2003 BMW M3 COUPE tire pressure

84
Flat tire
The red warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up to
warn of pressure loss and tire
failure. In addition, an acoustic signal is
sounded. To come to an immediate
stop, reduce speed, while avoiding any
sudden, jerky braking or steering
maneuvers.
Fix the flat tire using the M Mobility sys-
tem, refer to page 133.
To reset the warning lamp: the red indi-
cator lamp has to be switched off man-
ually after putting on a new wheel. At
this point, hold the Flat Tire Monitor
button down until the indicator lamp
goes out. Reinitialize the system after-
ward.
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot pro-
vide you with advance warning of
sudden and severe tire damage caused
by external factors.
Another factor which the Flat Tire Moni-
tor does not recognize is the balanced
and very gradual pressure loss that
takes place in all tires over an extended
period of time.<
Check tire inflation pressures on a
regular basis, correcting them as
necessary, refer to page 25.
Under certain circumstances, there
may be false warnings or a delayed
detection of losses in pressure when
driving on snow-covered or slippery
road surfaces.
Performance-oriented driving, slip at
the drive wheels and high levels of lat-
eral acceleration can also delay the
appearance of status reports in the Flat
Tire Monitor's display panel.<
System malfunctionsAs long as there is still a malfunction,
the indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster will stay lit up yellow.
Please contact your BMW center for
additional information.
Flat Tire Monitor
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107
Driving notes
Brakes: do not rest your foot on
the brake pedal while driving.
Even light but consistent pedal pres-
sure can lead to high temperatures,
brake wear and possibly even brake
failure.
Hydroplaning: when driving on wet or
slushy roads, reduce road speed. If you
do not, a wedge of water can form
between tires and road surface. This
phenomenon is referred to as hydro-
planing, and can lead to partial or com-
plete loss of traction, vehicle control
and braking effectiveness.
Driving through water: do not drive
through water on the road if it is deeper
than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only at walk-
ing speed. Otherwise, the vehicle's
engine, the electrical systems and the
transmission may be damaged.
Rear parcel tray: never use it to store
heavy or hard objects; otherwise, occu-
pants could be injured if the vehicle is
braked hard.
Clothes hooks: when suspending cloth-
ing from the hooks, be sure that they
will not obstruct the driver's vision. Do
not hang heavy objects on the hooks. If
you do so, they could cause personal
injury during braking or evasive maneu-
vers.<
Antilock Brake System (ABS)The conceptABS keeps the wheels from locking
during braking, thereby enhancing
active driving safety.Braking with ABSIf you are in a situation that requires full
braking, you will exploit the full benefits
of the ABS system if you apply maxi-
mum pedal pressure – panic stop.
Since the vehicle maintains steering
responsiveness, you can avoid possible
obstacles with a minimum of steering
effort, despite the full brake application.
Pulsation at the brake pedal combines
with sounds from the hydraulic circuits
to indicate to the driver that ABS is in
its active mode.Cornering Brake Control (CBC)CBC is an advanced engineering
design of the ABS. When braking while
cornering at high speed or braking dur-
ing high lateral acceleration, or when
braking during a lane change, vehicle
stability is improved and steering
response is enhanced.
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
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109 Wheels and tires
Tire inflation pressureInformation for your safetyThe factory-approved tires are matched
to your vehicle and have been selected
to provide optimum safety and driving
comfort when used properly.
It is not merely the tire's service life, but
also driving comfort and – above all else
– driving safety that depend on the con-
dition of the tires and the maintenance
of the specified tire pressure.
Incorrect tire inflation pressure is
a frequent cause of tire damage. It
also significantly influences the road-
holding ability of your BMW. Check tire
inflation pressures on a regular basis,
refer to page 25, at least every two
weeks and before beginning a longer
trip. Incorrect tire pressure can other-
wise lead to driving instability, tire dam-
age and accidents.<
Tire conditionTire tread – tire damageInspect your tires frequently for tread
wear, signs of damage and for foreign
objects lodged in the tread. Check the
tread depth.
Tread depth should not be allowed to
go below 1/8 in / 3 mm, even though
the legally specified minimum tread
depth is 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 moderate speeds and with
only small amounts of water on the
road. Tread wear indicators in the
tread-groove base – see arrow – are
distributed around the wheel circumfer-
ence and are labeled on the tire side-
wall with TWI – Tread Wear Indicator. At
a tread depth of 1/16 in / 1.6 mm, the
indicators signal that the legally permis-
sible wear limit has been reached.
Do not drive on a deflated – flat –
tire. A flat tire greatly impairs
steering and braking response, and can
lead to complete loss of control over
the vehicle.
Avoid overloading the vehicle so that
the permitted load on the tires is not
exceeded. Overloading can lead to
overheating and internal tire damage.
You could have a blowout as a result.
Unusual vibrations encountered during
normal vehicle operation can indicate
tire failure or some other vehicle defect.
This type of problem can be caused by
contact with curbs, etc. This is also true
for irregularities in the vehicle's han-
dling characteristics, such as a pro-
nounced tendency to pull to the left or
right. Should this occur, respond by
immediately reducing your speed. Pro-
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113
Do not exceed specified
maximum speeds
Never exceed the maximum
speed for which the winter tires
are rated.
Unprofessional attempts by laymen to
service tires can lead to damage and
accidents.
Have this work performed by skilled
professionals only. Your BMW center
will be glad to assist you with both their
expertise and the proper equipment for
your vehicle.<
Tire condition, tire pressureAt tread depths below approx. 3/16 in /
4 mm, their performance under winter
driving conditions deteriorates notice-
ably. Worn tires should therefore be
replaced for safety considerations.
Comply with the specified tire inflation
pressures – and be sure to have the
wheel and tire assembly balanced
every time you change a tire or wheel.
Snow chains*Only certain snow chains have been
tested by BMW and determined and
approved as roadworthy. Consult your
BMW center for more information.
BMW recommends using only these
approved fine-link snow chains. Use
them in pairs on winter tires, but only on
both rear wheels.
Comply with all manufacturer's safety
precautions when mounting the chains.
Do not exceed a maximum speed of
30 mph / 50 km/h when using snow
chains.
After mounting or removing snow
chains, always reinitialize the sequential
M gearbox SMG II, refer to page 69.
It is not possible to mount snow
chains on tires with 18-inch and
19-inch wheels.
Deactivate the Flat Tire Monitor when
using snow chains. Malfunction warn-
ings and undetected losses in pressure
are a possibility when driving with snow
chains.
For additional information, refer to
page 82.<
Winter tires
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133
License plate lamps5 watt bulb
1. Place a screwdriver in the slot and
press toward the left – see arrows –
to release the lens
2. Replace the bulb.
Repairing a flat tire
Precautions in case of a flat tire:
Stop the vehicle as far as possible
from passing traffic; switch on the haz-
ard warning flashers.
Turn the steering wheel to the straight-
ahead position and engage the steering
lock. Shift into 1st or Reverse and
engage the parking brake.
All passengers should be outside the
vehicle and well away from your imme-
diate working area – behind a guardrail,
for instance.
If necessary, set up your warning trian-
gle or portable hazard warning lamp on
the roadside at an appropriate distance
from the rear of the vehicle.
Comply with all safety guidelines and
regulations.<
M Mobility systemYou will find an M Mobility system in the
BMW M3 for repairing flat tires. With
this system you can apply a sealing liq-
uid to the inside of the tire that seals off
the damaged point and then continue
driving.
The M Mobility system makes trans-
porting a spare wheel superfluous,
thereby reducing the amount of weight
you have to carry around.
Using the M Mobility systemTo repair a flat tire using the M Mobility
system, proceed as follows:
>Preparing the M Mobility system for
use, refer to the next column
>This is part of the M Mobility system,
refer to page 134
>Filling with sealant, refer to page 135
>Distributing sealant, refer to
page 135
>Inflating tire to correct pressure, refer
to page 136.
Lamps and bulbs
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134
Preparing the M Mobility system
for useThe M Mobility system is located in the
luggage compartment under the floor
panel:
1. Lift the floor panel
2. Loosen the M Mobility system from
its storage location.
Before you use the M Mobility sys-
tem, read the warnings and dan-
ger notices on the device carefully.<
If possible, leave the foreign object in
the tire.
Pull off the sticker 5, refer to the second
column on the right, for the speed limit
and apply it to the steering wheel.
Please keep in mind that the fluids
bottle in the system's sealant con-
tainer has to be changed every 3 years
by your BMW center, if the unit has not
been used.<
This is part of the M Mobility
system1On/Off switch
2Connection hose with manometer for
connecting the compressor with the
sealant container or to connect the
compressor to the wheel
3Manometer for indicating the tire
pressure
4Connector hose from the sealant
container to the wheel
5Sticker showing maximum speed
6Plug and cable for the cigarette
lighter socket
7Protective gloves, not shown
Repairing a flat tire
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135
Filling with sealant1. Take off the round cover and take out
hose 4. Unscrew the valve dust cap
from the defective wheel and screw
the hose to the valve. Keep the dust
cap in a safe place
2. Flip open the cover and pull out the
enclosed protective gloves. Take out
hose 2 with the manometer and
screw it to the terminal for the seal-
ant container as shown in the illustra-
tion
3. Make sure that the system has been
switched off, position 0.
Take out plug 6 and insert it into the
cigarette lighter socket in the pas-
senger compartment – refer to
page 98
4. Make sure that the screw on the rear
of the pressure gauge 3 is tightened
down. Turn on the M Mobility sys-
tem, position I, refer to illustration,
and allow minutes to elapse, to let
the sealant flow in. It does not matter
afterward, what the tire's inflation
pressure is
5. Turn the system off.
Disconnect the connector hose from
the sealant container and the wheel
valve. Stow the M Mobility system in
the luggage compartment.Distributing the sealantRight afterward, drive at least
1 1/4 miles/2 km, so that the liquid
sealant distributes evenly throughout
the inside of the tire.
Repairing a flat tire
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136
Do not exceed a maximum speed
of 40 mph / 60 km/h.
If possible, keep the vehicle speed
above 10 mph / 20 km/h. Stop in a suit-
able spot.<
Inflating tire to correct pressure1. Take out the hose with the pressure
gauge and screw it onto the valve.
Take the plug out and plug it into the
cigarette lighter socket in the pas-
senger compartment
2. Reset the air pressure to 29 psi/
200 kilopascal, and:
>Increase tire pressure: switch on
the M Mobility System, position I.
Switch off the unit briefly to check
the current tire pressure
>Decrease tire pressure: turn the
screw on the back of the manome-
ter. A valve located there will open
Even if the tire fails to hold the
pressure, you should still carry out
Step 3 before proceeding to drive the
vehicle again, refer to Distributing the
sealant for more information. Then
repeat Steps 1 through 3.
The use of the M Mobility system may
be ineffective if the damaged area in
the tire is larger than approx. 3/16 in /
4 mm. Please consult the nearest BMW
center if the tire cannot be temporarily
repaired with the M Mobility system.<
3. Unscrew the hose from the valve and
stow the M Mobility system in the
luggage compartment. Screw the
dust cap onto the valve again.
Do not exceed the maximum
speed limit described below, oth-
erwise it could lead to accidents.<
When you start driving again, do not
exceed the permissible maximum
speed of 45 mph / 80 km/h.
Repairing a flat tire
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