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Hi All,

I recently noticed a lump in the front right tire sidewall (actually the BMW service center noticed that) and it was 75 miles from where I actually live. Not knowing how big a deal it was, I drove back without getting it replaced thinking dealer will rip me off anyway.

Now that I am actually looking at it, a little concerned (I have pics that I can share later) and was wondering if I can get it replaced locally. It is a leased BMW so I was not sure if I need to get OEM or any other equivalent tire would be fine.

I looked at the tire and it was a Continental but when I checked online at Tire Rack, it shows Bridgestone as OEM. So I am a little confused as to which one I should be picking, OEM or a Continental??

Any advice is highly appreciated!!

Thanks,  

It is quite likely that the Conti is OEM.  Tire Rack doesn't always get this right - particularly if there are last minute changes at the factory.

You need to have 4 of the same tire on your vehicle to have optimal handling.  That fact that you will have an odd tire makes it slightly less than optimal, but better than 2 of one and 2 of another.

Plus, you need to read your lease agreement to see what they say about tires.  

I will check on the tread measurement from the last servicing to see if all 4 should be replaced but it didn't seem like it needed to be otherwise the dealer would've notified me.

What I find really annoying and worry-some is that the dealer did not explain to me how serious this was. I drove the car as-is over 75 miles on the freeway with speeds between 75-80 mph. Doing some R&D over the net I am hearing this is a very dangerous situation to be driving in, let alone that far.

I'll check the lease terms, one would think such a fault with the tire should be covered by the company or atleast I should be allowed to replace my own tires because I certainly am not driving this another 75 miles to get the tire replaced by the authorized center.  

Lumps or bubbles are serious businesses.  They are caused by a separation in the sidewall due to hitting  a road hazard like a pot hole.  When a tire has a bubble, it could potentially blow at any minute causing what could be a very dangerous situation.  I would def figure out what tires you currently have on the car, and match it exactly.  Just make sure you figure out the size, speed and load rating, and try to find the same make and model as the other 3 tires.  Esp since its a lease you want to make sure you find the right tire that matches as to not void the warranty  
Josh
http://www.simpletire.com