New wheels and tires, Tire condition – BMW M3 Convertible 2006 User Manual

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Tire tread

Tread depth should not be allowed to
go below 1/8 in/3 mm, even though
European legislation, for example,
requires a mimimum tread depth of only
1/16 in/1.6 mm. Below 1/8 in/3 mm
tread depth, there is a great risk of
hydroplaning, even at relatively moder-
ate speeds and with only small amounts
of water on the road.

At tread depths below approx.
3/16 in/4 mm, tire performance under
winter driving conditions deteriorates
noticeably. Worn tires should therefore
be replaced for safety considerations.

Tread wear indicators in the tread-
groove base, see arrow, are distributed
around the wheel circumference and
are labeled on the tire sidewall with

TWI, Tread Wear Indicator. At a tread
depth of 1/16 in/1.6 mm, the indicators
signal that the legally permissible wear
limit has been reached.

New wheels and tires

Have new wheels and tires
mounted only by a BMW center or

specialized tire shop that works
according to BMW requirements with
appropriately trained personnel. Work
that is improperly carried out could
result in consequential damage and
pose safety hazards.

Ask your BMW center for details con-
cerning the correct wheel and tire com-
bination. Have the wheels balanced
each time a wheel or tire has been
replaced.

The correct wheel and tire combination
also affects different systems such as
ABS or DSC. The function of these sys-
tems is impaired if improper wheel and
tire combinations are used.

BMW advises against using
retreaded tires, as driving safety

could otherwise be impaired. The rea-
son for this are the possibly different
tire casing structures involved, some of
which may be greatly aged, factors
which can lead to a decrease in durabil-
ity.

Tire condition