tire rotation question (I did a search)

Please forgive me if answered already, though I did a search and it helped refine this question.

1. Why doesn't BMW recommend tire rotation? Is it just for optimal performance without regard to cost or tire wear? Previous posts suggest it is for best performance?

2. The 2007 X3 online owner's manual says not to rotate front tires to the back and vice versa. They don't say to refrain from rotation. So are they saying left to right is ok?

3. I've heard that new tires should be put in the rear to reduce oversteer. If you don't rotate the tires and change the front, then this dogma is being ignored.

I haven't rotated tires in non-BMW's before because I often was trying to get rid of the stock tires. With a AWD vehicle, I thought it might be important to have the same tread depth on all tires so I was originally thinking of rotating. Now I'm not sure. Advice?

This is always an awkward topic because there really isn't a perfect answer. If you have staggered tires, then NO you should not rotate back to front (duh).

I heard somewhere that BMW does not require nor recommend tire rotation. However, conventional wisdom tells us that rotation is okay, and good for tread life.

We had the tires rotated once in the X3, but it wasn't strictly necessary. The wear was fairly even, though my left front tire was more worn than the others but that's normal given that I enjoy pushing the handling limits, on off-ramps.

My SA gave me this memo. The SA was open to rotating my tires if I wanted to.
___________

MEMORANDUM

To: BMW Customers
from: BMW Tire Center
Date: February 6, 2007
RE: Tire Rotation
__________________________________________________ _______________________

Please be aware of the following BMW Recommendation on the rotation of tires:

For safety and handling reasons, BMW does not recommend to rotate the tires. The possible benefit of slightly improved tire wear will be negatively offset by reduced traction while the tire "wears-in" in its new location. In addition, more and more BMW vechicles are equipped with different tire sizes on front and rear axles, so it is natural not to rotate tires anyway. Thus, it does not worth the cost to perform tire rotation.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, contact your service advisor.

Originally Posted by S93D

3. I've heard that new tires should be put in the rear to reduce oversteer. If you don't rotate the tires and change the front, then this dogma is being ignored.

On the RWD cars, The rears wear a little faster than the fronts, so it isn't much of a problem. I'm not sure about the x-drive cars.

If I had to replace the fronts when the rears were still at 50%, I'd put the new tires on the rear and move the rears to the front. Other than that, we don't rotate tires.

YMMV of course.