Tire Advice.....help please

[OOMPH!]

No one better mention blah blah blah......tirerack. ok. :P So as some of you may know I have a 1990 325is. I have the rear lower arches :roll: and I am looking for tires for my wheels (17x7.5 in front 17x8.5 in rear 30mm offset) I was thinking of running 215/40/17 all around because I am afraid the rear wheel is going to have clearance issues with the fender. Stretched I know. Do you guys think I could manage a 225 in the rear? If not, I will go with 215/40/17 all around. What tires would you guys recommend for daily driving usage?

Thanks, George

[rayz]

im on 17x7 ET20 with 215/40's no rubbing issues. 215's should be safer with your higher offsett. roll the rear fenders to be safe

[Ryan Stewart]

the higher offset woud move them in.

I had no trouble with 225s on the back rubbing on my et28 8" alpinas.

To be honest I am happy with the AVS ES100s for road duty and track duty. So far they have only seen one auto-x but for the street they are very quiet and work great in the rain. They are also cheap compared to other HIPO tires.

If they touched inside you could get a 3mm spacer to move them out a bit, since the hubs on the back are massive you would still be on the hub.

[OOMPH!]

I had no trouble with 225s on the back rubbing on my et28 8" alpinas.
.

Impressive, but don't you have higher arches in the rear? How much do the AVS tires cost?

[OOMPH!]

bump, where are all the tire gurus?

[Ryan Stewart]

yes but I had plenty of clearance even if they had come down to the arches. I would think you would be as fine or better since your 2mm higher offset brings the wheel in that much more.

The AVS ES100s were $95 for a 225/45/16.

[OOMPH!]

yes but I had plenty of clearance even if they had come down to the arches. I would think you would be as fine or better since your 2mm higher offset brings the wheel in that much more.

The AVS ES100s were $95 for a 225/45/16.

damn, that's a good price.....do they come in 225/40/17? I guess I could look them up on tirerack.....???

[OOMPH!]

AVS ES100s are the only tire recommendation? Come on people, where's all the love...........?

[Rob]

for daily driving, I'd recommend running the same size tires all around. 215 is a touch 'euro' for 8.5" rims, but I guess it'd work. 225 all around can work, plenty of people do it, you might have to roll your fenders or something though

[KenC]

AVS ES100s are the only tire recommendation? Come on people, where's all the love...........?

I've been damn happy with my Toyo Proxies. They're good for daily driving and the dual water channels are great for Oregon winters. And they come with a 65,000 mile warranty.

[Bill 84 318i]

I think tire warranties are null and void on cars with modified suspension (or out of spec alignment). Who wants tires to last 65,000 miles anyway?

George, I'd guesstimate that you'd be safe with 215's all the way around. You'd probably be able to squeeze 225's in the rear, but I can't say for sure. Have you tried bolting up the front rims to see how much clearance there is on the strut? I'm curious.

I think es100's are a great value.

[tobybmw]

I beat the shit out of my ES100's the other day at a track event and they are still in relatively good shape. My next tire I am looking at either Falken Azeni or the Bridgestone S-03. I have heard nothing but great things about the S 03.

Andy

[cheades]

If you can afford S-03's then get them, they have incredible grip and are relatively quiet. I have Kuhmo MX's now and am very happy with them so far, good grip, quiet, cheap, and seem to have decent life. You should just go with 7.5" all around for wheels as 215's would look funny on an 8.5" rim, even on my 8" rims the tires don't really go wider than the lip. As an added bonus you can rotate your wheels if you go same rim and tire width all around for extended tire life.

[C ///M]

I would go 215/45R17 on the front and 235/40R17 in the rear. Roll your inner fender lips and you should be perfect. For a street car, the understeer produced by staggered tires won't even be noticeable. Both sizes are slightly oversized that should make the ride a tad nicer and protect your wheels, and I think the sidewalls will look just perfect. A lot of tire options in both sizes as well.

[OOMPH!]

Rob, yeah....as of now I'm leaning towards running the same tire size all around

Ken, thanks for the advice on the Toyos

Bill, I haven't tried bolting up the front wheels but I did bolted up the back and it looks like a close call. 215s all around might be the way to go, however, the 225s will offer more protection on the 8.5 in wheels. THanks for your input.

Andy, thanks for the recommendations....I'll definitely look into those tires.

Cheades, thanks for the advice.

C//M, with the space I have in the back I really doubt a 235 will ever have a chance. You do make a good point on the (more tire more protection) though. The streets here are horrible.