540i Style 66 17x9 (all around) - Tire Size?

[treadhead450]

Hello all, just finally sorted out suspension issues and I am finally ready for new tires. I am trying to decide between 245/45 and 255/40 all around.

Suggestions?

Thx, Nick

[jburnham]

255/40 all around works really, really nicely.

[treadhead450]

Awesome, thanks! That's what I am leaning towards. My only hesitation was the 1.8 cm difference in tire diameter from stock and how that would affect ride harshness or speedo accuracy. By your response, I am assuming that you haven't experienced any issues. The 245/45 is virtually equal to the stock diameter.

[jburnham]

Staggered setups come stock with 255/40/17 on the rears. The speedos in these cars aren't very accurate to begin with and I wouldn't chose my tires based on a few %. A good 17 or 18 inch tire won't be too harsh. I really like having a balanced, square setup for handling and so I can rotate tires. I wouldn't go any narrower, and would consider going wider, but tires get more expensive with fewer choices in 265 and 275 and my 8.5 inch wheels are a little too narrow to get the full benefit. I also worry about tramlining with anything wider. For me, 255/40 all around is ideal.

What suspension do you have and are you running a spacer up front? I'm also curious about how much a 17x9 style 66 weighs - iirc, they're pretty light for OEM wheels. They're also one of my favorite designs and you can put them on your M5 when you upgrade ;)

[lhollis3]

I'm running 255/40/17 on my 17X9 Style 66. Works pretty well as far as I can tell. I do often look for tires of different sizes to see if they fit but I figure since the car came with this size I would stick with it. I like the look of the wheel and tire as it is. Good Luck making a decision.

[Vatoman]

lol, I just made a similar thread some good info here thanks guys.

[BimmerBreaker]

Tire shops should be able to calibrate your speedometer to account for the bigger rolling diameter.

[treadhead450]

Staggered setups come stock with 255/40/17 on the rears. The speedos in these cars aren't very accurate to begin with and I wouldn't chose my tires based on a few %. A good 17 or 18 inch tire won't be too harsh. I really like having a balanced, square setup for handling and so I can rotate tires. I wouldn't go any narrower, and would consider going wider, but tires get more expensive with fewer choices in 265 and 275 and my 8.5 inch wheels are a little too narrow to get the full benefit. I also worry about tramlining with anything wider. For me, 255/40 all around is ideal.

What suspension do you have and are you running a spacer up front? I'm also curious about how much a 17x9 style 66 weighs - iirc, they're pretty light for OEM wheels. They're also one of my favorite designs and you can put them on your M5 when you upgrade ;)

Okay, get this. Discount Tire installed both sizes so I could look at them!! They mounted one of each size on the front. Then we stared at my car and weighed the pros and cons of the look for about 20 min. Super cool guys!

I have the stock non-sport suspension, so the 255's lower profile showed a larger gap in the fender well while the 245's filled it out. By the look of your pic, you may have lowered your car a tad, right? Yours looks fantastic. Do you have larger pics?

BTW, found out mine are 17x8, doh! :eyecrazy I swear I had measured 9" with my tape measure. Will the 255's still work? They looked good although they ballooned just a small amount. The 245's looked good as well but a little meatier...

[giggidiesbimmer]

will having a different tire size affect your abs response? By size I mean having stock 255/40/17 as oppose to like a 225/50/17 tire. what would it affect overall?

[billzcat1]

It could affect braking distance due to a different contact patch of rubber on the road. A 225/50 will have a longer, skinner contact patch than the 255/40 which is definitely desirable in the snow. However, the ABS system itself will be unaffected.

[jburnham]

By the look of your pic, you may have lowered your car a tad, right? Do you have larger pics?

I have OEM sport springs and when I got Koni FSDs, it seems to have lowered things a little further (possibly the spring perches are not in the same place as on the OEM struts?).

http://www.2bi.us/pictures/r58_f.jpg

[KillerNumberX]

Hello all, just finally sorted out suspension issues and I am finally ready for new tires. I am trying to decide between 245/45 and 255/40 all around.

Suggestions?

Thx, Nick

depends on the size of your wheels, and the car you have. I have an e39 with 275/30/19 on rear, and 245/35/19 on the front.

Typically, you want a little wider on the back, and 5 units less on the back than the front.
i.e.

275/30 rear
245/35 front

or

265/30 rear
255/35 front

or

265/35 rear
235/40 front


Okay, get this. Discount Tire installed both sizes so I could look at them!! They mounted one of each size on the front. Then we stared at my car and weighed the pros and cons of the look for about 20 min. Super cool guys!

I have the stock non-sport suspension, so the 255's lower profile showed a larger gap in the fender well while the 245's filled it out. By the look of your pic, you may have lowered your car a tad, right? Yours looks fantastic. Do you have larger pics?

BTW, found out mine are 17x8, doh! :eyecrazy I swear I had measured 9" with my tape measure. Will the 255's still work? They looked good although they ballooned just a small amount. The 245's looked good as well but a little meatier...

discount tire does not have the best prices. FYI



http://www.2bi.us/pictures/r58_f.jpg

I like your wheels yo. I'd get them an inch or two bigger, but I like the style and color. What are they?

[Jason5driver]

Jburnham-
Always loved your car and the Rondel #58's!
Looks perfect!
How do you like the FSD's?

Thanks!
Jason

[jburnham]

Jburnham-
Always loved your car and the Rondel #58's!
Looks perfect!
How do you like the FSD's?

Thanks!
Jason


Thanks! The FSDs are pretty good. They're very comfortable and mostly stiff enough. I'm running them with OEM sport package springs.

[washburn33]

what spacers did you use up front? what brand tires are you running?

[ganzibye]

to jburnham : your wheel is so sexy..looking good man

[Fiziks]

i had 245/40 on my 8J wheels and now have 255/40 on my 8.5J. You can probably get away with 265-275 on 9J easy.

[PutterMcGavin]

depends on the size of your wheels, and the car you have. I have an e39 with 275/30/19 on rear, and 245/35/19 on the front.

Typically, you want a little wider on the back, and 5 units less on the back than the front.
i.e.

275/30 rear
245/35 front

or

265/30 rear
255/35 front

or

265/35 rear
235/40 front




Ummm actually the width depends on what you're going for. Running a staggerred setup promotes understeer whilst a box setup is more neutral.

For performance a box setup with say 275's all around rather than 245'sF and 275's R will handle better, rotate better and stop quicker.

Some think staggerred looks better but when I turn my wheel and have 275 meat sticking out that looks pretty mean itself ;)

Oh and I'm running 275/35/18's on my 18x9 rims so you should be fine if you want to go that wide. I'd recommend it!

[adam1979]

Tire shops should be able to calibrate your speedometer to account for the bigger rolling diameter.

I don't think the speedometer can be re-calibrated by anyone, let alone a tire shop. If it was that easy no one would complain about the speedometer error that BMW has in there by design.

[washburn33]

This car has a near 50/50 weight distribution. Therefore, it's fairly balanced to start with. The stagger on these cars is purely for asthetics and to keep the BMW lawyers happy. It promotes understeer and inexperienced drivers can supposedly cope better with understeer. Porsche's truly need a staggered setup due to the engine being at the back.

[s2kpunisher]

I just got the OEM 17" Style 66 17x8 and 17x9. I want to go squared setup, what do you guys suggest? 255/40/17 all around?

[Luftpost]

Sticking to the Style 66 theme.....

What is the widest tire people have put on their Style 66's, staggered setup with stock sport suspension, no spacers? Front (8") and rear (9").

Basically, how wide can you go without any rubbing issues with the above stock configuration.

L

[s2kpunisher]

Sticking to the Style 66 theme.....

What is the widest tire people have put on their Style 66's, staggered setup with stock sport suspension, no spacers? Front (8") and rear (9").

Basically, how wide can you go without any rubbing issues with the above stock configuration.

L

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