Front tire wear on 540i Sport ?

Car is a 2001 540i sport (auto). Stock staggered 18" wheels. Orig shocks. 77K mi.

Tires are BFG sports installed about 5 thousand miles so far (just after I bought the car).

I'm a gentle driver, averaging about 19mpg.

Rear tires are wearing evenly and still have lots of tread but the fronts have worn significantly on the inside edge - in fact I would estimate that within another thousand or 2 miles the tread on the inside edge of the front tires will be worn away. Is this normal for this car?

Originally Posted by David.W

Car is a 2001 540i sport (auto). Stock staggered 18" wheels. Orig shocks. 77K mi.

Tires are BFG sports installed about 5 thousand miles so far (just after I bought the car).

I'm a gentle driver, averaging about 19mpg.

Rear tires are wearing evenly and still have lots of tread but the fronts have worn significantly on the inside edge - in fact I would estimate that within another thousand or 2 miles the tread on the inside edge of the front tires will be worn away. Is this normal for this car?

Not my experience. Sounds like an alignment issue. I'm on my third set of summers, last set of PS2s lasted 25K miles, probably could have gone another 5K on them , but tire noise was really bearing noise and I replaced them. Both fronts and rears showed even wear.

I thought your car came stock with 17s?

dave

You have camber issues. Too much negative camber actually. You need an alignment.

Stock wheels would be 17".
No factory camber adjustment on the front, just the rear. Sounds like an alignment is needed to correct the front total toe.

Originally Posted by 02540ico

Stock wheels would be 17".
No factory camber adjustment on the front, just the rear. Sounds like an alignment is needed to correct the front total toe.

I was thinking maybe it was in an accident. But no, there is no adjustment for front camber. Toe causes feathering of the tire, but won't cause the inside edge to wear. Camber is all I can think of. I would suggest checking you tire pressures, because under inflation can cause the tires to wear on the shoulders, but usually it will wear the outside also, not just the inside.

I've scheduled an alignment this weekend.

No accident history on the car. Front upper and lower control arms were replaced about 1yr ago (prior to me buying the car). It was done by a reputable indy in La Jolla.

I put new tires on it the day I bought it. The original tires (michelins) were also heavily worn on the inside.

Sorry about the wheel size - it has the stock staggered sport wheels.

Suspension is original and the shocks probably need replacing - not bad but could be better. I was wondering if this might be the reason?

David.

Had my alignment checked and adjusted today.

Camber was spot on but toe was miles off (-.30 and -.38 deg vs .03 to .20 spec)

Rear toe was also a little off.

It was interesting to watch the mechanic do this - all computer controlled alignment machine. I was very satisfied for $80. The guys that worked on my car both drove E39's! Goodyear tire center, 6660 Miramar Rd. If you are in San Diego I would thoroughly recommend them.

I have never heard of toe causing inside tire wear. That's a new one for me.

Last I knew, you couldn't adjust front camber.

Originally Posted by nike001

Last I knew, you couldn't adjust front camber.

You can't. It's built into the suspension.