
Wheels and tires
214
Tire identification marks
Knowledge of the labeling on the side of the tire 
makes it easier to identify and choose the right 
tires.
Tire size
Speed code letter
Q = up to 100 mph or 160 km/h
T = up to 118 mph or 190 km/h
H = up to 131 mph or 210 km/h
V = up to 150 mph or 240 km/h
W = up to 167 mph or 270 km/h
Y = up to 186 mph or 300 km/h
Tire Identification Number
Tires with DOT codes meet the guidelines of 
the US Department of Transportation.
DOT code:
Tire age
The manufacturing date of tires is contained in 
the tire coding: DOT … 3209 means that the 
tire was manufactured in week 32 of 2009.
BMW recommends that you replace all tires 
after 6 years at most, even if some tires may last 
for 10 years.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable 
on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and 
maximum section width. For example:
Tread wear 200 Traction AA 
Temperature A
DOT Quality Grades
Tread wear 
Traction AA A B C 
Temperature A B C
All passenger car tires must conform to 
Federal Safety Requirements in addition 
to these grades.<
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating 
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested 
under controlled conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course. For example, a tire graded 
150 would wear one and one-half (1γ) times as 
well on the government course as a tire graded 
100. The relative performance of tires depends 
upon the actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the 
norm due to variations in driving habits, service 
practices and differences in road characteris-
tics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are 
AA, A, B, and C. 
Those grades represent the tire's ability to stop 
on wet pavement as measured under controlled 
conditions on specified government test sur-
faces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C 
may have poor traction performance.
The traction grade assigned to this tire is 
based on straight-ahead braking traction 
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor-
nering, hydroplaning, or peak traction charac-
teristics.<
Temperature
The temperature grades are A, the highest, B, 
and C, representing the tire's resistance to the 
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate  e.g.
Nominal width in mm
Aspect ratio in Ξ 
Radial belt construction
Rim diameter in inches
Load rating,
not on ZR tires
Speed code letter, in
front of the R on ZR tires
225/45 R1791 V
e.g.
Manufacturer's 
code for tire make
Tire size and 
tire design
Tire ageDOT xxxx xxx 3209 

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