BMW (not Z3) tyre life

[mrscalex]

Having discovered the joys of BMW build quality via Z3s I'm seriously looking at getting a BMW as my daily driver. But I do 30,000 miles a year and I'm seriously put off by the horror stories I hear about poor tyre life. I'm use to 20k front and 40+k rears on my Alhambra,

I'm particularly keen on a 5GT but that seems to be the worst of the lot with stories of inner edge wear, 6-8k miles only and blow outs.

So. What sort of tyre life front and rear do you get out of your other BMWs? I'm looking at a 3GT, 5GT, older X5 (up to 10-12 years), X6 (oldest possible to be able to afford it) or even a 7 Series (10-12 years old). Quite a range there I know But interested to hear about any model.

 

[Stevo7682]

The one i have seen several of now with impressive milages on original tyres is the x3

 

[mrscalex]

The one i have seen several of now with impressive milages on original tyres is the x3

What do you count as impressive? And what generation of an X3?

 

[Stevo7682]

What do you count as impressive? And what generation of an X3?

E83. 2003-10 with original pirelli covering 25k plus

 

[mrscalex]

E83. 2003-10 with original pirelli covering 25k plus

Sounds positive compared with my expectation.

 

[Stevo7682]

I suppose type of driving etc has a variation on results but the oe tyre which I think are pirelli or Dunlop seem to behave ok.
Might be partly due to the x3 less sporting stance than saloon models and it's lower than x5 kerbside weight

 

[Brian4]

Both our previous 5 tourers lasted 20 k on the rears and the E61 was 30k on the fronts. The F11 would probably have got there as well but changed it. 530d and 535d .
The 5GT is a very big car and built on the 7 platform and we're never that popular so can be cheaper to buy but lower resale.
Not only tyre costs to consider but warranty costs as well, I think we'll worthwhile getting as they are all complicated cars. I would also avoid the 2.0d 4 pots as they have a bad habit of eating timing chains.

 

[DavidM]

Mitchelin Pilot Super Sport 3 will achieve 25-30000+ - sensible driving. They are expensive though.

 

[mrscalex]

Both our previous 5 tourers lasted 20 k on the rears and the E61 was 30k on the fronts. The F11 would probably have got there as well but changed it. 530d and 535d

I was beginning to believe all BMWs were bad on tyres so that's good news. I guess it's the heavier/faster cars like the 5GT, X5 & X6 which will eat the tyres the most. I wonder what a 3GT will be like?

 

[mrscalex]

Mitchelin Pilot Super Sport 3 will achieve 25-30000+ - sensible driving. They are expensive though.

On what model though?

 

[DavidM]

On what model though?

On an Audi A5 - I guess there wouldn't be much difference - BMW.

 

[ppavuk]

I think pretty much any modern regular car of any make will do 20k+ on tyres set. I do replace tyres when they are 65-70% worn, which is about 20k miles. Safety first and tyres aren't expensive these days. Also i don't see big difference in tyres wear between Z4 and Vauxhall i own. Yep, i don't do track days on z4, and normal road driving seems pretty much same. Of course driving wheels wear faster both on rwd and fhd.

Also i think it is good idea to replace all 4 when driving no good anymore. A lot safer!

 

[MatBoyd]

Our f30 did 35k on its first set, I don't know if that helps at all...

 

[Stevo7682]

Depends on the car and driver i see cars like corsa, insignia nissan juke and Qashqai with 10-12k fronts bald every other day

 

[mrscalex]

I'm afraid they don't all do 20k plus. I was specifically asking about BMWs as 5GTs are well known for destroying tyres in as little as 8k.

My previous Alhambra only managed 16k on the fronts as it had silly low profile (OEM fit) tyres. Although my current one does 20k. The rears do 60k!

 

[mrscalex]

Our f30 did 35k on its first set, I don't know if that helps at all...

Yes that's interesting. It's the F34 3GT I'm particularly interested in and allegedly it should do the same as an F34. Thanks.

 

[mrscalex]

Btw the reason I'm so obsessed is financial. When you do 30,000 miles a year the difference adds up.

15k mile tyre over 4 year lifetime. 120,000 miles / 15,000 = 8 pairs @ £400 pair = £3,200
20k mile tyre. 120,000 miles / 20,000 = 6 pairs = £2,400
25k mile tyre. 120,000 / 25,000 = 4 pairs = £1,600

£1,600 variance over 48 months is over £30 per month. Or a reasonable spare Z3!

 

[Redline]

I get 28-29k miles out of each set on the Freelander. At £700 for a set of Pirelli Scorpian Zeros you need to get. Good distance. Am coming up to 27k on the current set and down to just over 3mm so ready for change before winter sets in.

It isn't used in this country but there's a number call wear index put on tyres for use in California. A figure of 300 and above is good. Sports tyres are around 100-160. 400 or more is a hard wearing tyre. Of course handling and grip may not be as good so it's a trade off.
A great indicator on how many miles you should expect (unless you are @Lee of course ).

 

[Jack Ratt]

My works Fiesta Van is currently on 115k miles and only on second set of tyres

 

[mrscalex]

My works Fiesta Van is currently on 115k miles and only on second set of tyres

You're kidding!

Mind you my current Alhambra only needed a new set of pads and discs at 75k miles which I was proud of