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I have driven almost 34000 miles with my M3W and replaced the rear tyre several times. Until the last change the tyre sidewall to drive belt clearance has always been close but the two have never touched. The last tyre I fitted was a Goodyear Vector 4 Season Gen 2 in standard 175/65-R15 84H size. With the belt aligned the clearance between the sidewall and drive belt looked closer than usual and in use the sidewall soon showed signs of scuffing by the belt, not bad but enough to be noticeable. I have a Minilite rear wheel rim.
I asked the tyre fitter if it was possible that the sidewall dimensions would vary from one brand of tyres to another by much and he seemed to think they do by up to 10mm overall for the same specification of tyre, Goodyears being generally on the more "bulging sidewall" side of things. I now have a Kumho Solus HA32, another symmetrical 4 season tyre, fitted and the sidewall overall dimension is 5mm less than the Goodyear, or 2.5mm more belt clearance. The Goodyear was 185mm at 28 psi and the Kumho HA32 is 180mm. Hopefully this will prove to be sufficient to prevent any sidewall scuffing by the belt.
If your belt is scuffing the tyre it may be worth checking the overall width of the sidewall. I know that the Bridgestone Weather Control A005, Yokohama Blue Earth and Kumho KH27 Ecowing all fitted without any issues on my M3W. I believe that the Team Dynamics rear wheel rim that some have can be more of a problem that the Minilite for clearance. A max sidewall dimension for a Michelin Cross Climate would be handy as it is a popular choice, if anyone can supply?
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