Operation, care and maintenance -> Tire condition for your BMW 7 Series 2001-2007

136nTire inflation pressure  
Tire condition  
Do not drive on a deflated (flat)  
tire. A flat tire greatly impairs  
Information for your safety  
The factory-approved radial tires are  
matched to the car and have been se-  
lected to provide optimum safety and  
driving comfort on your car.  
steering and braking response, and can  
lead to complete loss of control over  
the vehicle.  
Avoid overloading the vehicle so that  
the permitted load on the tires is not ex-  
ceeded. Overloading can lead to over-  
heating and increases the rate at which  
damage develops inside the tires.  
The ultimate result can assume the  
form of a sudden air loss.  
It is not merely the tire's service life, but  
also driving comfort and – above all else  
driving safety which depend on the  
condition of the tires and the mainte-  
nance of the specified tire pressure.  
Incorrect inflation pressure is a frequent  
cause of tire damage. It also influences  
the roadholding ability of your BMW.  
Unusual vibrations encountered during  
normal vehicle operation can indicate  
tire failure or some other vehicle defect,  
as can variations in normal vehicle re-  
sponse, such as a pronounced ten-  
dency to pull to the left or right. Should  
this occur, respond by immediately re-  
ducing your speed and carefully pro-  
ceeding to the nearest BMW center or  
professional tire center, or having the  
vehicle towed in to have it and its tires  
inspected.  
Tire tread tire damage  
Inspect your tires frequently for tread  
wear, signs of damage and for foreign  
objects lodged in the tread. Check the  
tread depth.  
Check tire inflation pressures – in-  
cluding the spare tire – regularly,  
at least every two weeks and before be-  
ginning a longer trip. If this is not done,  
incorrect tire pressures can cause driv-  
ing instability and tire damage, ulti-  
mately resulting in accidents.<  
Tread depth should not be allowed to  
go below 0.12 in (3 mm), even though  
the legally specified minimum tread  
depth is only 0.063 in (1.6 mm). Wear  
indicators appear in the tread at 0.063 in  
(1.6 mm) to indicate that the legally per-  
missible wear limit has been reached.  
Below 0.12 in (3 mm) tread depth, there  
is an increased risk of aquaplaning,  
even at relatively moderate speeds and  
with only small amounts of water on the  
road.  
Tire damage (up to and including blow-  
outs) can endanger the lives of both the  
vehicle occupants and other road  
users.<  
Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 004 597 - © 08/99 BMW Group