[aah78]

Winter time once again!
Time for winter / snow tyres on your car if you're living in the colder parts of the U.S.

Last winter, I had a decent 17" setup consisting of Continental ContiWinterContact TS 810 S SSR RunFlat tyres (225/45R17) on replica M Double Spoke 135 wheels. The tyres were impressive but this year I decided to revert to a 18" setup. The 17" wheels didn't have the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) sensors installed, and it was a pain to watch the yellow light on the dash for the duration time the car stayed On.

After much deliberation on what wheels to go in for (and the choice can be overwhelming), I bought a set of impeccable BMW Style 162 wheels (minus sensors) from a fellow member of E90Post forums for a great price.
I'd already bought a set of sensors & valves for the previous tyre/wheel combo.

On an average, BMW dealers charge labour at a rate of @$100/hour. Service and parts extra.
I decided to do it myself.
It's a simple 20 minute process - don't need any technical prowess to do this.
Here goes:

New alloys being unpacked! 18x8 (front), 18x8.5 (rear)

Cromodora Wheels S.P.A.

Inside view - stamped with Part #, Made In and Offset information.


The explanation and labeling has been adapted from BERU AG’s own PDF leaflet on TPMS sensor install, which is available as a free download on the BERU AG website.

This leaflet mainly concerns installation of TPMS sensors on the Style 162 alloy wheels of a BMW 3-Series (E90) Sedan, but can be used as a reference guide for other vehicles.

Picture 0: Sensor and components from the BERU leaflet with labels.


BMW Part #’s:
• TPMS Sensors (4 nos.): 36 23 6 779 490
• Valve (4 nos.): 36 11 1 095 375
[These are available on the internet from a number of sellers. I bought mine from Bavarian Autosport].

Parts and labels explained (See Picture 0 above & Picture 1 below for labels):

A. Self-locking (Torx) mounting screw
B. Wheel electronic unit (TPMS Sensor)
C. Valve with shoulder seal
D. Spacer ring [Not beveled (90°) for BMW. Beveled (45°) for Mercedes / Audi)
E. Collar nut
F. Valve cap
G. Mounting pin

Picture 1


Tools Required (See Picture 2 below): Screw driver (1 no.): Torx T20

Picture 2


Setup the valve (C), into the sensor (B) and loosely thread the Torx mounting screw (A) into the bottom as shown in Picture 2 (above) & Picture 3 (below).

Picture 3


Hold the assembled sensor (B) on the mounting surface of the rim as shown in Picture 4. Pass the valve (C) through the hole in the rim. Push the mounting pin (G) into the hole on the side of valve (C). It should be facing left.

Picture 4


Slide the spacer (D) over the exposed side of valve (C), and thread the collar nut (E) over it. Tighten it with your fingers, don’t use too much force. Check Picture 5 & Picture 6.

Picture 5


Picture 6


Hold the tightened collar nut (E) with fingers. Tighten the valve (C) by moving the mounting pin (G) approximately 180° to the right. Don’t use too much force but make sure it’s secure. Check position of the hole in valve (C). It’s facing towards the right side, now (Picture 7). Don’t forget to remove the mounting pin (G) once you’ve finished tightening.

Picture 7


Now, thread the valve cap (F) over the exposed part valve (C). Check Picture 8.

Picture 8


Thats it! Quick & Simple!

All due credit goes to BERU AG for their instruction leaflet (Poster >>TSS: The installation of the correct wheel electronic unit/valves<<).

I've attached the BERU leaflet here:
BERU Tire Safety System (TSS) - The Tire Pressure Control.pdf

[aah78]

Here come the tyres.
Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 225/40R18 92V, all around.
No staggered option available in these.
So now I have non-staggered tyres on a set of staggered wheels, which sounds pretty stupid, and probably is.



Bought from the Tire Rack, fast shipping as usual.

The one I was really lusting for is the Nokian WR G2.
It's a beautiful tyre but at $260+ per tyre, it doesn't come cheap - so it'll have to wait.
Take a look at a few pictures.

[mohit]

Its actually suggested that you go one size down for winters to keep costs low and profile high for a softer sidewall. Aren't the nokians WRs all season tires? But I guess being in NY, you will be able to get away with all seasons of this caliber.

Just checked - you can't beat these goodyears in price. Almost half the price of normal performance winters!

[aah78]

Originally Posted by mohit

Its actually suggested that you go one size down for winters to keep costs low and profile high for a softer sidewall. Aren't the nokians WRs all season tires? But I guess being in NY, you will be able to get away with all seasons of this caliber.

Just checked - you can't beat these goodyears in price. Almost half the price of normal performance winters!

Yes, you're right.
The Nokian WR is marketed as an All Weather tyre but it carries the Severe Weather symbol, which should make it half decent in snow.

It's only recently that manufacturers have started selling 18" low profile winter tires.
Most Runflats are 17" (225/45R17 or 205/45R17 is the BMW recommended size).

Pirelli is the only manufacturer offering Runflats in the stock OEM size for 18" (225/40R18 front, 255/35R18 rear).
But the Pirellis can go up to $330+ per tire (for the 35 profile), and it's more of a cold / wet weather tire than anything else.
The Bridgestone Blizzaks LM-25 come in similar sizes but no Runflat option.

[Sahil]

aah78- Thanks for sharing the detailed DIY

Quick question, I'm planning to get my alloys painted to a hyper silver finish. Now, i believe the rims would have to be put in a heated room after the first coat of paint to get a good finish, would this process of heating and painting cause any problems to the TPMS i have in my wheels?

If so, how easy is it to uninstall these and put them back.

[vikram_d]

Sahil, The TPMS sensors come with an operating temperature range. If the tempertature of the paint booth is within those limits they should be fine. But I would personally recommend you to remove them before painting the wheels.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by Sahil

If so, how easy is it to uninstall these and put them back.

Yes, as vikram_d says better remove them. That way you'll also be assured of a smooth finish all around on your wheels.

If the heat is just meant to reduce humidity and dry the wheels (say around 60deg C) it should be fine but any higher and they'll probably melt and meld with the wheels otherwise, leaving a big gooey mess.

Very simple to remove - just reverse the procedure.
The torx screw might be hard to remove as it has a little thread-lock on it, so that it doesn't come loose while in use.
Will probably need some force to remove that (a torqued electric / battery powered screw driver will be better).

Just don't forget to put add thread-lock on the screw when you re-fit the sensors.

[Path_Finder]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

Sahil, The TPMS sensors come with an operating temperature range. If the tempertature of the paint booth is within those limits they should be fine. But I would personally recommend you to remove them before painting the wheels.

Tyres normaly do get a lot heated during long runs – so the sensor specs should be pretty wide. But why take chance? – anyhow you are having the alloys removed for paint. Remove the sensors also. Fixing of sensors should not be a big task as demonstrated above

[aah78]

This thread is a couple of years old but I just wanted to update a few things.

I bought a new set of wheels, and on re-visiting this thread (yep, 3 years later ) saw that I hadn't mentioned torque values for the TPMS collar nuts and screws.

Earlier, I had mentioned only hand tightening of the nuts, which caused me great grief later on - if I find a picture or two of my ruined old tires, I will post them.

The collard nut (labeled E in previous pictures) has to be tightened to 4Nm, give or take 0.5Nm, as mentioned in the pamphlet.

I used my trusty 3/8" torque wrench.


The screw (A) also has to be torqued to 4Nm +/- 0.5Nm but I don't have a torque screw driver, so just tighten it till it's nicely tight and snug. If you bench-press 100lbs+ on a regular basis, then please go easy on it.
Tighten the screw after the collar nut has been torqued.


A picture depicting the different spacer rings (D).

Not-beveled on the left, beveled on the right.



Here is a picture of my new wheels.

MSW 23 Avantgarde wheels. 8x18". ET40 offset.


Close-up. Front & Rear.


New sensor mounted on wheels.


Right rear. I think I'll need a 10mm spacer here. Right front - spacer??


Close-up on car.


Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 225/40R18 92T studded winter tyres.


Side-view of car.

[aah78]

...continuing my monologue ....

I decided to put spacers on the rear hubs (fronts untouched for now).

Bought Eibach PRO-KIT 15mm hub-centric spacers (Part #: 90.2.15.001.1).

Eibach 15mm spacers.


Longer wheel bolts included (standard BMW length is 25 or 26mm I think - the bolt on the right).


Right Rusty hub.


After some WD-40, Wurth steel brush & brake cleaner.


Left side cleaned.


Apply anti-seize on the hub and spacer lips - don't put anti-seize all over the exposed surface.


Spacer mounted onto hub.


Apply some anti-seize on the wheel inner lip too.


Looks a little better now - not entirely flush but works for me.


Don't forget to torque your wheels down to 130Nm, and re-torque after driving a few 100miles.

[planet_rocker]

Originally Posted by aah78

Don't forget to torque your wheels down to 130Nm, and re-torque after driving a few 100miles.

nice thread aah78.

How did you measure 130Nm while torqued the wheels? do i see a hydraulic jack as well? why did you use spacer - flushing the wheel well? wont it foul with the wheel well with full load? do you have a side profile pic of the car after the spacers were mounted?

[androdev]

Your car's idrive integrates with these TPMS sensors? If that is the case, the car itself would have come with TPMS sensors in the wheels from the factory right? In other words, if you are buying TPMS sensors, you will also need to buy the receiver+display.

In India, BMW doesn't offer TPMS, we get just the flat-tire-monitor. I have a plan to buy some after-market TPMS (Orange TPMS, or Hella TPMS) that comes with its own LCD display because TPMS is such a useful thing compared to a flat-tire monitor. Your DIY thread will come in very handy when I do that. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Also does BERU TPMS also come with receiver and display? I also heard once TPMS sensors are placed, wheel rotation gets a bit tricky?

Sorry lot of questions :-) Thanks again for sharing!

[aah78]

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

nice thread aah78.

How did you measure 130Nm while torqued the wheels? do i see a hydraulic jack as well? why did you use spacer - flushing the wheel well? wont it foul with the wheel well with full load? do you have a side profile pic of the car after the spacers were mounted?

I have a torque wrench. BMW specs say 130Nm.
Yes, that's a hydraulic low profile jack bought from Harbor Freight.
I usually don't use the black scissor jack but didn't have jack-stands on me while I was mounting the spacers, so used two jacks.

Yes, I mounted spacers to get a flusher appearance as the newer wheels had a different offset compared to the original wheels.
Nope, I measured before putting on the spacer so it doesn't bump under full load (tested after mounting spacers also).
Maybe if I went with larger spacers 25mm or more, it would interfere with the fender. Or you can always get your fenders rolled to accommodate larger spacers if you're going for a wide look.

No I haven't taken any pictures yet, will try to do so over the weekend .

Originally Posted by androdev

Your car's idrive integrates with these TPMS sensors? If that is the case, the car itself would have come with TPMS sensors in the wheels from the factory right? In other words, if you are buying TPMS sensors, you will also need to buy the receiver+display.

In India, BMW doesn't offer TPMS, we get just the flat-tire-monitor. I have a plan to buy some after-market TPMS (Orange TPMS, or Hella TPMS) that comes with its own LCD display because TPMS is such a useful thing compared to a flat-tire monitor. Your DIY thread will come in very handy when I do that. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Also does BERU TPMS also come with receiver and display? I also heard once TPMS sensors are placed, wheel rotation gets a bit tricky?

Sorry lot of questions :-) Thanks again for sharing!

Yes, the car comes with TPMS from the factory. The integrated receiver interacts with sensors mounted on all wheels - all you have to do is reset using iDrive to tune into the different transmitters.

Yes, TPMS is useful but if your car already has a FTM, then I don't know whether an additional after-market system is really useful.
(FTM, if I'm vaguely correct uses something like wheel rotation to detect difference in tyre pressures, right?)

The Beru sensors were purchased only as a set. The receiver is built into the car and I don't know whether it is sold separately, though I'm sure it must be available but it will probably be cheaper to go with an after-market system.

No problems with wheel rotation as long as the sensors are mounted properly and your wheels are balanced.

Glad to help.