Tire brand/fitment/combo question

[zerokid5555]

Tire brand, size combo's and fitment question. Opinions wanted. Car is a 89 325i lowered on vogtland springs probably a little lower than h&r race springs...I plan on going with h&r sports as the car is just to low.. Rims are 16x7.5 lenso bsx not sure on the offset..

Questions:

Would I be able to fit 225/45/16r's front and rear?
The tires i have in mind is the Nexen N3000 all season and Falken FK-452's seems to really be my only all season choices
I have heard some people say that the 225/45/16 may not fit up front, if this is he case and I ran 225/45/16r's in the rear, what would be a suitable size to run up the front..?

[E30_fiend]

Those tires should fit no problem. But if I may, why are you set on that size? There's really no need for a 225. They just cost more. I would go with a 205/50 or a 205/45 on those wheels. You'll keep your overall diameter and not throw off your speedo.

205s are cheaper as well.


Taylor

[Jaxx_]

i have a square setup with 225/45/16s on borbet type Cs. they're x7.5 and I think ET30.

No issues with rubbing what-so-ever. I have occasionally thought I've heard rubbing at full lock, but I could be overly cautious. I'm H&R Race, but a 318, so a little higher than a 325.

My speedo is fairly accurate as well. GPS verified within 2mph at 70mph.

I've thought that 225 doesn't look aggressive enough, but I'm wanting to run 245s... lol If you want a slight stretch 205 will be fine. 225 = more tread, and in general more tread just means more total grip, but 205 will behave better because of less sidewall flex.

[zerokid5555]

sweet thanks...245's would be sick, could you fit a 245/45/16 with h&r sports? What would you run up front if you went with 245s?

[zerokid5555]

Those tires should fit no problem. But if I may, why are you set on that size? There's really no need for a 225. They just cost more. I would go with a 205/50 or a 205/45 on those wheels. You'll keep your overall diameter and not throw off your speedo.

205s are cheaper as well.


Taylor

I am not set on that size but I like the idea and look of a wider tire on the car.

[E30_fiend]

I've thought that 225 doesn't look aggressive enough, but I'm wanting to run 245s... lol If you want a slight stretch 205 will be fine. 225 = more tread, and in general more tread just means more total grip, but 205 will behave better because of less sidewall flex.

yes and no. A 225/45 is only 20mm wider than a 205/50. Just a little over 3/4" of extra tread. Yes that is more. Will it keep your car from breaking traction? Probably not. That extra 3/4" isn't enough to really justify the extra $25+ for them. A 205/50 is NOT going to stretch at all on a 7.5" wide wheel. A 205/45 would even have a hard time stretching on the 7.5.

And Jaxx_, your 318 doesn't need a 245 tire at all. There are swap guys that dont even run a tire that wide. You'll find that the wider you go on the tire with an e30, the smaller the sidewall will have to be. And at that point, it just looks stupid to run a 35 profile sideall just so you can say you run a 245.

Not worth it IMO.


Taylor

[E30_fiend]

I am not set on that size but I like the idea and look of a wider tire on the car.

The problem you are going to run into is the fact that you are putting a wider and wider tire on a narrow wheel. Read the rim width rating on a 225 or even a 245. A 225 has a mounting range of 7-8.5 inches. At 7.5 inches, it will be ballooning. A 245 will look even worse AND give you more clearance issues. Its not worth the problems or the extra money.

As I said before, the extra 3/4 inch isnt going to make or break your traction capability


Taylor

[zerokid5555]

hmmm..you have me close to ordering a 205/50/16 and a set of h&r sport springs...lol tired of my vogtlands my car is slammed.

[Jaxx_]

yes and no. A 225/45 is only 20mm wider than a 205/50. Just a little over 3/4" of extra tread. Yes that is more. Will it keep your car from breaking traction? Probably not. That extra 3/4" isn't enough to really justify the extra $25+ for them. A 205/50 is NOT going to stretch at all on a 7.5" wide wheel. A 205/45 would even have a hard time stretching on the 7.5.

And Jaxx_, your 318 doesn't need a 245 tire at all. There are swap guys that dont even run a tire that wide. You'll find that the wider you go on the tire with an e30, the smaller the sidewall will have to be. And at that point, it just looks stupid to run a 35 profile sideall just so you can say you run a 245.

g-Force T/A KDW 2:
205/50ZR16 87W $132.00 (ea.)
225/45ZR16 89W $137.00 (ea.)

yep, they're an extra $25 each. 137-132... ...25. Also, 205 is a very slight stretch on 7.5, 215 is pretty much square on a 7.5. it's by no means going to be visually stretched, but as I mentioned, better sidewall response.

you're right!!! being competitive means going with 195s why haven't I done this? Why the hell would I mention sidewall flex/overall grip if I was concerned about straight line traction? I wouldn't be running 245/35, it would be R-comps at 245/45.



If it's just fitment we're talking about then by all means, chime in, but to assume you know what's best for everyone is pretty stupid. take a look, does this look like it's streetable? no interior, H&R race, megasquirt with launch control, no IACV, all sound deadening removed, race seat, no powersteering or A/C. There's a reason I'm not concerned about getting 100hp to the ground -- because being fast on an autox course doesn't mean a good launch.

[Jaxx_]

hmmm..you have me close to ordering a 205/50/16 and a set of h&r sport springs...lol tired of my vogtlands my car is slammed.

you will have a much much bigger selection of tires in 205/50/16

[E30_fiend]

yep, they're an extra $25 each. 137-132... ...25. Also, 205 is a very slight stretch on 7.5, 215 is pretty much square on a 7.5. it's by no means going to be visually stretched, but as I mentioned, better sidewall response.

KDW2 is not the tire he was thinking about using. He was contemplating 452's. Check prices on those between a 205/50 and a 225/45...

You keep talking widths. You aren't even mentioning the aspect ratio of a tire. A 205/50 is BY NO MEANS stretched on a 7.5. I have a 205/40 on a 7.5 RIGHT now and the stretch is minimal.

I will assume you know how to read a tire size and understand it so when I say aspect ratio, you should know what Im talking about. I have had more brands of tires mounted on various widths of wheels than you can imagine. I worked in the tire business for 5 years. I have seen a lot and know a lot about tires.

And about your track car, I have everything you noted, in my daily driver. I have ZERO traction issues with my 205's stretched on my wheels. Next to no sidewall flew. I never once said being competitive meant running smaller tires. And if you are so worried about weight, you may think twice about running a wider(HEAVIER) tire. You also have to understand that you are speaking for all 205 tires when you say they will stretch or not stretch. There are a ton of tires available that even when mounted on a wheel WAY out of its mounting range, still may not stretch much.

Simply put, a wider tire(by 20mm) does not necessarily mean more grip. Physical grip, yes. Actual NOTICEABLE grip? No.

With all that said, I dont mean to get in a pissing fight with you but dont assume I dont know anything about tires and try to patronize me.

To the OP, do what you feel you think is best but if you have any real questions about anything pertaining to tires, shoot me a PM. I've been in your situation before and luckily there were people on here who gave real talk answers to my questions and were respectful of every member. Seems things have gone downhill since I joined back in 06.


Taylor

[Irish1]

225/45X16s are the perfect size tires for 16s. SAME overall diameter as the OEM Basketweaves and tire set 14 inch wheels, better turn-in, better traction. They fit FINE on 16X7 OR 16X8 wheels (the set-up on my Alpinas). Hard to find in that size, yes, but worth it.

[E30_fiend]

^^^^
there you go OP. If thats what you want then go for it. I feel the 205's are a better choice due to availability and choices in brand and design.

[zerokid5555]

lol yeah there is a lot more choices in that size and the higher sidewall will probably look good with the sport springs installed. Any recommendations on a tire/brand for a 205/50/16's?

[Jaxx_]

...
Taylor

I appreciate your knowledge and my attitude has by far been worsened by the amount of members who know little to nothing as to what they're talking about. The main reason for my backlash is the simple fact that people make the assumption that because my car is a 318 M10 it's a black sheep and a piece of shit e30, there's no reason as to why I should have the modifications I have. Few realize that I'm at the limit of FSP in autocross.

At the end of the day, I was fighting fire with fire and I didn't mean to interpret your post as hostile or patronizing if you didn't mean it to be. My apologies.

lol yeah there is a lot more choices in that size and the higher sidewall will probably look good with the sport springs installed. Any recommendations on a tire/brand for a 205/50/16's?

I've had good experience with BFG g-force sports but they are a summer tire. I'm trying out the potenza RE760s which seem to be performing pretty good but I have yet to push them. Take most of the tirerack reviews with a grain of salt -- people range from knowing exactly what to expect to thinking they're going to get 60k out of a performance tire.