rims BMW 760LI SEDAN 2003 Owners Manual

Wheels and tires
186
Tire condition
Tire tread Ð tire damage
Inspect your tires frequently for tread wear,
signs of damage and for foreign objects
lodged in the tread. Check the tread depth.
The tread depth should not drop below
0.12 in (3 mm), although, for example,
European legislation only specifies a
minimum tread depth of 0.06 in (1.6 mm).
At tread depths below 0.12 in (3 mm) there
is an increased risk of high-speed hydro-
planing, even when only small amounts of
water are present on the road surface.
Wear indicators at the tread-groove base,
see arrow, are distributed over the tire's
circumference and are marked on the tire
sidewall with TWI Ð Tread Wear Indicator.
These indicators signal at a tread depth of
0.06 in (1.6 mm) that the legal wear limit
has been reached.
Never attempt to continue driving on
a flat tire. Because a flat tire will
seriously impair your vehicle's handling
and braking response, attempts to drive on
a flat tire can lead to loss of control over the
vehicle.
To avoid loading the tires beyond their
approved carrying capacity, never overload
the vehicle. Overloading can lead to over-
heating and damage inside the tires. The
ultimate result can assume the form of a
sudden air loss.
Unusual vibrations encountered during
normal vehicle operation can indicate tire
failure or some other vehicle defect. This
can, for example, be caused by driving over
curbs. These kinds of problems may also
be signaled by other changes in vehicle response, such as a strong tendency to pull
to the left or right. Should this occur,
respond by immediately reducing your
speed. Carefully proceed Ð or have your
vehicle towed Ð to the nearest BMW center
or tire dealer to have the wheels or tires
inspected.
Tire damage, extending to sudden and
complete loss of pressure in extreme
cases, can pose a potentially lethal safety
hazard for the vehicle's occupants and
other road users alike.<
Run-flat tires*
Run-flat tires consist of self-contained tires
and special rims. The tire reinforcement
ensures that the tire retains some residual
safety in the event of pressure drop and
driving remains possible to a restricted
degree, refer to page 200.
The vehicle is equipped with a Flat Tire
Monitor or TPM Tire Pressure Monitor
which indicates flat tires.
Tire replacement
To maintain good handling and vehicle
response, use only tires of a single tread
configuration from a single manufacturer.
BMW tests and approves specific wheel
and tire combinations.
DOT Quality Grades
Treadwear
Traction AA A B C
Temperature A B C
All passenger car tires must conform
to Federal Safety Requirements in
addition to these grades.<
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the tire
when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would

Replacing components
200
Run-flat tires*
You will recognize run-flat tires by a cir-
cular symbol containing the letters RSC on
the side of the tire. They consist of self-
contained tires and special rims. The tire
reinforcement ensures that the tire retains
some residual safety in the event of pres-
sure drop and driving remains possible to
a restricted degree. The vehicle is
equipped with a Flat Tire Monitor or TPM
Tire Pressure Monitor which indicates
punctures.
The reinforcement on the flanks of the
tires means that it is usually not pos-
sible to detect an air loss from outside.<
Flat tire
If you have a flat tire, the indicator lamp
symbol in the Check Control will light up in
red, and a message will appear. In addition,
a gong sounds.
Detailed information on the Flat Tire Mon-
itor or TPM Tire Pressure Monitor can be
found on page 98 or 99.
Reduce vehicle speed carefully to under
50 mph (80 km/h), avoiding hard brake
applications and steering maneuvers.
If the defective wheel is not recognizable
as such immediately, check the inflation
pressure in all four tires.
For reasons of safety, do not arrange
for run-flat tires to be repaired. Your
BMW center has the information needed
for working with these tires and is equipped
with the necessary special tools.<
Continuing driving with a damaged
tire
Driving on run-flat tires can continue
depending on the vehicle load and the
severity of the tire damage, at a maximum
speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). You can deter-
mine the possible mileage for continued
driving on the basis of the following general
indications:
>Tire inflation pressure 0 psi/kPa:
With empty vehicle approx. 90 miles
(150 km)
With full payload approx. 30 miles
(50 km)
>Tire inflation pressure 7 psi/50 kPa Ð
15 psi/100 kPa:
Approx. 300 miles (500 km)
>Tire inflation pressure greater than
15 psi/100 kPa:
approx. 600 miles (1000 km).
Drive reservedly and do not exceed a
speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). In the
case of air loss, you can expect changes in
vehicle handling such as reduce lane sta-
bility, longer braking distances, and
changes in self-steering properties.<
Battery
Battery care
The battery is 100 % maintenance-free, i.e.,
the electrolyte will last for the life of the bat-
tery when the vehicle is operated in a tem-
perate climate.
For all questions that regard the bat-
tery, please consult your BMW
center. Since the battery is maintenance-
free, the following is for your information
only.<
Charging the battery
Only charge the battery in the vehicle via
the terminals in the engine compartment
with the engine off. Connections, refer to
Jump-starting on page 203.