Falken 215/45-16 fitment

[Mike P.]

Hi,

Today I went up to the tire shop and placed an order for a set of 215/45-16 Azenis Sports, and I'm hoping I didn't do so mistakenly.

Does anyone here think I will have a problem fitting these things on there in the front? My wheels are 16x7 40ET (BBS) with a 10mm spacer. Right now, the car has 205/50s on these wheels and I can barely stick a finger between the tire and the strut body (I wish I had done this before placing the order). I'm familiar with the Azenis and how they are wider than their advertised size, but I'm thinking perhaps a 15mm spacer (instead of the 10mm) may do the trick?

I'm still a little bit new to these cars, but a search brings mention of 225s in the front, and I'm just trying to find the magical offset needed to run what is essentially a 225 on a 7" wide wheel.

FWIW, the car is an '89 325i.

Thanks in advance...I'm sure one of you's knows what's up!

Mike

[nando]

you're going to be very close.. a 15mm spacer would be a lot better. ET30 is too far inside the fenders to me, even on an ix. I'd probably run closer to ET20 if I had another E30.

[Brew]

You should be ok with those tires, but it will be close. I have 225/50-15s all aroundt on 15x7 wheels with 25mm offset. Its just about ideal because the tire just clears the strut and is still inside of the fender.
Those tires you got are a bit undersized, but not hugely. The best sizes in 16" are 205/50 and 225/45.
If worst comes to worst, you can always get some 15mm spacers like you mentioned and you will be all set.

[Mike P.]

You should be ok with those tires, but it will be close. I have 225/50-15s all aroundt on 15x7 wheels with 25mm offset. Its just about ideal because the tire just clears the strut and is still inside of the fender.
Those tires you got are a bit undersized, but not hugely. The best sizes in 16" are 205/50 and 225/45.
If worst comes to worst, you can always get some 15mm spacers like you mentioned and you will be all set.

Like I said, the Falkens run a bit wider than the advertised 215 on the sidewall, which would bring them closer to a 225 than anything else. According to the specs, I'm at the lower range of wheel width for their 215 and would probably be better off using a 7.5" wheel to aid turn-in response, but I'm just going to make due with 7" for now. If you're saying that I should be "maybe" ok than I may just go back to the shop tomorrow to check their availability of wheel spacers and to let them know that they *may* be needed. Sounds like 25 is where I need to be, and I'm not too far off. What offsets to the Racing Dynamics and Alpina wheels generally come in with their 7" wide sizes, I wonder?

Mike-who hates to run an even larger spacer, but also hates to buy that set of Panasports he's always wanted, too.

BTW, thanks much for your help, folks. Things are much clearer now, and I feel more at ease.

[Mystikal]

225 tires fit with ET25, so techincally 215's should work with ET30 (it's the same strut distance, think about it).

However, as you said, Azenis are wide. Even with the 225/ET25 case, you can't run S-03's because they are too wide. I have a strong feeling you will rub with such manly tread blocks.

[Mike P.]

I swung by the tire shop today and had the fella check it out (obviously much closer than I did). The wheels are actually ET35 (not sure why I was mistaken) and they look, at least to his eye, like they're using an 8mm or so spacer which brings me to 28. His professional opinion was that "it should work" after doing some feeling around back inside the wheelwell. So, I'll be finding out on Thursday, and they're prepared to sell me a different spacer if they don't. Should be interesting to see what happens.

Mystikal...yes they are treadblocks that'll put hair on your chest if you're not careful. 8)

I went through two sets on my old Honda and they are such a great value.

Mike

[Mystikal]

Oh trust me I know, I'm running them in 195/60/14 on my stock wheels, best tires I have ever owned. Well, besides being just about bald after 4 months of street use.

[Mike P.]

They're on the car now.

Mike-who's gonna eat some dinner and then "go out for a spin, ASAP."

[Mystikal]

Get underneath and take a pic of the inside rear, I'm betting the tube will be slightly polished already.

[Mike P.]

For what it's worth, the Azenis have been on the car for a good while now, and I haven't had an ounce of rubbing problems...actually a little less than the old tires due to the reduced diameter. The only thing they touch is the splash guard on the right front when making a u-turn.

They worked well at the local SCCA autocross, but I'm thinking will get better once I've worn through the initial tread. It was pretty funny to see in the smack dab in the middle of the results "1989 Silver BMW" when every other car in STX was either a Type R, WRX or Mini Cooper S (nothing older than 2000) This was the first time driving this car in "anger" and I was utterly in shock at how loose the car felt. It REALLY caught me off guard on it's first run. Suspension is as I bought the car in January....E30 M3 springs, Bilsteins, and some sort of cambered-in front upper strut mounts (this was spotted by my mechanic as soon as I opened the hood for him once.) The mounts are not adjustable, so I don't know if they're some sort of "crash parts" generally used by frame shops or what.