Re: Tire removal from an E36 M3 rim... (archive)

: Question:
: I went in to have some tire service at a place called Merchant's Tire and Auto in Northern Va. I normally go to NTB for the 328i, but poor service and low competance drove me to look elsewhere starting with my first trip with the M3. I looked on the Hunter website for the nearest Hunter machine (it was at Merchant's), and I went over there. When I get there and tell them what car it is, they said that I have to go to a dealer because you need special equipment to remove the tires from an M3 rim. I asked why and he showed me on a crappy steel wheel that the x-section of the wheel looks like this:

: \_ _/
: \____/

: Whereas the M3 wheel looks like this:

: \______/

: He said they spent a whole afternoon trying to take the tire off but couldn't because of the way the bead seat is. I'm thinking that this sounds fishy. I wonder if they were aftermarket rims or if it was an E30 M3. Anyways since it is Saturday there are no service departments open at the local dealers to answer my question, not that I trust their word anyways. Does anyone have any input on this subject? And for you locals here in the DC area, do you have any recommendations for a tire shop?

: TIA,
: -JT///M3

Just had some Bridgestone Potenza 630's put on my M-3. Had P Zero's removed. Removing them was fairly easy, but installing the 630's took some time. The guys installing them told me before installation that they hoped the 630's went on easier than Michelin's, but they told me later that both were equally difficult. Took them about an hour to remove, balance and replace 4 tires.

By the way anyone looking for a reasonable cost tire with good performance should consider the 630's. MUCH quieter than the P zero's, but I imagine they give up a little bit in performance. Since I'm in my late 50's that is really not a concern. I imagine that when tire rack does a comparison the 630's are going to turn out to be the best blend of cost, performance, and longevity available today. Could be wrong, but I sure am pleased with them.

Follow Ups:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Wheel/Tire Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]

Questions, comments, or problems, please visit the Roadfly help desk.