How bad will 245/45/17s rub?

[BMW M Power]

i just bought 2 more rear rims, so i now have a non-staggered set of 8.5" contours. :buttrock

i want to get the 245/45/17 Falken Azenis Sports (only other 17" size is 245/45 which is too narrow for my liking). i know i will rub.....but how much. and do you think an agressive fender roll will solve anything?

and for clarification, the car is not driven every day. just on backroad/canyon runs, and soon to be track days. so i'm just worried about rubbing in the turns, not over bumps, people in the car, etc.

thanks in advance for the input,
Brent

[Jim@tirerack]

Not only may they rub but withthe 245/45R17 you are probably going to throw off the anti lock brakes and traction control. You would really need the 245/40R17.
If I can help let me know.

[BMW M Power]

hmmm, i dont care about the trac control, i have the asc delete.

but why would a 245/45 throw off the abs? doesnt the abs just get thrown off when you have the improper size as compared to front to back? cuz wouldnt the larger sidewall just throw off the speedo, remember, i'm doing all 4 tires the same size, on 4 8.5" rims. so there would be no imbalance in the tire sizing.

[Jim@tirerack]

I thought you were just running the 245/45R17 in the rear. There is no way the 245/45R17 is going to fit on the front without rubbing.

[BMW M Power]

really?

but a 245/40 will, so what about a 255/40? were talking about the front

[Spencer]

Not sure if you've ever seen Azeni Sports in person but they run REALLY wide. A 225 Azeni will come close to some other 245 street tires.

With this in mind, you might run into problems with those 245's. They will be pretty wide and really tall.

Then again, someone local is running 245/45-17 Victoracers all around without issues, so you might be ok.

I'd personally skip the Azeni's and run MX's. You can find better sizes and avoid the overheating issues they have on heavier cars. Performance is close, but the MX will maintain that performance longer, while the Azeni's will overheat and get slippery.

[BMW M Power]

yes, i have been reading this. i'm starting to think a 255/40 mx would be a better choice.

it just seems from my experience that the Azenis is a SUPER sticky tire, whereas the MX isnt as sticky

[Spencer]

yes, i have been reading this. i'm starting to think a 255/40 mx would be a better choice.

it just seems from my experience that the Azenis is a SUPER sticky tire, whereas the MX isnt as sticky

If you go to sccaforums.com, you will probabily find some guys who have used both in STS/STX. From what I've read, performance is very close.

If you plan to drive your car on a roadcorse, I would stay away from the Azeni. Its going to overheat in a couple laps. I've used my 255 MX's on the track and they hold up fine.

Azeni's will work if you auto-x only but you are going to need to spray them down with water between runs.

I guarentee you'll like the 255 MX's. I couldn't believe they were street tires first time I used them at an auto-x.

[BMW M Power]

i think i'll go with the mx. i plan on using them for track, and maybe an occasional auto-x.

think i will need an agressive roll with 255 all around and decent drop on coilovers? i'm sort of worried about the front

[Spencer]

i think i'll go with the mx. i plan on using them for track, and maybe an occasional auto-x.

think i will need an agressive roll with 255 all around and decent drop on coilovers? i'm sort of worried about the front

Front and rear fitment really depends on your wheel offset and camber settings.

I used 17x8.5et45 wheels with -3f and -2r camber. TONS of room. I could easily fit a 265.

[BMW M Power]

wheels are all 8.5" contours.

i think the offset of contours are 35 if im not mistaken

camber is 2.5 in front, and 1.5 in the rear

[Spencer]

wheels are all 8.5" contours.

i think the offset of contours are 35 if im not mistaken

camber is 2.5 in front, and 1.5 in the rear

Offset on the OEM 8.5" Contours is et41.

With 255 MX's, you should fit fine up front with the correct spacer (~10mm). In the rear, you'll need a fender roll and you should be fine.

[toopercentmlk]

Offset on the OEM 8.5" Contours is et41.

With 255 MX's, you should fit fine up front with the correct spacer (~10mm). In the rear, you'll need a fender roll and you should be fine.
so youre saying with the 8.5s up front with et41, it will get a little too close to the shock? thats why it will need a spacer? does the front of the m3 require a different offset opposed to the rear?

[Jim@tirerack]

The E36 M3 does use the same offset but with the 8.5 width wheel and a 255/40R17 tire you may need a spacer to pull it away from the struts. At that point you also may need to roll the fender lip as well.
If I can help with the tires let me know.

[Spencer]

so youre saying with the 8.5s up front with et41, it will get a little too close to the shock? thats why it will need a spacer? does the front of the m3 require a different offset opposed to the rear?

When you start to run large (245+) tires all around, the front and rear require different offsets.

I've found optimals offsets to be about et30-32 in front and et45 in the rear. So, usually you will run et45 wheels all around with a spacers up front.

Then again, if you are just running 225's or 235's all around, you can use the same offset all around without issues.

[Jim@tirerack]

A lot of people run the 245/40R17 but he asked about 245/45R17 on the car. If that was a typo and you really meant 245/40R17 then it is a fairly easy size to run on the car. You might need a little more negative camber or a fender lip roll.

[BMW M Power]

thanks guys.

i'm going to go ahead and order the 255/40 mx tonight.

i have GC Coilvers, and have heard that coilovers allow for more tire clearance than say a bilstein strut. think i still need 10mm spacers, or am i good with the 5mm i already have?

thanks again for the help
Brent

[Jim@tirerack]

Let me know if I can help. I have them in stock.

[BMW M Power]

jim - is tire rack running any specials right now that would apply to kumho tires?

thanks,
brent

[Jim@tirerack]

No specials but they are priced right at 137.00 per tire.

[SamuraiJack]

Hey guys sorry to jump in mid stream here but I have a question along the lines of BMW M Power. I really want to run the same wheel/tire combo in the front as in the rear. I would really like the ability to at least rotate my tires and have more grip up front for Solo II. :alright I am running the #68 M double spoke rims with the (17x8.5) 245/40r17's in the rear and (17x7.5) 225/45R17's up front, Kuhmo MX's on all 4 corners. No suspension modifications just the stock sport suspension.

Anyway I tried to put the rear tire on the front to check for possible fit and she ran smack into the shock tower. So close. :help I have been searching/reading through the posts and it sounds I will need to run a space of sorts, 10mm (???) to get the tires away from the shock. Is there anything else I need to account for? fender rolling? any other rub or wear points to take into account. The extra weight shouldn't be a factor so....

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Aloha,
Ian :D

P.S. - Would 255's be within reason?

[Jim@tirerack]

Yes, more negative camber and a fender lip roll and you are good to go.

[SamuraiJack]

Jim - Thanks for your response. So more negative camber, fender flare, and a 10mm spacer? Or just the negative camber and fender flare? And along the lines of the negative camber... I remember reading something that we cannot adjust the camber on our vehicles (e46). TIA for your response.

Aloha,
Ian

[Jim@tirerack]

I can't tell you for sure what would be needed. Every car is different and tires are all different dimensions. You can adjust the camber on a 3 Series. I would suggest trying it first and then go from there.

[Spencer]

I can't tell you for sure what would be needed. Every car is different and tires are all different dimensions. You can adjust the camber on a 3 Series. I would suggest trying it first and then go from there.

You can't adjust the camber up front, but you can in the rear.

[Jim@tirerack]

Sure you can. It just requires camber plates or changing the top hats on the struts from side to side.

[Chris Huff]

I run 245/45/17 on my 17x7.5 o.e. wheels on all 4 corners with no rubbing problems.

I have stock springs with Bilstein struts.

[Spencer]

Sure you can. It just requires camber plates or changing the top hats on the struts from side to side.

Ok, well, if we are going to go into aftermarket solutions.

Swapping strut hats only works on the 96-99 E36 M3's which had offset strut mounts. Not sure about E46's though. Then again, this is a HUGE camber adjustment, not a "fine" adjustment.

[funkeejunkee03]

Please pardon my intrusion....hope this thread is still alive....tons of good info.
I'm in the same situation...i want to run 8.5 double spk 2's all around.
can't figure a straight answer from the posts. what do i need to do.
suspension is stock right now...will most likely do bilstein/H&r sport soon.
was thinking about wider series tires in the back...maybe even a spacer in the rear also(i like it wide)...will this work?HELP :eyecrazy ...THANKS!

[Jim@tirerack]

I think with a 245/40R17 you will be fine. With the 245/45R17 you are going to have a problem. They are just too tall.

[96cosmosM3]

Please pardon my intrusion....hope this thread is still alive....tons of good info.
I'm in the same situation...i want to run 8.5 double spk 2's all around.
can't figure a straight answer from the posts. what do i need to do.
suspension is stock right now...will most likely do bilstein/H&r sport soon.
was thinking about wider series tires in the back...maybe even a spacer in the rear also(i like it wide)...will this work?HELP :eyecrazy ...THANKS!

I ran the same suspension (h&r/bilsteins) with 8.5 allaround and 245/40 MXs. No spacers needed, no rubbing. 255s may need some work or spacers.