2006 BMW 650I COUPE tire pressure

Controls
47Reference
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Mobility
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In the
interaction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the seat position
plays an important role in an accident. To
ensure that the safety systems operate with
optimum efficiency, we strongly urge you to fol-
low the instructions contained in the following
section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page56.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
hold the steering wheel by its rim with hands at
the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms
in the event of airbag deployment.
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
front passenger side as a storage area. Make
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument
panel, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the
knee and front airbags are triggered.
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head
on the side or head airbag; otherwise, injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, the
occurrence of injuries resulting from contact
with airbags cannot be entirely ruled out,
depending on the circumstances. The ignition
and inflation noise may provoke a mild hearing
loss in extremely sensitive individuals. This
effect is usually only temporary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page90.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of injury to cervical vertebrae in an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its center
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise there is
increased danger of injury in the event of an
accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page50.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats.
Airbags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a
substitute.
Your vehicle has four seats that are each
equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's
lap.
Expectant mothers should always wear their
safety belts, taking care to position the lap belt
against the lower hips, where it will not exert
pressure against the abdominal area.
Do not route the belt across your neck, or run it
across sharp edges. Be sure that the belt does
not become caught or jammed. Make sure that
the safety belt is securely fastened across the
lap and shoulders, as close to the body as pos-
sible without it being twisted or tangled. Be sure
not to route it over solid or breakable objects;
otherwise, the belt can slip over the hips in the
lap area in a frontal impact and injure the abdo-
men. Avoid wearing clothing that prevents the
belt from fitting properly and pull the shoulder
belt upward periodically to readjust the tension
across your lap in order to avoid a reduction in
the retention effect of the safety belt.<
For instructions on operating safety belts, refer
to page51.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
88
Dynamic Drive*
The concept
Dynamic Drive minimizes body roll and opti-
mizes vehicle stability during cornering and
evasive maneuvers.
Dynamic Drive is based on active stabilizers on
the front and rear axles. Suspension compli-
ance adapts to suit driving conditions, varying
from performance-oriented during cornering to
smooth and comfort-oriented when the vehicle
is proceeding in a straight line. During vehicle
operation, the system continuously runs
through closed-loop control cycles lasting only
fractions of a second.
The system assumes operational status each
time you start the engine.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up yellow and
a message is shown on the Control Dis-
play. There is a malfunction in the sys-
tem. Have the system checked as soon as pos-
sible.
If a malfunction occurs, please remember
to adapt your speed accordingly, espe-
cially in curves.
The suspension will be noticeably softer and
the vehicle will display a greater tendency to tilt
during cornering and in crosswinds.
If a message stating that you should stop is
shown on the Control Display, stop at a suitable
location and switch off the engine as soon as
possible. In this case the oil level in the reservoir
may have dropped below the minimum, possi-
bly owing to a leak in the hydraulic system. Do
not continue driving, but instead contact your
BMW center.<
Flat Tire Monitor FTM
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor keeps track of the infla-
tion pressures in the tires as you drive. The sys-
tem provides an alert whenever the inflation
pressure drops significantly in relation to the
pressure in another tire.
In the event of a pressure loss, the rolling radius
and therefore the rotation speed of the wheels
change. This change is detected and signaled
as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
To ensure the reliable signaling of a flat tire, the
system must be initialized at the correct tire
inflation pressure.
The initialization must be repeated after
every correction of the tire inflation pres-
sure and after every tire or wheel change.<
System limits
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot indicate
sudden severe tire damage caused by
outside factors and does not detect a natural,
even pressure drop in all four tires.<
In the following situations, the system could be
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snow-covered or slippery roads
>Sporty driving style: slip in the drive wheels,
high lateral acceleration
>Driving with snow chains
*
Initializing system
The initialization finishes during driving,
which can be interrupted at any time.
When driving resumes, the initialization is auto-
matically continued.
Do not initialize the system when driving with
snow chains
*.<
iDrive, for principle details, refer to page16.

Controls
89Reference
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Mobility
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.
4.Select "FTM" and press the controller.
5.Start engine, but do not start driving.
6.Select "Set tire pressure" and press the
controller.
7.Select "Yes" and press the controller.
8.Start driving.
The message "Initializing..." is displayed.
The initialization is completed during driving.
Then the message "Status: FTM active"
appears on the Control Display again.
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamp lights up in red. A
message appears on the Control Dis-
play. In addition, an acoustic signal
sounds. There is a flat tire or extensive inflation
pressure loss.
1.Cautiously reduce the vehicle speed to
below 50 mph/80 km/h. Avoid sudden brak-
ing and steering maneuvers. Do not exceed
a vehicle speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.Stop driving if the vehicle is no longer
equipped with run-flat tires, as it was
when it came from the factory, refer to
page188. Continued driving after a flat tire
can result in serious accidents.<
2.Check the air pressure in all four tires at the
next opportunity.
If the tire inflation pressure in all four
tires is correct, the Flat Tire Monitor
may not have been initialized. The system
must then be initialized.<
3.In the event of complete tire pressure loss,
0 psi/0 kPa, you can estimate the possible
distance for continued driving on run-flat
tires, based on the following guide values:
>With low load:
1 to 2 persons without luggage:
approx. 155 miles/250 km.
>With medium load:
2 persons, luggage compartment full, or
4 persons without luggage:
approx. 94 miles/150 km.
>With full load:
4 persons, luggage compartment full:
approx. 30 miles/50 km.
Drive reservedly and do not exceed
a speed of 50 mph/80 km/h. In the
event of pressure loss, vehicle handling
changes. This includes reduced tracking
stability in braking, extended braking dis-
tances and altered natural steering charac-
teristics.
If unusual vibrations or loud noises occur
while the vehicle is being driven, this can
indicate final failure of the damaged tire.
Reduce speed and stop at a suitable loca-
tion as soon as possible; otherwise, pieces
of the tire could become detached and
cause an accident. Do not continue driving,
but instead contact your BMW center.<

Driving tips
115Reference
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Mobility
Mobile communications devices in
vehicle
BMW advises against using mobile com-
munications devices, e.g. mobile phones,
inside the vehicle without a direct connection
to an external antenna. Otherwise, the vehicle
electronics and mobile communications device
can interfere with one another. In addition, there
is no assurance that the radiation emitted dur-
ing transmission will be conveyed out of the
vehicle interior.<
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 sur-
face. This phenomenon is referred to as hydro-
planing, and is characterized by a partial or
complete loss of contact between the tires and
the road surface, ultimately undermining your
ability to steer and brake the vehicle.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases as the tread
depth of the tires decreases, also refer to Mini-
mum tire tread on page187.
Driving through water
Do not drive through water on the road if
it is deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only
at walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the
vehicle's engine, electrical systems and trans-
mission may be damaged.<
Using handbrake on inclines
On inclines, do not hold the vehicle with
the clutch; use the handbrake. Otherwise
greater clutch wear will result.<
SMG Sequential Manual Gearbox
Start off quickly on slopes. Do not hold
the vehicle on a hill by applying the throt-
tle, but engage the handbrake instead. Other-
wise overheating can occur in the transmission
region.<
Starting assistant
The starting assistant enables you to start off
conveniently on slopes. The parking brake is
not required for this purpose.
1.Hold the vehicle with the footbrake.
2.Release the footbrake and immediately
drive off quickly.
The starting assistant holds the vehicle
for approx. 2 seconds after releasing the
footbrake. Depending on the load, the vehicle
may also roll back slightly during this time.
After releasing the footbrake, immediately start
quickly; otherwise, the starting assistant no
longer holds the vehicle after approx. 2 seconds
and it begins to roll back.<
Braking safely
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as a standard
feature. In situations that require it, it is best to
brake with full force. Since the vehicle maintains
steering responsiveness, you can still avoid
possible obstacles with a minimum of steering
effort.
Pulsation at the brake pedal combines with
sounds from the hydraulic circuits to indicate to
the driver that ABS is in its active mode.
Do not drive with your foot resting on the
brake pedal. Even light but consistent
pedal pressure can lead to high temperatures,
brake wear and possibly even brake failure.<
Driving in wet conditions
When driving on wet roads or in heavy rain, it is
a good idea to apply light pressure to the brake
pedal every few miles. Monitor traffic conditions
to ensure that this maneuver does not endan-
ger other road users. The heat generated in this
process helps dry the pads and rotors to ensure
that full braking efficiency will then be available
when you need it.
Hills
To prevent overheating and thus reduced
efficiency of the brake system, downshift
to a gear in which only minimal brake applica-
tions are needed when descending long or

Things to remember when driving
116 steep downhill stretches. Even light but consis-
tent pedal pressure can lead to high tempera-
tures, brake wear and possibly even brake fail-
ure.<
The braking action of the engine can be further
increased by downshifting in the manual mode
of the automatic transmission, possibly as far as
first gear, refer to page63. This prevents an
excessive load on the brakes.
Do not drive with the clutch depressed, in
idle or with the engine switched off; other-
wise, there will be no engine braking action or
power-assisted braking and steering.
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any other
objects to protrude into the area of movement
of the pedals and impair their operation.<
Corrosion on brake rotors
When the vehicle is driven only occasionally,
during extended periods when the vehicle is not
used at all, and in operating conditions where
brake applications are less frequent, there is an
increased tendency for corrosion to form on
rotors, while contaminants accumulate on the
brake pads. This occurs because the minimum
pressure which must be exerted by the pads
during brake applications to clean the rotors is
not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake rotors, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating
effect that even extended application will fail to
cure.
When vehicle is parked
Condensation forms in the automatic climate
control during operation, and then exits under
the vehicle. Traces of condensed water under
the vehicle are therefore normal.
Before driving into a car wash
To prevent the exterior mirrors on this vehicle
from being damaged, always fold them in by
hand before entering an automatic car wash.
With comfort access and automatic
transmission
Insert the remote control into the ignition lock.
The engine can be switched off in the selector
lever position N. Also refer to page37.
Cargo loading
To avoid loading the tires beyond their
approved carrying capacity, never over-
load the vehicle. Overloading can lead to over-
heating and increases the rate at which damage
develops inside the tires. The ultimate result
can assume the form of a sudden blow-out.<
Determining loading limit
1.Locate the following statement on your
vehicle's placard
*:
The combined weight of occupants
and cargo should never exceed
XXX lbs. or YYY kg, otherwise the vehicle
may be damaged and unstable driving con-
ditions may result.<
2.Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from XXX lbs. or YYY kg.
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the XXX amount equals
800 lbs. and there will be four 150-lb. pas-
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity is
200 lbs.:
800 lbs. minus 600 lbs. = 200 lbs.

Wheels and tires
184
Wheels and tires
Tire inflation pressure
Information for your safety
The condition of the tires and the maintenance
of the specified tire pressure are crucial not only
to the tire's service life, but also to driving com-
fort and most importantly, driving safety.
Checking pressure
Only check tire inflation pressure when the tires
are cold. This means after a maximum of
1.25 miles/2 km driving or when the vehicle has
been parked for at least 2 hours. When tires are
warm, the tire inflation pressure increases.
Check the tire inflation pressure regularly
and correct it as needed: at least twice a
month and before starting long trips. If you fail
to observe this precaution, you may be driving
on tires with incorrect tire pressures, a condi-
tion that can not only compromise your vehi-
cle's driving stability, but also lead to tire dam-
age and the risk of an accident.<
After correcting the inflation pressure(s),
always reinitialize the Flat Tire Monitor,
refer to page88.<
Pressure specifications
The tables below provide all the correct inflation
pressures for the specified tire sizes at ambient
temperature.
The inflation pressures apply to the tire
sizes and tire brands respectively
approved and recommended by BMW; a list
of these is available from your BMW center.<
For correct identification of the right tire infla-
tion pressure for your tires, observe the follow-
ing:
>Tire sizes for your vehicle
>Load conditions
>Maximum allowable driving speed
Tire inflation pressures for driving
up to 100 mph/160 km/h
For normal driving up to 100 mph/160 km/h
adjust pressures to the respective tire inflation
pressures listed on the following pages in the
column for traveling speeds up to a max. of
100 mph/160 km/h to achieve optimum driving
comfort.
These pressure specifications can be found on
the door post when you open the driver's door.
The permissible top speed for these tire
inflation pressures is 100 mph/160 km/h.
Do not exceed this speed; otherwise, tire dam-
age and accidents may result.<
Tire inflation pressures for driving
above 100 mph/160 km/h
In order to drive at maximum speeds in
excess of 100 mph/160 km/h, please
note the tire pressures for speeds exceeding
100 mph/160 km/h listed in the relevant column
of the table on the following pages and adjust
your tire inflation pressures as needed.
Otherwise tire damage and accidents could
occur.<
Observe all national and local maximum speed
limits, otherwise violations of the law could
occur.

Mobility
185Reference
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Tire inflation pressures for the 650i Coupe
Tire inflation pressures for the 650i Convertible
Tire sizePressure specifications in psi/kPa
Traveling speeds
up to a max. of
100 mph/160 km/hTraveling speeds
including those exceeding
100 mph/160 km/h
All pressure specifications
in the table are indicated in
psi/kilopascal with cold tires.
Cold = ambient temperature
245/45 R 18 96 V M+S
245/50 R 17 99 H M+S30/210 33/230 30/210 33/230 33/230 39/270
Front: 245/45 R 18 96 W
Rear: 275/40R1899W30/210 33/230 30/210 33/230 33/230 39/270
Front: 245/40 R 19 94 W
Rear: 275/35R1996W30/210 33/230 30/210 33/230 33/230 39/270
Front: 245/35 R 20 91 W
Rear: 275/30R2093Y30/210 33/230 30/210 33/230 33/230 39/270
More details on the permissible load and weights can be found on page210.
Tire sizePressure specifications in psi/kPa
Traveling speeds
up to a max. of
100 mph/160 km/hTraveling speeds
including those exceeding
100 mph/160 km/h
All pressure specifications
in the table are indicated in
psi/kilopascal with cold tires.
Cold = ambient temperature
245/45 R 18 96 V M+S
245/50 R 17 99 H M+S32/220 38/260 32/220 38/260 39/270 46/320
Front: 245/45 R 18 96 W
Rear: 275/40R1899W32/220 38/260 32/220 38/260 39/270 46/320
Front: 245/40 R 19 94 W
Rear: 275/35R1996W32/220 38/260 32/220 38/260 39/270 46/320
Front: 245/35 R 20 91 W
Rear: 275/30R2093Y32/220 39/270 32/220 38/260 39/270 46/320
More details on the permissible load and weights can be found on page210.

Wheels and tires
188
Run-flat tires
You will recognize run-flat tires by the circular
symbol containing the letters RSC on the side
of the tire.
Run-flat tires consist of self-contained tires and
special rims. The sidewall reinforcement
ensures that the tire retains some residual
safety in the event of pressure drop and driving
remains possible to a restricted degree.
For continued driving with damaged tires, refer
to Indication of a flat tire, page89.
New wheels and tires
Only have new wheels and tires mounted
by a BMW center or a repair shop that
works in accordance with BMW guidelines and
uses appropriately trained personnel. If this
work is performed inexpertly, there is a danger
of damage and associated safety risks. Make
sure that the new wheels are balanced.<
Retreaded tires
BMW does not recommend the use of
retreaded tires; otherwise, driving safety
may be reduced. Potentially substantial varia-
tions in the design and the age of the carcasses
can result in a reduced service life.<
The right wheels and tires
BMW recommends that you use only
wheel and tire combinations that BMW
has tested and approved for your particular
vehicle. Variations in factors such as manufac-
turing tolerances mean that even wheels and
tires with identical official size ratings could
actually have different dimensions than the approved units – these differences could lead to
body contact, and with it the risk of severe acci-
dents.If non-approved wheels and tires are
used, BMW cannot evaluate their suitability,
and therefore cannot be held liable for driving
safety.<
You can find out the right wheel-tire combina-
tion from your BMW center.
The right wheel-and-tire combination is
another vital factor in ensuring reliable opera-
tion of various vehicle systems such as ABS
and DSC.
To maintain good handling and vehicle
response, use only tires of a single tread config-
uration from a single manufacturer. After a tire is
damaged, always remember to have the original
wheel and tire combination remounted on the
vehicle as soon as possible.
Recommended tire brands
BMW recommends particular tire brands for
each tire size. You can recognize these from the
clearly visible BMW marking on the tire sidewall.
With proper use, these tires meet the highest
standards for safety and handling characteris-
tics.
Run-flat tires
When installing new tires or when changing
from summer tires to winter tires, for your own
safety, use run-flat tires. No spare wheel is pro-
vided in the event of a flat. Your BMW center will
be glad to advise you.
For safety reasons, BMW recommends
that you do not have damaged run-flat
tires repaired; they should be replaced.<