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2 tire questions

1K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  darknmy 
#1 ·
Hi,

I've been running Pirelli Scorpion STR's since I got this car at 25K miles -- now I have 192K miles. The reason I use these is that they're the OEM tire, and they're supposed to be more like a truck tire than a passenger car tire. I do occasionally go on rough and rocky trails, and these are rated for light off-road driving. According to rhe Tire Rack website there are only two tires in my size (235/55R/17) that are rated for sand, gravel, and rocky roads: the Scorpions and the Firestone Destination LE 2.


Early on I got roughly 50K on a set of Scorpions. Good long life and even wear. But on my last set I had excessive wear on the right rear tire. Pirelli replaced it under warranty. But now on my next set I again have excessive wear on the right rear tire. I've checked alignment and all suspension components and everything checks out fine. The tire wear is fairly even, nothing obviously pointing to alignment issues or bad suspension, Currently the wear is 4/32 on the inside, 3/32 in the center, and 4/32 on the outside. The guy at Tire Rack suggested excessive wear on the right rear could happen if I'm taking low speed right turns too sharply, which may happen on freeway on-ramps.

So now I'm thinking of getting a new set of Firestones instead of Scorpions.

Two questions:

1. Any other theories as to why the tire wear is excessive on the right rear tire?
2. Anyone have experience with the Firestone Destination LE 2 on an X3?

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
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#3 ·
Bad alignment.

YOU must specify the alignment according to YOUR requirements. A BMW in specification alignment is for the convenience of the mechanics and may eat tires.

newTIS.infobeta
Home / BMW E83 X3 2.5i SAV / Repair Manuals and Technical Data / 32 Steering and Wheel Alignment / 32 00 Steering, measurement /
32 00 Wheel Alignment E83 Series Sport suspension (not low slung)
Observe test conditions!
Front axle:
Total toe 0° 6' ± 12'
Adjustment* total toe 0° 6' ± 4'
Toe difference** single wheel between left/ right max. 12'
Camber (difference between left/right max. 30') - 20' ± 30'
Adjustment* camber - 20' ± 25'
Toe angle difference (difference between left/right max. 30')
- with 20° lock on inside wheel 2° 16' ± 30'
Caster angle (difference between left/right max. 30')
Front wheel displacement 0° ± 15'
Maximum wheel lock
- Inside wheel 38°
- Outside wheel 31°
Rear axle:
Total toe 0° 16' ± 12'
Adjustment* total toe 0° 16' ± 4'
Camber (difference between left/right max. 15') - 2° 00' ± 25'
Adjustment* camber -2° 00' ± 5'
Geometrical axis deviation 0° ± 12'
*Note: To minimize adjusting errors (measuring inaccuracies), use a narrower tolerance for adjustment.

**Note: Toe difference front axle = criterion for steering wheel inclination

Sponsored links
For informational purposes only. Disclaimer>>
Message not specified.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/...alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/3lkzP74D
 
#9 ·
Don't know a whole lot about alignment specs. You gave the specs for a 2.5i while I have a 3.0si. Don't know how much difference there is between the two.

The only items out of spec on the rear before alignment were:

Right camber -1.65 vs. left -1.83. My mechanic aligned both to -1.65. That puts them both out of spec, but he said he prefers that for camber.

Right toe was +.22, was corrected to +.13.

So, not knowing much about alignment, could the two out-of-spec numbers before alignment result in excess tire wear on one wheel only? Remember, the wear on the right rear tire was fairly even, just excessive compared to the other wheels. I'm kind of doubting it's an alignment issue.
 
#4 ·
I'd look really closely at the rear spring(s) -- the pigtail may be broken but not otherwise noticeably bad. I'd also replace the wheel bearings with that repeated experience.

Rear shocks and their upper mounts been replaced? Although "cupping" of the tire would be the classical symptom of a bad shock.

Clean the wheel speed sensors and reluctor rings too while you are at it.
 
#10 ·
A better question is why you're letting one tire completely wear out? Right rear is the typical tire for the "one wheel peel."

I second the spring inspection.

Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest
Don't even know what a "one wheel peel is". Please explain, and is it just driving style, or can it be eliminated by a correction to the tire or wheel setup.
 
#6 ·
BMW didn't stop recommending tire rotation because it was unnecessary. They stopped recommending it because they were going to have to pay for it with their free maintenance program. Rotate your tires!

I don't think the broken springs have anything to do with it. I've had broken springs on both my e83 and e46, but never experienced extreme wear because of it.

AM.
 
#8 ·
BMW didn't stop recommending tire rotation because it was unnecessary. They stopped recommending it because they were going to have to pay for it with their free maintenance program. Rotate your tires!
I plan on rotating when I get my next set of tires.

I didn't rotate when I got the vehicle, I didn't want BMW to void the warranty on a technicality that I wasn't following the instructions in the owner's manual. But I'm long past the warranty, continued not to rotate out of habit, now it's time for a change!

Thanks for the suggestion. I know they increased the oil change recommendation when they adopted "free" maintenance. Didn't think about rotation advisory being in the same category of deleting or extending the maintenance schedules.
 
#16 ·
As an update, just got a new set of tires. Switched the Scorpions which I've been running for the last 170K miles for the Firestone Destination LE-2 which were more highly rated on Tire Rack. Both of them were the only ones on Tire Rack which were rated for light off-road use, including rock and mud.

So far so good. Despite the negative baggage of the Firestone name, they seem to handle and corner as well or better than the Scorpions. No off-road use yet.

As far as the excess tire wear on the right rear, I've eliminated alignment issues and weird driving habits as a possibility. I've followed the owner's manual up till now and have not rotated the tires. I intend to rotate this set, and hopefully if excess wear persists, at least it will be spread evenly over the set of tires.

Oh, and if you're interested in the Firestones, I think Firestone is discontinuing this size (235/55-17). So there may be some remaining stock, but after that I suspect they're gone.
 
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