Tires

[bamaboy473]

My '91 318i tires are old and need to be replaced. We're using the car as a normal driving vehicle. There doesn't seem to be a lot of choice of 195/65/14 out there.


What do you daily driver guys use, both brand and size?

Would something like a 215/60 fit OK? Help me out, k?

[ELVA164]

There have been a few recent threads about this, and the availability is really starting to diminish. The Kumho Solus is a decent tire and what I used on my 2002 when I had it. If you want to go a bit bigger you could look into 205/60-14 (which is empty on Tire Rack) or the 215/60-14 you mentioned (with one option). I know you're probably not looking to, but 15" and especially 16" wheels have much better tire availability and the tire prices aren't much different. I ran into this same situation when it was time to remove my winter wheels and tires and took the opportunity to find my dream wheels--16" Hartge Type As :D Tires are high quality and were around $90 each. You could then use the 14" wheels for snow tires (I recommend General Altimax Arctic, they're great).

[Tom D]

there is no more 205/60/14 and the reason I'm running 195/60/14 and feel they're just as good, maybe lighter feel.

[bamaboy473]

bummer. I found several tire/wheel combos in 16", but all are 5X120 and mine are 4 bolt. What is our wheel size...4 x ?? and 14x ??

[ELVA164]

There are a number of wheels available on the Tire Rack site at least in 4x100 bolt pattern (which is ours). You can also look for Miata/Civic wheels, as they use the same bolt pattern. Stock wheel size for bottlecaps is 14x6, et35 and basketweaves is 14x6.5, et30.

[Tom D]

dont do 16". they are too big visually for the E30 and you have a four pot engine.

[bamaboy473]

I like the 195/60 suggestion. A lot more options to choose from, and I like the OEM wheels (after I paint them)

[Tom D]

i run the goodrich gforce supersport, they cost more but are the only high performance tire available in this size without going to a 'R' compound.

[Mushroom Stew]

16" wheels are not big at all if you car is lowered a bit. My car looks pretty much exactly like this one (I have no recent pics with the new wheels)

548891

[Tom D]

16" wheels are not big at all...

says the guy running heavy 16" wheels....

[dohcdoh]

:rofl Tom at it again.

[ELVA164]

There's a decent amount of tire availability for 15" wheels and they were a stock diameter so if 16" looks too big, stick to 15".


http://i1256.photobucket.com/albums/ii482/ELVA164/Facebook/The%20325i/20150906_103105.jpg (http://s1256.photobucket.com/user/ELVA164/media/Facebook/The%20325i/20150906_103105.jpg.html)
I personally love my 16" wheels, but I do sometimes have a hard time sleeping knowing I've added multiple whole pounds of unsprung weight to my daily driver.


:shifty

[Mushroom Stew]

says the guy running heavy 16" wheels....

You mentioned aesthetics and I replied with a different opinion on that point. I wasn't referring to weight and/or performance issues (and really, assuming the OP's car is a DD is it really that big of a deal?), so why be a little kid about it?
Anyways...........

[Tom D]

You mentioned aesthetics and I replied with a different opinion on that point. I wasn't referring to weight and/or performance......

you're right, i did say that visually 16" are too big, directly, and indirectly i implied that they are too big for a 4 cylinder engine, performance wise.

i stand behind my statement that 16" starts to push the limits of good taste. however, i think that elva's setup is tastefully done. the simplicity and lightness of his hartage 11 spokes wheels don't draw your eyes. his proper use of width rim and tire as well as a well conceived drop makes for an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. i also think that because it's a four door and has metal bumpers that those elements add weight to the look of the car and helps to balance the size of the wheels.

with the car you posted the wheel and tire width also appears to be right, but the wheels themselves are quite busy and only work because they're painted black and don't show up. if they were silver or gold they would appear to be large and bulky. as far as the black goes.... this is also in bad taste and cries 'hipster'! it makes the car look like its sitting on jackstands, so whats the point of having nice wheels?

also the drop of that car is all wrong! the front isn't too bad, but the back is way too low. when are you guys going to learn what architecturally looks right? if the arch of the wheel and tire radiuses off the center point of the hub, then so must the arch of the fender. to slash two arks with the same center point with another dissimilar ark generating from a center point well below the first is never going to look right, period!


......(and really, assuming the OP's car is a DD is it really that big of a deal?)

maybe, maybe not, but the op's car is powered by a small low torque, high revving four cylinder, its a rag top which means its already heavier, and he plans on removing the power steering, all reasons for staying with a smaller wheel/tire combo. but what the hell, everybody knows that its better to own a car that looks good then a car that goes good, and you mr. mushroom stew in the words of fernando lamas, "you look marvelous"!


.....so why be a little kid about it?......
how's that, any better?

[ELVA164]

i stand behind my statement that 16" starts to push the limits of good taste. however, i think that elva's setup is tastefully done. the simplicity and lightness of his hartage 11 spokes wheels don't draw your eyes. his proper use of width rim and tire as well as a well conceived drop makes for an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. i also think that because it's a four door and has metal bumpers that those elements add weight to the look of the car and helps to balance the size of the wheels.

Well crap, that was actually quite complimentary. Thanks!



...Now I feel like a bad person.
:(

[Mushroom Stew]

you're right, i did say that visually 16" are too big, directly, and indirectly i implied that they are too big for a 4 cylinder engine, performance wise.

i stand behind my statement that 16" starts to push the limits of good taste. however, i think that elva's setup is tastefully done. the simplicity and lightness of his hartage 11 spokes wheels don't draw your eyes. his proper use of width rim and tire as well as a well conceived drop makes for an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. i also think that because it's a four door and has metal bumpers that those elements add weight to the look of the car and helps to balance the size of the wheels.

with the car you posted the wheel and tire width also appears to be right, but the wheels themselves are quite busy and only work because they're painted black and don't show up. if they were silver or gold they would appear to be large and bulky. as far as the black goes.... this is also in bad taste and cries 'hipster'! it makes the car look like its sitting on jackstands, so whats the point of having nice wheels?

also the drop of that car is all wrong! the front isn't too bad, but the back is way too low. when are you guys going to learn what architecturally looks right? if the arch of the wheel and tire radiuses off the center point of the hub, then so must the arch of the fender. to slash two arks with the same center point with another dissimilar ark generating from a center point well below the first is never going to look right, period!


You're entitled to your opinion, and although I think you're 'over thinking' it, aesthetics is subjective. Remember that before you go on a tirade against what others may find tasteful i.e. your opinion on what you find tasteful is no better than theirs.

FYI I like black wheels and I am no hipster

[15Michaeljoseph]

If you go with 16's be careful if you're going low.... swapping lower coils on your front struts and shocks (I'm doing good, right Tom?)

I actually know next to nothing about wheels and tires but I always like reading Tom D's very explanatory and unique posts.

Carry on :)

[Mushroom Stew]

If you go with 16's be careful if you're going low.... swapping lower coils on your front struts and shocks (I'm doing good, right Tom?)

I actually know next to nothing about wheels and tires but I always like reading Tom D's very explanatory and unique posts.

Carry on :)

I run 205/50 with 16" wheels on Billy Sports and H&R Pro with no fitment issues at all.

[Tom D]

You're entitled to your opinion........ aesthetics is subjective......what others may find tasteful i.e. your opinion on what you find tasteful is no better than theirs.....

Mr. Stew, I fully agree with you that aesthetics is subjective and not everybody's taste is the same, however not everybody has good taste!

believe it or not good taste is not wholly subjective, there are basic rules of design. pushing those rules of design can still result in good design, but they can also be disastrous. an example that pops into my head is a 1972 amc pacer compared to a 1972 alfa remero GRV. both cars are from the same period of time and so reflect the then current subjective mindset. both cars are small 2 doors, 4 passenger cars with the same body dimensions, one is an aesthetic classic and the other goes down as one of the worst auto design in history.

I don't have a degree in art, but I have been working with shapes professionally for the past 45 years and I know what is pleasing to the eye and what is not, I better I make a living at it! so does bmw, although they did have a few hiccups when bangle was in charge. but bmw knows what's current and hires professionals to design accordingly, professionals that know and understand the rules of good taste. take the trend of lowering cars over the past 20 years.... yes the E21 and the E30 can be lowered a little and be made aesthetically more pleasing, but the front wheel/tire/fender arch of an E46 330i/M/ZHP is perfect and should not be touched, so are most of bmw's current lineup. living on the central calif coast I see a lot of lowered BMWs and they look terrible. lowering a modern bmw has nothing to do with better aesthetics or better handling, but more to do with bad taste and wanting to be different by being just like everybody else!

[15Michaeljoseph]

Mr. Stew, ....

.....an example that pops into my head is a 1972 amc pacer compared to a 1972 alfa remero GRV!

(British accent) "You know, Magnum, that reminds me of my time serving with the 30th in Granada... The air was unbearably hot, and...."

Tom is a force on this forum.

[dohcdoh]

(British accent) "You know, Magnum, that reminds me of my time serving with the 30th in Granada... The air was unbearably hot, and...." Tom is a force on this forum.

:rofl :rofl

[Mushroom Stew]

Mr. Stew, I fully agree with you that aesthetics is subjective and not everybody's taste is the same, however not everybody has good taste!

Again, you're assuming an objective standard where none exists. There are tons of aesthetic features people do with their cars that I personally wouldn't be caught dead with, but as long as what they are doing is safe and legal (for the most part) then there is no issue. I would rather support the passion people have for their vehicles. You have no grounds for telling them what they should do with their car (assuming the above) and even if it falls outside the boundaries of OEM specs.



believe it or not good taste is not wholly subjective, there are basic rules of design. pushing those rules of design can still result in good design, but they can also be disastrous. an example that pops into my head is a 1972 amc pacer compared to a 1972 alfa remero GRV. both cars are from the same period of time and so reflect the then current subjective mindset. both cars are small 2 doors, 4 passenger cars with the same body dimensions, one is an aesthetic classic and the other goes down as one of the worst auto design in history.


Worst in what sense? Aesthetically or performance wise? If you mean the latter, then that isn't really the point at issue at all and hence a strawman argument. If the former, I don't really care for what the "consensus" says. If someone rolls up in a Pacer and genuinely loves the looks of their car, I would be more than happy for them.



I don't have a degree in art, but I have been working with shapes professionally for the past 45 years and I know what is pleasing to the eye and what is not, I better I make a living at it! so does bmw, although they did have a few hiccups when bangle was in charge. but bmw knows what's current and hires professionals to design accordingly, professionals that know and understand the rules of good taste. take the trend of lowering cars over the past 20 years.... yes the E21 and the E30 can be lowered a little and be made aesthetically more pleasing, but the front wheel/tire/fender arch of an E46 330i/M/ZHP is perfect and should not be touched, so are most of bmw's current lineup. living on the central calif coast I see a lot of lowered BMWs and they look terrible. lowering a modern bmw has nothing to do with better aesthetics or better handling, but more to do with bad taste and wanting to be different by being just like everybody else!

If you are referring to those who like to stance their vehicles, you are mistaken on at least a couple of points. First, stancing, at least from what I've read, is more about a certain look then handling. That would make their cars more aesthetically pleasing to them. So obviously it is an aesthetic issue for which you have no grounds to claim it lacks in that regard. Again aesthetics = subjective. Second, if you compare the stance community to the number of modern untouched BMW's on the road, it is obvious then that they are in fact a very small and niche community by comparison. Further, arguably what they are doing is different (in comparison) and hence, they are not trying to be "just like everybody else".

ANyways, no point in debating this any further. I've said more than my 2 cents and I'll leave it at that

[Diamonddonbmw]

And so, back to the OP. I had to get new tires also. Went with General Altimax RT's, 195/60-14, because of availability. My car's daily driven, needed something that wasn't more track oriented.

[Tom D]

ANyways, no point in debating this any further. I've said more than my 2 cents and I'll leave it at that





says the guy running heavy 16" wheels....

)

[Mushroom Stew]

says the guy running heavy 16" wheels....

Because you are so annoying, OZ Alleggerita HLT's (13.6 pounds) say otherwise. That's right, lighter than many 15" wheels

[ELVA164]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Sinje/oh-you-guys.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Sinje/media/oh-you-guys.jpg.html)

[bamaboy473]

And so, back to the OP. I had to get new tires also. Went with General Altimax RT's, 195/60-14, because of availability. My car's daily driven, needed something that wasn't more track oriented.

Our car will get more towing miles than driven miles, so I went with Kumho Sense tires @ $57 each. At that price and so long as they aren't square, I'll get new rubber on the ground, which is my primary concern. Went with 195/60/14

[15Michaeljoseph]

Our car will get more towing miles than driven miles, so I went with Kumho Sense tires @ $57 each. At that price and so long as they aren't square, I'll get new rubber on the ground, which is my primary concern. Went with 195/60/14

well at that price i guess it was only kumho sense. ;) badum tss

[ELVA164]

................................