[droftrah]

Long story short my tire shop just put new tires on my X3 "exactly" the same specs as the OE tires. They are the new conti DWS 06 in 245/45 R 19 98Y. My old tires and the originals were 102V. Obviously the speed rating is higher so that's not a problem but the load rating is some 200+ pounds less than stock spec (which I noticed after I got home). I don't frequently load my car up heavy (heaviest is probably 4 passengers for short trips). Is this gonna be an issue?

[dreaming440i]

If it's 50+ lb per tire, (200+ for the car) then there's no significant issue. The load definition basis has a large amount of safety factor built in. You get more variation than that just by changing your tire pressure by 2 psi. Which leads to the suggestion of always increasing your tire pressure when you're going to be heavily loaded, especially for a long trip. See the chart in the tirerack link below.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=195

If it's 200+ lbs per tire, (total of 800+), forget it. Get the correct rating.

[droftrah]

It's 200+ per tire.... shit. Looks like my troubles are far from over

[MichiganMike]

Consider the thread below on the same subject.

http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550073

Note that the OEM 18" tires on the X3 have a load rating of 100. The tires with a 98 load rating should still be able to handle the load with a reasonable safety margin.

Keep your tire pressure at or above the recommended pressure. A few PSI higher pressure with heavy loads or when driving at high speeds may be prudent.

[droftrah]

Originally Posted by MichiganMike

Consider the thread below on the same subject.

http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550073

Note that the OEM 18" tires on the X3 have a load rating of 100. The tires with a 98 load rating should still be able to handle the load with a reasonable safety margin.

Keep your tire pressure at or above the recommended pressure. A few PSI higher pressure with heavy loads or when driving at high speeds may be prudent.

Thanks, I just did the math. The heaviest GAWR is 1,422 lbs per wheel on the rear, and the tire is rated at 1,653 so looks like we should be good. I usually don't carry heavy loads anyway.

I run my tires 3-4 psi above sticker values anyway so should be good there as well.