2008 BMW 5 Series Owner's Manual - Page 230
2008 BMW 5 Series Manual
Page 230 highlights
Wheels and tires Retreaded tires BMW does not recommend that you use retreaded tires, as driving safety may be impaired. The causes for this include the possibly different tire casing structures and the often wide variations in their age, which can result in a limited service life.< Recommended tire brands The right wheels and tires 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 manufacturing tolerances mean that even wheels and tires with identical official size ratings could actually have different dimensions than the approved units - these differences could lead to body contact, and with it the risk of severe accidents. If non-approved wheels and tires are used, BMW cannot evaluate their suitability, and therefore cannot be held liable for driving safety.< You can inquire about the right wheel/tire combination at your BMW center. The correct wheel/tire combination also affects various systems whose function would otherwise be impaired, e.g. ABS, DSC or xDrive. To maintain good handling and vehicle response, use only tires of a single tread configuration from a single manufacturer. Following tire damage, have the original wheel and tire combination remounted on the vehicle as soon as possible. Certain tire makes are recommended by BMW depending on the tire size. You can recognize these from the clearly visible BMW marking on the tire sidewall. When used properly, these tires comply with the most demanding standards for safety and vehicle response. Run-flat tires When mounting new tires, or changing from summer to winter tires or vice versa, use run-flat tires for your own safety. In addition, no spare tire is available in case of a flat tire. Your BMW center will be glad to advise you. For safety reasons, BMW recommends that you do not have damaged run-flat tires repaired; they should be replaced. Otherwise it is not possible to rule out occurrences of consequential damage.< Special characteristics of winter tires BMW recommends winter tires for use in cold winter driving conditions. 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. Wheels with electronics for TPM Tire Pressure Monitor When mounting new tires or converting from summer to winter tires or vice versa, only use wheels with TPM electronics, otherwise the Tire Pressure Monitor cannot detect a flat tire, refer to page 97. Your BMW center will be happy to advise you on this subject. Paying attention to speed Always observe the maximum permissible speed for the winter tires, otherwise tire damage may occur, which can result in accidents.< 228 Online Edition for Part no. 01 41 0 014 240 - © 08/07 BMW AG