E36 Tire Feathering

[uber e36]

I test drove a 95 325is yesterday. The front tires seemed to emit a sound when driving. The owner said that BMW advised him that the tires he bought (Kuhmo with a v groove for wet traction) are not advisable on these cars because for some reason they wear funny? It seemed as if the front of each thread was higher than the rear?

Then my friend told me that he's heard these cars are set up for autobahn speeds, so when driving at normal speeds the tires are actually squated out, then when you get faster and the car lifts a little, the tires actually become vertically straight.

I guess what I'm asking is, What's going on here with this noise?

Thanks!

-Geoff

[Kevin325i]

The treadware just sounds like Kuhmos doing. They're cheat grippy tires that don't last very long. Check what tire pressure he's running, then check what kuhmo recomends. Tire inflation is a good place to start for tread ware. Also, the 325is probably have a sport suspension, with more negative camber in the front for handing. Look into if it's got a sports package or anything.

Kevin

[uber e36]

The car does have a sports package... Maybe it's just a bad choice in tires...

[Kevin325i]

Then it's probably just the negative camber from the sports package. If you get the car, those kuhmos won't last you very long so you could get a new set of "better" tires when you wear out the kuhmos. For the money, the kuhmos are pretty good.

Kevin

[thinair]

What tires are they exactly?

Kumho Ecsta 712's? If so I know a lot of people with them and run them without problems. They are inexpensive tires, but in no way cheap. They're awesome for the price.

Also, all e36's have more rear camber then in the front, the sports package only drops the car 0.59", which doesn't really affect the alignment all that much, and there is a pretty wide range of camber adjustment in the rear (unless the car is dumped).

Make sure the noise isn't the front wheel bearings.

[camnipotent]

You tires may be cupped. Is it a rythmic noise? If so, you can look at your tread from a certain angle and see that parts of the tread are actually higher than other. This means either your wheels aren't balanced and the aren't aligned. Check for that.