Page 225 of 286

Mobility
 223Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Tire age
For various reasons, such as the development 
of brittleness, BMW recommends tire replace-
ment after no more than 6 years, regardless of 
the actual wear of the tires.
The manufacturing date of tires is contained in 
the tire coding: 
DOT ... 1010 means that the tire was manufac-
tured in week 10 of 2010.
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, page89.
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 
hazards. Make sure that the new wheels are bal-
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 page89. Your 
BMW center will be glad to advise you. 
     
        
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Wheels and tires
224
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 driving on 
winter roads or at temperatures below +45 7/
+7 6. Although all-season M+S tires provide 
better winter traction than summer tires, they 
generally 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 
page86.< 
     
        
        Page 281 of 286

Reference 279
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Temperature
– automatic climate 
control103
– changing unit of measure76
– coolant, refer to Coolant 
temperature72
Temperature display
– outside temperature71
– outside temperature 
warning71
– setting the units76
Tempomat, refer to Cruise 
control62
Tensioning straps, refer to 
Securing cargo126
The individual vehicle5
Third brake lamp, refer to 
Center brake lamp243
Through-loading system114
Through-loading system, 
refer to Expanding the cargo 
area115
Tilt alarm sensor34
Tilt function, passenger side 
mirror49
Timer, refer to Preselecting 
switch-on times106
Tire inflation pressure208
– loss89,90
Tire pressure monitoring, 
refer to Flat Tire Monitor88
Tire Pressure Monitor 
TPM89
– resetting the system90
– system limitations89
– warning lamp91
Tire puncture, refer to Flat Tire 
Monitor89
Tire Quality Grading221Tires
– age221,223
– air loss91
– breaking in122
– changing, refer to Changing 
wheels244
– condition222
– damage222
– inflation pressure208
– labels221
– minimum tread depth222
– new wheels and tires223
– pressure monitoring, refer to 
Flat Tire Monitor88
– pressure monitoring, refer to 
Tire Pressure Monitor 
TPM89
– puncture89
– replacing223
– size221
– storage
224
– tread depth222
– wear indicators, refer to 
Minimum tread depth222
– wheel/tire combination, refer 
to Correct wheels and 
tires223
– winter tires224
TMC station, refer to Traffic 
bulletins144
Tone
– control150
– middle setting152
Tools, refer to Onboard 
vehicle tool kit237
Top 50 of music 
collection170
Torque, refer to Engine 
data254
Tow bar249
Tow fitting249
– screw thread249
Tow fittings for tow-starting 
and towing away249
Towing248
– car with automatic 
transmission248
– methods249
Towing and tow-starting248Town/city, for navigation131
Tow rope250
Tow-starting248,250
TPM, refer to Tire Pressure 
Monitor89
Track
– selecting on CD162
Traction control, refer to 
Dynamic Stability Control 
DSC85
Traffic bulletins
– categories145
Traffic bulletins, filtering145
Traffic bulletins for 
navigation144
– display in map view145
– during destination 
guidance146
Traffic jam
– displaying traffic 
bulletins144
Transmission
– automatic transmission with 
Steptronic57
– manual transmission57
– overriding selector lever lock 
for automatic transmission 
with Steptronic60
Transmission interlock
– refer to Changing selector 
lever position58
– refer to P Park58
Transporting children 
safely51
Transport securing devices, 
refer to Securing cargo126
Tread depth, refer to Minimum 
tire tread222
Trip, deleting139
Trip, storing139
Trip computer, refer to 
Displays on the Control 
Display74
Trip-distance counter, refer to 
Trip odometer71
Triple turn signal activation60
Trip odometer71
Trips, changing139
Trunk, refer to Cargo area115