17"

[zoomn_e30]

i drive a 1991 BMW 318iS.. body model E30.. i currently have 15" rims.. they're stock.. i was wondering if i'd have to alter anything to have 17" fit.. i talk to my dad about it and he said that when i have 17" fitted.. i wont be able to make a full turn cuz the tire would drag on the fender.. and also the ride would be more bumpy.. like when i'd drive over a little bump.. the whole carz gonna feel bumpy.. he also noted that when i have the rimz put on, the carz gonna be wayy lower.. can you guyz inform me about this whole topic of 17" rimz? thank you

 

[nadroj]

there are 17" alpines i think correct me if im wrong

 

[gbf1lm]

well what you do is have the overall tire diameter the same, jsut the hole for the wheel bigger makin the thickness of the side of teh tire less oboviously

for example if ur tire size right now is 205/60/r15
it wil be the same diameter as 205/55/r16
or in the case u want 205/50/r17

http://www.toyo.co.uk/index.php?fus...me&PHPSESSID=29f5508d1f8b1cc4cb0010bfc2861c05

fender rub is caused by tires to wide.

those things ur dads sayin is for if u change the dimensions of the tire, what u want to do is use the same size tire, but have the hole for eht ewheel to go 17'' instead f 15''. however he right about he ride bein more bumpy.

if u dont understand jus say os and i'll explain it more

 

[zoomn_e30]

well.. if itz no trouble.. yeh explain it more.. im learnin

 

[gbf1lm]

ok ill tell u some more but first go look at your tire.

youll see something like 205/60 R15

go find me that number on ur tire

 

[Custom 3]

zoomn_e30...(I hope you aren't really Mr. Lowen Design...cuz his email is zoomn_e30@hotmail.com)

At any rate, if you make the switch to 17" rims, you will certainly not want to run anything my higher than a 45 series tire. The stock tire size for most e30s (not the M3 or 325ix) is 195/65R14. 195 is the width of the tire (in millimeters I believe). The 65 is the height of the rubber (from rim to tread) and the 14 is the wheel diameter in inches.

If you move up to 17x7.5 wheels all the way around the car, and you run a 45 series (the second number in the tire size) tire or less, you shouldn't have to worry about rubbing. If there is rubbing, it should be minimal and this problem can easily be solved by rolling your fender lips. Most body shops can do this for fairly cheap because it is one of the most common modifcations to the body when lowering a car and/or changing wheels.

If you match up wheel and tire sizes properly...you car won't necessarily sit any lower. One more thing to consider about tire thickness...

The thinner the tire is (meaning the amount of rubber between the rim and the road), the rougher the ride will be. I would strongly advise against running anything lower than a 40 series tire keeping in mind potholes and other various bumpy things. If you go below that 40 series, you are running the risk of damaging the rim and throwing your money away for wheel repair, or even worse a new wheel. I have several friends running 17s with 45 series tires on their e30s and are doing just fine, even with lowered suspensions.

Sorry for the rant

 

[gbf1lm]

195 is the width of the tire (in millimeters I believe). The 65 is the height of the rubber (from rim to tread) and the 14 is the wheel diameter in inches.

If you move up to 17x7.5 wheels all the way around the car, and you run a 45 series (the second number in the tire size) tire or less, you shouldn't have to worry about rubbing.

actually a sidewalll (the second number in a tire size) of 65 means its 65% of the width and 45 is 45% of the width not an actual measurment. also 195 or whatever the width is the width in mm. so if u have a 195/65 the measurment from 'rim to tread' is .65x195 ~= 125mm

 

[zoomn_e30]

thanks jason for all that info.. and no im not Mr. Lowen Design.. heh thanks again

 

[zoomn_e30]

and gbf1lm.. thankz too

 

[Custom 3]

actually a sidewalll (the second number in a tire size) of 65 means its 65% of the width and 45 is 45% of the width not an actual measurment. also 195 or whatever the width is the width in mm. so if u have a 195/65 the measurment from 'rim to tread' is .65x195 ~= 125mm

Thank you very much for clearing that up. I don't deal with wheels much more than offsets and sizes. Tires are a whole different arena to me. But, now I know.

 

[gbf1lm]

no problem. atlest u knew it had sumthing to do with the sidewall, untill sum1 told me i had no idea ! all i knew (from common sense) was that R15/16/17 means rim diameter

also i was told that they dont use actual sidewall width bc when determining grip, what maters is the ratio of width to sidewall, for example u could ave a very thin sidewall but like a 185 tire . . . then u would have barley any grip bc the second number could be 75. on the other hand u can have a fairly widesidewall but if u have sum reall fat tires the ratio wil be low like 40/45 and u wil have a lot of grip.