[x3robx3]

Morning ,

I have an X3 2.0D xdrive which had RF tyres all round. Last week I changed the Front tyres and put on Michelin Primacy 3 (BMW 245/45 R19 Y 102, Reinforced)

I had to wait a few days for the rear ones to come into stock and for a few days I had Non RF at front and RF at the rear. The car still drove great and had no issues.

I then took it back in to have the Non RF's put on the rear which are Yokohama Advan Sport V105 (BMW 275/40 R19 Y (105, Reinforced). As soon as I drove off I could feel a slight drag from from the rear as I accelerate from stationary.

I took them back to check tyre direction was correct which it was.

I spoke to BMW who said there is no issue that I have changed to non RF's and no issue that I have different brands of tyres front to rear so long as each axle has the same type of tyre and close in tread (mine are new so no issues there)

They reckon the transfer box now has an issue and want £200 to do an initial investigation. I have spoken to BMW technician who reckons its too much of a coincidence that after changing the tyres at the rear I now have this issue.

I would really appreciate your thoughts and if you have any similar experience to this so I can try and work out what to do next.

Thanks

Rob

[andreigbs]

Any drivetrain warnings? Any other trouble codes?

I would advise that you stick to one tyre model/brand at all 4 corners. Even if they're the same weight and speed rating, different tyres weigh differently and may even vary in total circumference. One set could be slightly taller than the other, which can affect the AWD system.

I would get another pair of the Michelins put on, or at least swap the tires front to back and see if the issue persists.

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by andreigbs

Any drivetrain warnings? Any other trouble codes?

I would advise that you stick to one tyre model/brand at all 4 corners. Even if they're the same weight and speed rating, different tyres weigh differently and may even vary in total circumference. One set could be slightly taller than the other, which can affect the AWD system.

I would get another pair of the Michelins put on, or at least swap the tires front to back and see if the issue persists.

I agree, use ONE brand/model tire on all 4 corners; odd to me BMW did not comment on this.

The tire change from RF to regular tires likely created your tracking issue, very hard to conclude otherwise. As stated, fit both axles with same brand/model tires. if issues not resolved, then look at other causes, transfer case, etc.

Out of curiosity, why did you choose different tires for front and rear? I can't understand a tire shop ever recommending that on any vehicle, AWD or otherwise.

[Vikingstaff]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

I agree, use ONE brand/model tire on all 4 corners; odd to me BMW did not comment on this.

The tire change from RF to regular tires likely created your tracking issue, very hard to conclude otherwise. As stated, fit both axles with same brand/model tires. if issues not resolved, then look at other causes, transfer case, etc.

Out of curiosity, why did you choose different tires for front and rear? I can't understand a tire shop ever recommending that on any vehicle, AWD or otherwise.

Share this same comment and questions.

[x3robx3]

Thanks guys , so I don't have any warnings . As the size is different front to back I don't think I can just swap them around . They actually don't make Michelin's in the size for the rear and Black circles didn't see any issue with the different front to rear . The strange thing is when I had the hankook RF on the back for 2 days with the Michelin's non RF on the front i didn't get the issue.

[pungo]

Accurately measure the circumference of all 4 tires since that's what really matters for the xdrive system. If there's more than a 1% variance, that may be your problem

[x3robx3]

The fronts have 45 profile and the rear is 40 . Would that not always be the case that the circumference would be different ?

Thanks

Rob

[pungo]

Originally Posted by x3robx3

The fronts have 45 profile and the rear is 40 . Would that not always be the case that the circumference would be different ?

Thanks

Rob

Seems as you don't understand how the numbers on the tires work.
A 275/40 R19 & 245/45 R19 should have the identical circumference.
That's why I said to measure the circumference of all the tires to make sure they're the same.

[n55david]

do not run two different brand/models of tires..

by replacing the front however and not the rears at the time time, you likely fucked up the transfer case components. the front and rear tires NEED to be within within very very small percentage of each other as far as actual diameter, so worn tires will have a smaller diameter than newer tires.. also even if the numbers work out on the tires with new tires, different brands and models will have slight variances to the actual diameter. good luck with that. get it checked asap

[Lurcher]

So this is probably a tire circumference issue - lets go to the codes and not guess. Just because you don't have a light on does not mean codes are not present. Get a code reader and hook it up. Better units will allow you to see more diagnostics, even the ability to see the individual volt readings from each of the 4 wheel speed sensors. I'm betting this is the issue, as there is now more than a 1% difference, and the electronics are effectively "freaking out" that the front and rear axels are rotating at different speeds. Nothing may be damaged yet, as the 4x4 system can disable itself to avoid issues. Just went though troubleshooting 2 speed sensor issues myself, so this is all too familiar right now.

[richardodn]

Since you have the specific makes and models of the tires, you can look up the tire data for your sizes on the manufacturers' websites or on tirerack.com. What you are looking for is the revolutions per mile values. This is a more accurate measure of the tire circumference. You'd want these to be very close to each other. Certainly no more than 1-2% difference.

[x3robx3]

Morning guys and thanks for all the responses .

Quick update on this . I put the run flats back on the rear and then purchased the same make/model for the front and the problem has gone away . Shame I couldn't get to run Non RF the issue I had was that the non rf's I had on the front I couldn't buy for the rear and the ones I had on the rear I couldn't get on the front , hence reverting back to RF's.

Thanks again for all your advice .

[n55david]

Originally Posted by x3robx3

Morning guys and thanks for all the responses .

Quick update on this . I put the run flats back on the rear and then purchased the same make/model for the front and the problem has gone away . Shame I couldn't get to run Non RF the issue I had was that the non rf's I had on the front I couldn't buy for the rear and the ones I had on the rear I couldn't get on the front , hence reverting back to RF's.

Thanks again for all your advice .

it has nothing to do with rf vs non rf.. its using tires that don't match up.

[x3robx3]

I absolutely agree . I was just giving the outcome . Unfortunately I would have has to buy 4 non run flats all the same and at this pint I couldn't do that so I simply put the rear RF's back on and put the same for the front. Just wanted to share my out come , completely agree though it's about them matching not about RF or non RF

[n55david]

Originally Posted by x3robx3

I absolutely agree . I was just giving the outcome . Unfortunately I would have has to buy 4 non run flats all the same and at this pint I couldn't do that so I simply put the rear RF's back on and put the same for the front. Just wanted to share my out come , completely agree though it's about them matching not about RF or non RF

gotcha!