the tyre pressures on the inside of drivers door refers to manufacurers origional fitment
which when new would be runflats which run at a higher pressure than normal tyres
because of the strength of the sidewalls that is why you are getting wear down the centre of the tyre
if runflats are replaced with normal tyres the pressures should be reduced accordingly your tyre fitter
should be able to recomend pressures for different manufacturers and sizes

 

That is actually opposite of what the case is. Bmw tire pressure recomendations on their cars with run-flats is a lower pressure than what a car with normal tires would need. For one, run-flats have inherently stiff sidewalls that is completely independant of tire pressure so no increased pressure is needed to have stiff sidewalls for better performance/cornering. Second the run-flats due to that stiffness tends to have a harsh ride and this is why a lower pressure needs to be used to somewhat compensate for that. So if you go to non run-flats a pressure closer to 36/40 (front/rear) is about right.

 

You are exactly right. 36/40 is about what the tire dealer recommended but I kept it at 30 all the way around just to be safe. Which is why I don't understand why the CENTER of the tire is wearing when all physics say the OUTSIDES of the tires should be worn more. Which makes me wonder if I need new struts. How do I test to see if I need new struts? I haven't noticed any suspension issues when driving. The only thing I have been noticing is the WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH from the tires when driving.

 

I don't get 15k from my tires and they wear pretty even edge to center. Maybe BMW figures their cars will be driven hard through turns, which I do, so they overcompensate with a higher tire pressure.

 

Bad struts can cause cupping or outside or inside edge wear but I don't think purely center wear.

 

Almost anywhere you look, including Goodyear's own website, will tell you that the primary cause of premature or excessive center wear on a tire is over-inflation. There are very few other likely culprits. Are you absolutely sure the tires were inflated correctly? It really is the most likely cause. Unless of course you're driving along railway tracks all day...!

FWIW I had the GS-D3 on my 545 and my 550, it really is a great tire. Utterly immune to tramlining, great grip in the dry and incredible in the wet.

 

+1

Be sure to use a quality pressure gauge, and only check pressures when the tires are cold to get a proper reading .

I have 11k miles on mine and should get at least 11k more. Correct pressure is critical though, it takes very little time to ruin a set if they're over inflated.

 

Running too high Air pressure in the tires.