Which reasonably priced tire?

[MR 325]

Z1 star specs on tire rack are $557.00 shipped. Probably cheaper at the local tire shop.

Yeah, I would never spend that much.

[u3b3rg33k]

$400 shipped.

Z1 star specs on tire rack are $557.00 shipped. Probably cheaper at the local tire shop.

[MR 325]

^ Because turbocar.

I bought mine from www.discounttiredirect.com

[E30 331is]

[agent]

I had S.Drives on a previous (non-BMW) DD, and they were great for the first half of their life, then I sold the car. I just bought a set of 16" wheels for my E30 and was considering S.Drives for them. Where'd you get yours?

Also, for those wanting to calculate the differences in wheels, tires and offsets, I found this neat tool: http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp

[MR 325]

Oh well, what's done is done! Haha.

No worries on the wet traction though, I don't drive it in the rain. And when I do, there's no traction anyway...

[Jesse30]

I hate those tires with a passion. They make noise like crazy even at low speed. Tread squirm is very uncomfortable when tossing it arround. And even with 245 fronts and 275 rears the wet weather tractioin is garbage. Will never buy again. I think the only people who like those are people who want them stretched.

Hate to say it, but I agree with einstein. Wet weather traction is terrible with these..

[cbouchez]

I'm pretty happy with my Falkens 512's we get a lot of rain and hot weather in the summer so also some snow they have been thru a lot of extreme weather and still great handling.

[einstein57]

Well, I spent hours reading up on tires and made a purchase. I went with 205/50/16 Yokohama S.drive tires. I know they weren't mentioned in this thread but I'm hoping I made a good choice. I paid $400 shipped.

I hate those tires with a passion. They make noise like crazy even at low speed. Tread squirm is very uncomfortable when tossing it arround. And even with 245 fronts and 275 rears the wet weather tractioin is garbage. Will never buy again. I think the only people who like those are people who want them stretched.

[Kvasi]

Im running Federal SS-595. Cheap, not to noisy and some trackdays wont wear them out.
Not so good in high speeds when wet, but dont bother me..

[smooth]

Do you have a picture of how the tread sits?

You're right that the 2.5mm isn't noticeable by the numbers but it might throw you off aesthetically because the thinner tire exaggerates the height difference. But that's probably only going to bother you if you prefer a more aggressive appearance or you're coming from a 225.

I just tried a 215 in both 45 and 50 and unfortunately neither are suitable so it looks like I'll be paying out the nose for some BFG's :(

[ZekeTheSneak]

Stretching? I have falken 512s I love them. 550 mounted balanced and stretched. loads of grip

[MR 325]

One thing that people don't seem to understand about tires is the sidewall height is based on the width. As mentioned above the 205/50/16 and the 225/45/16 are virtually the same height with the 205/50 only being 2.5mm taller in overall height! Something that is definitely not noticeable.

I really was torn between these and the BFG tires. We'll see if I'm happy!

[smooth]

If you want a bit more aggressive tread but don't want to go up to a 225 the BFG's might be a good choice for you next time. I'm not certain about the G-Force Sports but a lot of BFG's have a mushroomy tire tread so the 205 will sit on the ground a bit wider than most 205's. It's a good way to get some decent road contact without worrying about fender rubbing, too, which is more of a concern running 225's on 16's than I have running 225's on my 15's.

I haven't shopped around for 16's for a long time but I have 205/50's on currently and I was thinking of looking for a 215. I think 205/50 looks a little too tall and narrow for my tastes but I don't think I want to risk going below a 50 series tire with the ridiculously expensive wheels I'm running.

[MR 325]

Thanks guys. I was torn between the BFG G-Force Sport and the S.drives. Hopefully I am happy.

Jean, the Hartge wheels will be refinished next week.