Stacker Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 So as some of you may know, almost a month ago I picked up a new to me 2017 F11 530D M Sport... it was an approved used car purchase from BMW. I've previously had a G31 520d and a G05 X5, and more recently just come from a M235i. \ I feel a little disheartened when driving the 530d, that I feel as though it sometimes 'tramlines' or just steers where it wants to, something I've only ever felt on my old L322 that has 22inch wheels when I got it, solved when moving down to standard 19s! I'm currently in Amsterdam and not with the car, so can't confirm the tyres are the same both sides but when at the airport this morning I did see the tyre on the drivers side was a Falken Azenis FK520, looks like a non run flat but I've never had Falken tyres before. The wheels are 19inch 351M alloys. My question is... is this something I should raise with BMW under the warranty, and something they are likely to be able to fix or should I be splashing out for new tyres etc (even though they have plenty of tread) Never really had an issue like this before so not sure what to do, all advice / experiences welcome.. I did see the Duncan thread changing the PAS stuff but lost the thread before I got to the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 You can check tyres pressures. My only experience of tram lining was due to pressure difference. You could raise it with BMW under warranty and see what they say but it’s most likely tyre pressures, crap/worn tyres or a joint in the suspension being worn which you would like to think bmw could find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted July 20 Author Share Posted July 20 Thanks Andrew. I'm back now, and I had a quick look, the pressures are slightly lower on nearside for some reason, and about 1psi lower than they should be all around. Will pump them up tomorrow and see if that makes any difference. I only realised today the car has runflats fitted, which I've never had before so that may be altering my experience too based on others comments accross the internet. Steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted July 21 Author Share Posted July 21 I pumped the tyres up today, to see if that makes any difference, as above both on the passenger side were 3psi lower than they should be and the drivers side 1/2 psi! From reading online, with Runflats the tiniest adjustment makes a fair amount of difference. Driving back from Heathrow yesterday I did notice there is an ever so slight vibration I can feel through the wheel, not enough to make the wheel shake when I’m not holding it, but it doesn’t feel like it should be there. I am wondering if it’s a bad thing the car has different tyres each side on the rear drive axle?! I hate getting a new car, always hard to know if something I don’t think is ‘normal’!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 Vibration felt only thru the steering wheel driving, coasting or powering rather than when braking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted July 21 Author Share Posted July 21 1 hour ago, Andrew said: Vibration felt only thru the steering wheel driving, coasting or powering rather than when braking? Just rolling down the motorway on cruise control, defo not when braking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve84N Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 I'm willing to bet it's a slightly buckled wheel. I changed loads of things chasing down a vibration, until replacement (good condition) second hand wheels got it back to normal. They are around 15kg each, which is heavy for wheels, so even a slight imperfection is felt when everything else is so finely engineered. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 On 18/07/2024 at 22:33, Stacker said: So as some of you may know, almost a month ago I picked up a new to me 2017 F11 530D M Sport... it was an approved used car purchase from BMW. I've previously had a G31 520d and a G05 X5, and more recently just come from a M235i. \ I feel a little disheartened when driving the 530d, that I feel as though it sometimes 'tramlines' or just steers where it wants to, something I've only ever felt on my old L322 that has 22inch wheels when I got it, solved when moving down to standard 19s! I'm currently in Amsterdam and not with the car, so can't confirm the tyres are the same both sides but when at the airport this morning I did see the tyre on the drivers side was a Falken Azenis FK520, looks like a non run flat but I've never had Falken tyres before. The wheels are 19inch 351M alloys. My question is... is this something I should raise with BMW under the warranty, and something they are likely to be able to fix or should I be splashing out for new tyres etc (even though they have plenty of tread) Never really had an issue like this before so not sure what to do, all advice / experiences welcome.. I did see the Duncan thread changing the PAS stuff but lost the thread before I got to the end! Long story short the issue i had was down to a damaged rack, i believe they are susceptible to damage by kerbing, I replaced mine due to some free play so it would need constant minor corrections - it wasnt readily apparent and quite subtle but on long drives it was tiring. I would suggest it maybe just the way the electric rack is but see you have had a G30 and M235i both of which have an electric rack i think. Mine was improved further by replacing the control arms and upper wishbone but that was just freshening things up so i would say the car is just not to my taste despite being in fine fettle now. Its been aligned multiple times, has matching non RFT Michelin tyres but I'm still not keen on the feel of an electric rack - hard to describe but i feel it takes a second to wake up when you make an input if that makes sense? Where as a hydraulic set up is always primed and ready. Kind of like how you can see the difference in filament brake lights over LED - just a slight lag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 Thanks for this! Interesting as I drove the car today, and noticed exactly what you say on a straight motorway need to constantly correct the wheel! I’ve never noticed it on a car before, and my other car a 68plate Octavia, it defo isn’t anything like this. I suppose it’s just getting BMW to understand / agree there is something wrong… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 I have a 20yr old e46 and I prefer that to drive. My departed e39 was more to my taste. Did Calais to south of France in one sitting without issue. Even my old Alfa 33 suits me better. I just think it’s not for me but would be interested if to hear if bmw flag something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 18 hours ago, duncan-uk said: Long story short the issue i had was down to a damaged rack, i believe they are susceptible to damage by kerbing, I replaced mine …… replacing the control arms and upper wishbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 You've basically listed all i have done, there is nothing more bar a service - Lets go back through all the write ups you've done shall we 🤪 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 22 minutes ago, duncan-uk said: Lets go back through all the write ups you've done shall we 🤪 You mean my helpful DIY guides that attract lots of forum traffic and that even you yourself have used and pinned on this here forum? 🫢 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 Yes, helpful broom rebuilding guides. Lets not clog up this thread with silliness 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulbmw530 Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 On 18/07/2024 at 22:33, Stacker said: So as some of you may know, almost a month ago I picked up a new to me 2017 F11 530D M Sport... it was an approved used car purchase from BMW. I've previously had a G31 520d and a G05 X5, and more recently just come from a M235i. \ I feel a little disheartened when driving the 530d, that I feel as though it sometimes 'tramlines' or just steers where it wants to, something I've only ever felt on my old L322 that has 22inch wheels when I got it, solved when moving down to standard 19s! I'm currently in Amsterdam and not with the car, so can't confirm the tyres are the same both sides but when at the airport this morning I did see the tyre on the drivers side was a Falken Azenis FK520, looks like a non run flat but I've never had Falken tyres before. The wheels are 19inch 351M alloys. My question is... is this something I should raise with BMW under the warranty, and something they are likely to be able to fix or should I be splashing out for new tyres etc (even though they have plenty of tread) Never really had an issue like this before so not sure what to do, all advice / experiences welcome.. I did see the Duncan thread changing the PAS stuff but lost the thread before I got to the end! Don’t know if you found a solution, i had a tramlining issue when i bought mine approved used, which i put down to RFT’s tread lower than they probably should have been, i found i changed the tyres and the issues resolved. As for that slight vibration you feel when driving, i will second that suggestion of a slightly buckled wheel, i have the same vibration and have for a little while and suspect its that, spent too much chasing it and can’t be bothered to buy different wheels just yet 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munzy Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 (edited) Had quite severe tramlining, especially when driving along/over "seams" on a road with my old E91 320D on 1/2 worn run flats - changed to non run flats (Bridgestone Potenza) and the problem disappeared. The car (non M Sport) did feel ever-so slightly (hard to be looking to notice it) squirmy when changing direction but the improved ride and removal of tramlining more than made up for it. I have used non run flats ever since. Edited July 27 by Munzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobA Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 (edited) A G31 so not directly relevant but my ex-demonstrator from the local $tealer tramlined noticeably when I bought it. Back to the $tealer a few times to check alignment and geometry but no faults found. The problem was more or less cured when I replaced 1 front tyre as the $tealer had replaced a single damaged RoF leaving a large difference (about 3-4mm) in tread depth between the 2 fronts. Mine is a 4x4 so maybe more sensitive but it shows how much tyres affect tramlining. Still on RoFs but I only get tramlining on quite rutted roads now (plenty around here!). Edited July 27 by BobA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kopfjaeger Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 4x4 need the same tyres with similar wear. It's been pointed out in the forum that it's also a manufacturer recommendation. The dealer should know that and if it's approved used, they should have ensured the tyres were all the same, including wear. You should ask for a refund, if the dealer didn't supply and fit the tyre you mentioned for free, or a discount on your next service with them? When I bought mine, there were different tyre brands on the rear axle, so it took some discussions to get them to change it, as part of the purchase. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 Isn’t the 4x4 system in BMWs not really a 2x4 system until it detects the need for 4x4 and engages the front axle via the transfer box? In other words it’s not 4x4 until it needs to be thus slightly different rolling radii wheels won’t make a huge difference. The xdrive F30, X5 and X3s I’ve driven only engage the front axle when you are approaching the limits of the laws of physics on wet/muddy/icy roads. Intelligent system to limit tyre wear and fuel consumption in today’s eco mentalist days. It’s not like the old (dumb) 4x4 systems used in the Sierra and Calibra that had both axles connected permanently via a viscous coupling across the centre diff which would blow itself up with different rolling radii wheels. These cars were notoriously bad for not coping with different rates of wear of tyres and thus having different rolling radii. I ran my E60 with different wear rates across the front axle (wheel and tyre replaced out of synch due to hitting a pothole) but it was the same tyres and correct pressures and had no issues. I saw an electric Audi SUV yesterday that had one winter tyre on the rear axle and three summer tyres else where. That’s going to give you problems and not cheap ones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobA Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 5 hours ago, Andrew said: Isn’t the 4x4 system in BMWs not really a 2x4 system until it detects the need for 4x4 and engages the front axle via the transfer box? In other words it’s not 4x4 until it needs to be thus slightly different rolling radii wheels won’t make a huge difference. The xdrive F30, X5 and X3s I’ve driven only engage the front axle when you are approaching the limits of the laws of physics on wet/muddy/icy roads. Intelligent system to limit tyre wear and fuel consumption in today’s eco mentalist days. It’s not like the old (dumb) 4x4 systems used in the Sierra and Calibra that had both axles connected permanently via a viscous coupling across the centre diff which would blow itself up with different rolling radii wheels. These cars were notoriously bad for not coping with different rates of wear of tyres and thus having different rolling radii. …. No the xDrive is permanently 4x4 with (for the 530 at least) a nominal 60:40 rear:front split varying as different wheel speeds are detected. I’ve read that the Alpina has a different nominal ratio, no idea about X3, X5 etc.. So BMW put quite a tight tolerance on the rolling circumference of all 4 tyres as @Kopfjaeger hints at to avoid undue wear in the diffs. In fact the BMW tolerance is probably unnecessarily tight but that’s BMW 😉. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve84N Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 The problem with X-Drive is it slightly over speeds the rear axle compared to the front. This gives it the excellent handling characteristics but also makes it very intolerant of differing wheel sizes, to the extent that even the tyre wear has to be within a few millimetres or it knackers the transfer box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Back to OPs point of issue. If it was like mine tyres made no différence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted August 2 Author Share Posted August 2 Thanks for all the replies. Have done 500 miles this week and starting to think I might I be getting used to it now and it’s not a problem? Still want to get the tracking done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 Make sure take it somewhere that can do full four wheel alignments, not just a tweak to your track rod ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 20 hours ago, Stacker said: Thanks for all the replies. Have done 500 miles this week and starting to think I might I be getting used to it now and it’s not a problem? Still want to get the tracking done! Have you done a long trip? That’s when it really irked me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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