2010 BMW 3 SERIES tire size

Wheels and tires
216 The manufacturing date of tires is contained in
the tire coding:
DOT ... 3209 means that the tire was manufac-
tured in week 32 of 2009.
Run-flat tires
The symbol identifying run-flat tires is a circle
with the letters RSC on the sidewall.
Run-flat tires comprise a conditionally self-sup-
porting tire and a special rim. The reinforce-
ment in the sidewalls ensures that the tire can
continue to be used subject to certain restric-
tions, even if depressurized.
For information on continuing to drive with a flat
tire, refer to Indication of a flat tire, page85.
New wheels and tires
Have new wheels and tires installed only
by your BMW center or tire shop that
works according to BMW repair procedures
with correspondingly trained personnel. If this
work is not carried out properly, there is a dan-
ger of subsequent damage and related safety
h a z a r d s . M a k e s u re t h a t t h e n e w w h ee l s a r e b a l-
anced.<
Retreaded tires
BMW recommends that you do not use
retreaded tires, since driving safety may
be impaired. The causes for this include poten-
tially different tire casing structures and often
wide variations in tire age, which can result in a
limited service life.<
Correct wheels and tires
When mounting new tires or changing over
from summer to winter tires and vice versa,
mount run-flat tires for your own safety. In the
event of a flat, no spare wheel is available. Your
BMW center will be glad to advise you.
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, which could
lead to body contact and thus to severe acci-
dents. If non-approved wheels and tires are
used, BMW cannot evaluate their suitability,
and therefore cannot guarantee their driving
safety.<
You can inquire about the right wheel/tire com-
bination at your BMW center.
The correct combination of wheels and tires is
also necessary to ensure reliable operation of
various vehicle systems such as ABS, DSC or
FTM.
To maintain good handling and vehicle
response, use only tires of a single brand and
tread configuration. After a tire has been dam-
aged, mount the previous wheel and tire combi-
nation again as soon as possible.
Wheels with Tire Pressure Monitor
TPM electronics
When mounting new tires or changing over
from summer to winter tires, or vice versa, only
use wheels with TPM electronics; otherwise,
the Tire Pressure Monitor may not be able to
detect a puncture, refer to page86. Your BMW
center will be glad to advise you.

Mobility
217Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Recommended tire brands
Certain makes of tire are recommended by
BMW for each tire size. They are marked with a
clearly visible BMW designation on the sidewall
of the tire.
When properly used, these tires meet the high-
est standards in terms of safety and handling
characteristics.
Special characteristics of winter tires
BMW recommends winter tires for winter roads
or at temperatures below +45°F/+76.
Although all-season M+S tires provide better
winter traction than summer tires, they gener-
ally fail to provide the same levels of cold-
weather performance as winter tires.
Pay attention to speed
Always comply with the speed limit for the
winter tires mounted on your car; failure
to do so could result in tire damage and acci-
dents.<
If the car is capable of speeds higher than that
permitted for the winter tires, a label stating the
maximum permitted speed for the mounted
tires must be displayed in your field of view.
Specialist tire dealers and your BMW center
can supply these labels.
Storage
Always store wheels and tires in a cool, dry
place with as little exposure to light as possible.
Always protect tires against all contact with oil,
grease and fuels. Do not exceed the maximum
tire inflation pressure indicated on the sidewall
of the tire.
Swapping wheels between axles
BMW advises against swapping wheels
between the front and rear axles, even if all tires
have the same size, as this could impair driving
characteristics. If the tires are of mixed sizes,
swapping wheels between the axles is not per-
missible.
Snow chains*
Only certain fine-link snow chains have been
tested by BMW, classified as safe for use and
recommended. Consult your BMW center for
more information.
Snow chains must be mounted in pairs and on
the rear wheels only. Observe the manufac-
turer's instructions when mounting snow
chains. Do not exceed a speed of 30 mph or
50 km/h.
Do not initialize the Flat Tire Monitor if
snow chains are mounted; otherwise, the
instrument might issue an incorrect reading.
When driving with snow chains, you may find it
helpful to activate DTC temporarily, refer to
page82.<

Reference 267
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Tensioning straps, refer to
Securing cargo120
The individual vehicle5
Third brake lamp, refer to
Center brake lamp235
Through-loading system109
Through-loading system,
refer to Expanding the cargo
area110
Tilt alarm sensor33
Tilt function, passenger side
mirror48
Timer, refer to Preselecting
switch-on times101
Tire inflation pressure201
– loss85,86
Tire pressure monitoring,
refer to Flat Tire Monitor84
Tire Pressure Monitor
TPM86
– resetting the system86
– system limitations86
– warning lamp87
Tire puncture, refer to Flat Tire
Monitor85
Tire Quality Grading214Tires
– age214,215
– air loss87
– breaking in116
– changing, refer to Changing
wheels235
– condition215
– damage215
– inflation pressure201
– labels214
– minimum tread depth215
– new wheels and tires216
– pressure monitoring, refer to
Flat Tire Monitor84
– pressure monitoring, refer to
Tire Pressure Monitor
TPM86
– puncture85
– replacing216
– run-flat216
– size214
– storage217
– tread depth215
– wear indicators, refer to
Minimum tread depth215
– wheel/tire combination, refer
to Correct wheels and
tires216
– winter tires217
TMC station, refer to Traffic
bulletins137
Tone
– control144
– middle setting146
Tools, refer to Onboard
vehicle tool kit229
Top 50 of music
collection164
Torque, refer to Engine
data244
Tow bar240
Tow fitting239
– screw thread240
Tow fittings for tow-starting
and towing away239
Towing239
– car with automatic
transmission239
– methods240Towing and tow-starting239
Town/city, for navigation125
Tow rope240
Tow-starting239,241
TPM, refer to Tire Pressure
Monitor86
Track
– selecting on CD155
Traction control, refer to
Dynamic Stability Control
DSC82
Traffic bulletins
– categories139
Traffic bulletins, filtering139
Traffic bulletins for
navigation137
– during destination
guidance139
– in map view139
Traffic jam
– displaying traffic
bulletins137
Transmission
– automatic transmission with
Steptronic56
– manual transmission56
– overriding selector lever lock
for automatic transmission
with Steptronic58
Transmission interlock
– refer to Changing selector
lever position57
– refer to P Park57
Transporting children
safely50
Transport securing devices,
refer to Securing cargo120
Travel instructions, refer to
Voice instructions135
Tread depth, refer to Minimum
tire tread215
Trip, deleting133
Trip, storing132
Trip computer, refer to
Displays on the Control
Display71
Trip-distance counter, refer to
Trip odometer69
Triple turn signal activation59