Got the front tires changed to match the back. Things are feeling normal now. No more unexpected DSC activations... Just the usual expected ones. :D