Xdrive and * rated tyres

[Grizzle34]

I was chatting to a friend who happened to mention about needing two new tyres for his X5 I suggested hankook as they were cheap but really good he said no it would need to be star rated tyres because of the xdrive system.

That then got me questioning about my xdrive 740d and the recent noise I’ve been hearing.

On the motorway around 70-80 mph I get this low and slow “hummm hummm” I thought it was the stretch of road surface I was on but that was ruled out quickly.

The hum isn’t the same speed as the wheels of that makes sense it’s really really slow when at 70-80mph

I’m now thinking is the diffs been affected by me not fitting star rated tyres around 5,000 miles ago. 🤷🏼

I’m a little confused and very worried now that due to my ignorance I’ve potentially wrecked my car.

[LuckyW]

Originally Posted by Grizzle34

... he said no it would need to be star rated tyres because of the xdrive system.

Absolute nonsense

[Markr]

Agree, can’t see why that would be the case either.

I remember hearing things years ago about not mixing a brand new tyre with worn tyres on a 4WD system, due to circumference differences. I think it was Volvo related at the time, but don’t know if that is still the case.

I had similar noise on an A8L and after much Audi diagnostics over 6 weeks, they tracked it to the propshaft.

[Smonkbmw]

A quick google search says:

"What does the star on the sidewall mean?

The star on the sidewall doesn't actually indicate that the tire is a runflat tire, rather BMW approves that tire model as a OEM replacement and the tire adheres to the very high standards defined earlier. Keep in mind that many of the BMW OEM tire manufacturers make a nearly identical tire in size and model that is not a BMW-star approved tire, meaning you may accidentally buy a tire from a 3rd party location that looks like the tires you currently have but are not co-developed with BMW engineers. In general BMW dealers offer the most competitive pricing on BMW star tires. Contact me and Ill happily prepare an estimate for you, as well as offer price matching on the off chance somewhere else has a more attractive price."

As far as xdrive and replacing tires goes, you need to change them 2 at a time. Left and right side tires need to be changed at the same time. If I understand it correctly the tires need to be the same brand and model front to back but can be of different tread depths.

[Wills2]

Star rated tyres are often a different construction, shape and size to the non star rated tyres, you have to be careful with xdrive cars due to this.

Plenty of threads on bimmerpost explaining it, tyrereviews.com have done videos on the differences as well.

[LuckyW]

This is my answer to forcing me to use * or runflat tires, which sounds like ... (be kind to Fxxx off)

For many years I was forced to repair a punctured tire by myself maybe three times, I do not see any negative signs of wear and tear of my car and BMW service also does not alert me of anything disturbing during the annual inspection, maybe only with the exception of this they inform me that I have not runflat tires mounted on the car.

My warranty for the car has never been questioned and the first set of tires, not runflat was on the car in the second year of the car production. Now it is one of the sets from the railroad because the car is from 2017, I only associate the rear tires with I change it every 1.5 year, despite having xDrive drive in my car. (my annual "flights" are around 20k km)

I am a supporter of axle tire replacement.

And I am still going to continue it ...

[Grizzle34]

cheers guys had the suspension arms (track rods etc) checked all are perfect, 4 tyres on the car are as i say Michelin ps4s winters are 4x vredestein wintrac S

Have to say one of best forums for advice

[Googsy]

I had my Michelin’s fitted 2 months ago. Managed to pick up a genuine BMW tyre repair kit unused for 50 quid. Also had alignment done at weekend and the car is truly tranformed for the better.

[LuckyW]

Originally Posted by Googsy

Managed to pick up a genuine BMW tyre repair kit unused for 50 quid.

Nice gadget but it is only for temporary repair, the plugs I mentioned are for permanent use without the need to visit a tire service or speed reduce. They have not let me down so far and I have the front tire repaired in this way for a really long time.

I do not have loss of air pressure in the tire after the repair, of course I have never had such bad luck to tear the tire, just puncture it with a screw or nail - so far ...

[Googsy]

I can always call you I suppose since your not far from me should I get a puncture.

[LuckyW]

Originally Posted by Googsy

I can always call you I suppose since your not far from me should I get a puncture.

...

[matowi]

To go with *-marked tires, or non-marked ones is a question similar to that of more importance of Christmas vs Easter

I'm in the *-marked camp, but only out of laziness. I figure that if BMW's engineers participated in developing a tire specifically optimized for a given vehicle, they probably meant well. Thus, if I get these, I won't be harming the car and its behavior on the road will be close to that the designers wanted. I won't be having any warranty and compliance issues, etc.

In addition, the *-marked tires, especially in the 7-series, are the quietest of the lot. I've not had such silent ride (when it comes to tire-noise) in any of my cars. Hence, I stick to them

But, so long as you keep to the OEM-specified rim/tire dimensions(edit: I mean all specs of the tires: dimension, as well as speed and load indexes), you can put anything you want

[The7th]

it looks like everyone on here is way smarter than BMWs engineers .

Oh well I stick to their tyres just because I went through 2 occasions when some smart dude told me to use any other tyre and...almost tipped over at 55mph. No thanks! I want to drive safely and enjoy life as it I deserve it

[Al Pinã]

Originally Posted by The7th

it looks like everyone on here is way smarter than BMWs engineers .

Oh well I stick to their tyres just because I went through 2 occasions when some smart dude told me to use any other tyre and...almost tipped over at 55mph. No thanks! I want to drive safely and enjoy life as it I deserve it

"Tipped over" in a 7-Series?!

Hopefully you've got video.

[LuckyW]

Originally Posted by The7th

it looks like everyone on here is way smarter than BMWs engineers .

Oh well I stick to their tyres just because I went through 2 occasions when some smart dude told me to use any other tyre and...almost tipped over at 55mph. No thanks! I want to drive safely and enjoy life as it I deserve it

Also refuel in BMW just to be sure, and when it comes to the service inspection I propose you Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or more affordable prices in National Aeronautics and Space Administration. MI6 I do not recommend it because all the emigrants left after Brexit and they have deficiencies in the staff now ... (along with Daniel Craig)

[The7th]

Originally Posted by Al Pinã

"Tipped over" in a 7-Series?!

Hopefully you've got video.

Not in a & series. In a E55 AMG back in 2006

[LuckyW]

Originally Posted by The7th

it looks like everyone on here is way smarter than BMWs engineers

As for the BMW engineers, I love them especially for the 30,000 or 2 years oil interval and lifetime transmission oil in the gearbox (sarcasm)

I personally love BMW cars, which does not mean that we have to agree with all ideas and proposals by BMW, the real profit of the company is not selling cars, but parts for them ...