follow up on all my tire size and T-star questions (pictures)

[prossi]

After going round and round on the tire size...here are before and after shots.

was 225/60/15 on basket weaves:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q217/prossi/bmw/DSC02279.jpg

now 235/45/17 on naked 17x8 Throwing Stars (hopefully w/ 'hood ornament' center caps soon, I have to figure out how to attach them):

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q217/prossi/bmw/DSC02280.jpg

thanks for your help

[zubbie]

looks nice...I like Alpine!

I know I sound like a broken record on this forum but it needs a drop now more than ever

[itraveltoomuch]

looks nice...I like Alpine!

I know I sound like a broken record on this forum but it needs a drop now more than ever
Could you go with a bigger tire size to fill up the wheel well a bit more?

I ask because hopefully I'll have some T-stars soon and will have the same problem.

[5mall5nail5]

If you put a bigger tire on, the car will get higher

[zubbie]

If you put a bigger tire on, the car will get higher

Yep, there's no getting around that wheel gap up front. The bigger the rim (17's and 18's) the more visible the gap becomes. I suppose you could put fatboy tires on 14". That would be an interesting Photoshop. :stickoutt

[5mall5nail5]

Even if you put giant sidewall tires on a 14", the same OD occurs.

For instance: 205/65/15 is a 25.5" outter diameter, while a 315/45/14 (wtf) is a 25.3" diameter. Much like a 235/45/17 and a 275/50/15 are similarish

[prossi]

looks nice...I like Alpine!

I know I sound like a broken record on this forum but it needs a drop now more than ever

Thanks. The drop is the next thing I'll be pestering you all about. :)

[Ichbinsobose]

245/45 = win front with tstars, 255 out back. I run 245 all around, more meat = better.

[Blutarsky]

245/45 = win front with tstars, 255 out back. I run 245 all around, more meat = better.

245's square are ideal imo

[jhower08]

If you put a bigger tire on, the car will get higher
This is true, but the wheel gap will decrease.


Yep, there's no getting around that wheel gap up front. The bigger the rim (17's and 18's) the more visible the gap becomes. I suppose you could put fatboy tires on 14". That would be an interesting Photoshop. :stickoutt
The reason it seems like the wheel gap becomes more visible is because people usually run too small of a tire on the larger wheel. If you maintain the same OD (overall diameter) of the stock wheel, the gap will be the exact same.


Even if you put giant sidewall tires on a 14", the same OD occurs.

For instance: 205/65/15 is a 25.5" outter diameter, while a 315/45/14 (wtf) is a 25.3" diameter. Much like a 235/45/17 and a 275/50/15 are similarish
Your statement about the diameter is correct with those sizes, but that is with putting a wider tire on a 14, not a taller tire. Say you were to compare that stock size of 205/65/15 to a 205/75/15. The OD is not the same. Thus lifting the car higher off of the ground, but filling up more of the wheel well as well.

Either way, to lose the wheel gap, just lower the car. Putting on a tire with too big of a sidewall is just silly :)

[2DYE4]

17x9's all around?

[mottati]

17x9's all around?

it you're running 9's on the front, why not run 255/40 all around. Any clearance issues with the 9's on the front. I have them on the rear of my m5, should do a test fit on the front to see how they fit. 255x4 would be nice.

[2DYE4]

it you're running 9's on the front, why not run 255/40 all around. Any clearance issues with the 9's on the front. I have them on the rear of my m5, should do a test fit on the front to see how they fit. 255x4 would be nice.

should fit no problem, fronts are 20ET, rears are 22ET there is definitely more than 2mm between the wheel and strut, question is will the tire clear it...Id say so it's a go.

[prossi]

17x9's all around?

Opps! corrected. 17x8 all four corners. sorry for the confusion. (i need to proof read better)

[zubbie]

If you maintain the same OD (overall diameter) of the stock wheel, the gap will be the exact same.

True, but I think the same size gap really stands out more with bigger wheels (17's and 18's) because the ratio of gap to sidewall height goes up. It's an optical illusion effect. Your eyes are drawn more to the gap because the sidewall is less noticable even if the overall diameter hasn't changed. :)

[E34ührer]

it needs a drop

Small vocabulary eh? hehe. I have seen you say that 10 times in the last week! All 10 times it was 100% true!