Will these tires fit?

[FoxCruiser]

Here's a quick question hopefully someone has the answer to.

My car: E34 540i/6. Wheels are 16" Style 8s(I think; these are the stock wheels to an E31 850). Tires on the car currently are 225/55/16.

My tires are pretty shot and I'm having them replaced after some suspension work being done later this week. A family member is having tires replaced on her E88 128iC and has offered them to me. These have decent tread, but are 205/55/16. Basically, will these work on my car or should I go with my original plan of buying new tires?

[GTRSv]

how wide are the wheels? 7"?

..my guess is theyll fit with no problem.

[FoxCruiser]

Hm... I'm pretty sure they're 7.5". Am I correct in assuming those will be a bit too narrow for these wheels?

[pml motorsports]

Hm... I'm pretty sure they're 7.5". Am I correct in assuming those will be a bit too narrow for these wheels?

No you are incorrect. They are not too narrow for the wheels, a 205/55-16 fit "perfectly" on a 7 1/2" width rim, but they are undersized and have too low a load-rating for the E34. The correct tire would be a 235/50-16 or a 215/55-16, both are uncommon sizes but still available. The 215/55-16 Hankook is about $90 each the same size in Falken is $98. As for the 235/50-16, they are MUCH more costly. This is why most BMW owners did a + zero fitment an went with the meatier 225/55-16 offerings which are plentiful and priced attractively due to a larger market demand....essentially the same price as the narrower 215 size. Hope this helps....

[Jim@tirerack]

Do not put the 205/55R16 on the car. On the 5 Series I actually would go with the 225/55R16 as there are a number of options and BMW uses the size as OE on the car.
If I can help let me know.

[FoxCruiser]

Thanks for the info. I might be getting my hands on a set of staggered 18" M-Pars with decent Continental ExtremeContacts on them for a good price so I'm going to hold off.