Evening all.
New to this sort of thing. I had this come on the screen. Had to fit a re conditioned transfer box. It wasn't the motor cog. Me Q is should i be worried about running on normal tyers, exact same size and profile. Im getting the wheels straightened and 4 wheel alignment done. Thanks all
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Newbie
Re: Newbie
It depends upon what X car you are talking about. What have you got?
The honest answer is that it depends.....
Upon what tyres you have
Upon which xDrive car you have (some are worse than others)
Upon what tread depth differences exist
Upon staggered or non-staggered
Upon your risk appetite
Upon whether or not you have a warranty with BMW
There are many instances where use of non ‘*’ marked tyres (approved by BMW) have led to transmission failures. There are also instances (though significantly fewer) where this has happened with ‘*’ marked tyres - though I suspect that may be down to manufacturing variances in materials.
Changing a full set at the same time and using ‘*’ marked tyres reduces the likelihood of a problem occurring on BMWs equipped with staggered wheel sets. It is not so important on cars equipped with ‘square’ wheel sets. Changing the set as a full set maintains balanced tread depth on all corners - but is obviously expensive.
BMW are not alone with this. VAG, Merc and others have the same concerns and their own tyre standards (Merc are ‘MO’ marked).
IMHO you should use the correct rubber as your first choice. Some tyre combinations without ‘*’ marks do work absolutely fine, others don’t and there is no definite ‘do this to avoid that’ approach that guarantees no issues. All I can offer is that on the balance of evidence on here it seems using the correct rubber is a high priority.
My X6 is under warranty even though 8 years old so I need to keep within the rules laid down as part of that. I would continue to fit the proper tyres even out of warranty. They may be more expensive (£1k a set) but the alternative in the event of a failure is much worse.
And......
The honest answer is that it depends.....
Upon what tyres you have
Upon which xDrive car you have (some are worse than others)
Upon what tread depth differences exist
Upon staggered or non-staggered
Upon your risk appetite
Upon whether or not you have a warranty with BMW
There are many instances where use of non ‘*’ marked tyres (approved by BMW) have led to transmission failures. There are also instances (though significantly fewer) where this has happened with ‘*’ marked tyres - though I suspect that may be down to manufacturing variances in materials.
Changing a full set at the same time and using ‘*’ marked tyres reduces the likelihood of a problem occurring on BMWs equipped with staggered wheel sets. It is not so important on cars equipped with ‘square’ wheel sets. Changing the set as a full set maintains balanced tread depth on all corners - but is obviously expensive.
BMW are not alone with this. VAG, Merc and others have the same concerns and their own tyre standards (Merc are ‘MO’ marked).
IMHO you should use the correct rubber as your first choice. Some tyre combinations without ‘*’ marks do work absolutely fine, others don’t and there is no definite ‘do this to avoid that’ approach that guarantees no issues. All I can offer is that on the balance of evidence on here it seems using the correct rubber is a high priority.
My X6 is under warranty even though 8 years old so I need to keep within the rules laid down as part of that. I would continue to fit the proper tyres even out of warranty. They may be more expensive (£1k a set) but the alternative in the event of a failure is much worse.
And......
Last edited by X5Sport on Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.Re: Newbie
Welcome 
If the wheels are the same width front and back then same size and profile and change all 4 together or at least don't have large differences in tread depth (no more than 3mm was suggested ) which I think is where some of these failures come from ...and remember things will wear out and break eventually no matter what you do so no point worrying too much about it. The new transfer box will most likely outlast the rest of the car !
What mileage was on the car and what type of failure ?
If the wheels are the same width front and back then same size and profile and change all 4 together or at least don't have large differences in tread depth (no more than 3mm was suggested ) which I think is where some of these failures come from ...and remember things will wear out and break eventually no matter what you do so no point worrying too much about it. The new transfer box will most likely outlast the rest of the car !
What mileage was on the car and what type of failure ?