Wheel Size

[E30Driv3R]

I was just wondering what size SSR Competition wheels are the best for over all performance on autocross on a 318iS?

[Brew]

Probably a 15x7 with 205/55 for the lowest possible unsprung weight.

[Mystikal]

15x7 for sure, but 205/50 if you want to run street tires (Azenis Sports) or 225/50 if you want R-compounds.

[E30Driv3R]

I was just wondering, y is 15in better, i thought that the bigger the wheel, the better i guess handling like a 16 or 17 ini dunno tho thanks for the help.
Dan

[chrisd]

the 15s have lower mass and thus allow faster acceleration & (slightly) better braking... every .001 second counts!

[trent]

15x7 for sure, but 205/50 if you want to run street tires (Azenis Sports) or 225/50 if you want R-compounds.

Wrong.

Best tire choice for R-Comps is 225/45/15. Gain gearing too. Of course this is track dependent.

[E30Driv3R]

i know about the 15x7 but would a 16x7.5 be to large, for just normal use and maybe every once in a while autocross?
also would a 205/55R16 tire fit on that i dont really know if that is enought info for you guys i dont really know that much about tires.
Dan

[Brew]

i know about the 15x7 but would a 16x7.5 be to large, for just normal use and maybe every once in a while autocross?
also would a 205/55R16 tire fit on that i dont really know if that is enought info for you guys i dont really know that much about tires.
Dan

Definitely not. I personally would go for the 16x7.5 myself. The proper sizes would be either 205/50-16 or 225/45.

[E30Driv3R]

Ok thanks

[BimmerHeadBri]

This link will give you the proper sizing for your tires so your speedo is not off by too much when changing tire sizes.

Pretty simple to use.

Cheers.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[Mystikal]

Yeah, good link. But as trent pointed out and I noted with the 205/50 size, undersized tires are generally better for auto-x (shorter gearing).

[E30Driv3R]

Sorry im in school right now and dont have time tocheck but does any one know what the stock tire size is ill check after classes.

[nando]

195/65-14

[E30Driv3R]

ok thanks is there any thing else i should look into for buying new wheels?.

[Mystikal]

Well, are you just looking for track wheels?

I'd also take a hard look at the Team Dynamics Pro Race series, those 2 wheels are the right offset (won't need spacers like the SSRs) and are still really light.

[E30Driv3R]

What about Kosei K1's are those ok wheels? does ant one have any pics of them on a black e30

[Mystikal]

Yeah, good choice. A whole lot of E30 guys run them. Cheap, reasonably strong, light, no spacers. Search for pics, rwdrift has a black E30 with them.

[Rob]

I run 15x7 K1s on my 318is, and love them.

[E30Driv3R]

OK ill probably go with the k1's so that i can buy other things for my car

[Brew]

Just so you know, tire rack also sells Kosei K1's that they can drill for your bolt pattern.
Check this thread on bimmerforums: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245086&highlight=kosei

I'd be tempted by the 15x8 et22 blanks. You *might* need a small spacer to run 225s, somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

[E30Driv3R]

That 15x8, is tempting, but would an 8 inch wheel fit in my wheel wells w/o fender rolling? also would the 16x7.5 fit, i kindof want like a 16 inch wheel and these probqbly might not b for the track.

[Mystikal]

Running 225 R-compounds with the 8" ET22 wheel would be really close to the strut(probably too close), but 225 street rubber would be fine.

As for the fender, that depends on your suspension, year of the car, etc. Just roll your fenders, problem solved. ;)

[cheades]

Brew you shouldn't need spacers at all for those Kosei's, especially at et22. My 17x8 Kosei's are an et33 and they fit without any spacers, they are really close to the strut towers though (about 2mm away). If I went with 225 instead of 215 they would need to be offset of like 30 or less.

[E30Driv3R]

OK sorry again so your saying if i want a 16x7.5 it should be 225/45? sorry again im just for some reason not getting you.

[Mystikal]

OK sorry again so your saying if i want a 16x7.5 it should be 225/45? sorry again im just for some reason not getting you

Uh, yeah. 225/50/15 for the 15's, 225/45/16 for the 16's.

[E30Driv3R]

ok i got it, i was also wondering what brand of tires to get, i was considering azenis, but they dont come in the right size i dont think i was looking at them and i couldnt find them the size that you said... what are some other tires that compare to those, since i would only be using the tires for summer use any way?

[Mystikal]

So you want street tires?

In 15" the BFG G-Force Sport, Bridgestone S-03 (though they are a little wide if you're not rolling fenders), Toyo T1-S and Yoko ES100 are definately good.

In 16" the choices are the same, change G-Force Sport to G-Force KDW. The Azenis comes in 215/45/16, I'd rather have those than any other 16" tire (they rock).

[E30Driv3R]

Ya i was wanting to to get the azenis also so is that like the best combination the K1' and the azenis?

[E30Driv3R]

OK so im going to get the Kosei K1's with the Falken Azenis 215/45/16 this is probably the stupidist question ive asked yet, but will they fit??

[Brew]

OK so im going to get the Kosei K1's with the Falken Azenis 215/45/16 this is probably the stupidist question ive asked yet, but will they fit??

Yeah, with the et22 offset those will fit beautifully. That tire is a little bit undersized, but not by much. As others have mentioned, it will give you a gearing advantage, too.

[Nick325is]

The custom drilled wheels from tire rack are about 200 apiece for the 15x8.


Nick

[E30Driv3R]

I was wondering not that im going to do it, but what all does fender rolling consist of?