[Sjumper]

I previously posted about problems with Kuhmo ESCTA 712 causing vibration from 55mph. The dealer thought that one of the tires was damaged so they replaced it. However, this didn't solve the problem. The dealer still think that the tires caused the problem so he is taking the Kuhmos back and replacing them with Dunlop FM901. I have never heard of this tire before and can't find it on Dunlop's America website. However, I found some info on the Dunlop Aussie site. Does anyone have any experience with this tire?

Link to Dunlop Aussie site for this tire

 

[Sjumper]

I got the Dunlops over the weekend. They reduced the vibrations at the steering wheel so that the car is now drivable at 55mph+. However, the vibrations are still there, just not as strong.

Now the dealer is telling me the wheels might not have sufficient offset. I believe the offset is currently 35 (at least that is what he is telling me) and he wants to give me wheels with 38 offset. The current wheels do protrude the front wheel wells by maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch. He believes this is causing the vibrations.

Does this sound plausible?

BTW, the tires are V-rated and seem to be very noisy from 50mph+ (could be caused by vibrations). Since I haven't pushed the car much due to the vibrations, I can't tell if they are any better than the Kumhos.

 

[jon325i]

I have the Dunlop FM901 for almost a year now on my EVO VIII MR, grips well and better tread wear than my stock yoko's. Cheap tires but performs well for daily driving and i think better than the kumho's.

 

[ChileBeem]

I have them on the front of my 540i, very noisy, almost sound like wheel bearing problem. I have seen a review on the tirerack website that says the same about these tyres. I would go for the 9000 series. Good luck

 

[markseven]

I've read posts stating the FM901s are noisy even when new. As for the vibration, offset may play a role, but I would make sure you have the correct hub-centric rings installed. Then I would make sure the lugs have been torqued to the proper spec. If the vibration still exists, I would have the tires balanced on a Hunter machine (I cannot recall which model). If none of these steps solved the problem, I would check the wheel bearings, suspension bushings, etc.

Just my $.02