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Wheels and Tires Discussion of different brands of tires, sizes and wheels.

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Old 01-31-2010, 06:04 AM   #1
KingLouieII
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Default Will these fit the ti?

Hey guys, Im looking to get rid of the steel rims that are still on my car and I came across these, they're 17s and off an E46:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Guy says that the tire sizes are 225-45-17 front and 245-40-17 rear

fit or no?
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Old 01-31-2010, 06:35 AM   #2
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Yes they'll fit... B-rad has those exact wheels...
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Old 01-31-2010, 07:19 AM   #3
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yep, those will fit.
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Old 01-31-2010, 04:15 PM   #4
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awesome guys, thanks for the confirmations
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Old 02-01-2010, 03:10 PM   #5
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NO! 17inch wheels are not a normal size for the 318ti. The rim will probably bolt up but you will have tire clearance issues. You will hit the wheel wells on bumps and turns. If you go with a 17 inch tire then you will have to mod the suspension system to allow clearance for the bigger wheel. You'll be sorry if you don't.

From BMW this is what is approved to fit a 318ti.
185/65R15, 205/60R15 and 225/50ZR16.

BMW alloy wheel catalog has various wheels and where the 17 inch wheels are listed for most models there is a note that says "EXCEPT 318ti" next to the 17 inch listing.
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Old 02-01-2010, 03:36 PM   #6
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Is he right about that guys? How did b-rad get his to fit then? And bavauto says these wheels are suitable
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Old 02-01-2010, 03:50 PM   #7
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they will fit if i can run 18's on my TI, 17's will fit with no problems.
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Old 02-01-2010, 04:51 PM   #8
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Disadvantages:
Cost
Weight/Rotating mass
This gives you poor fuel economy.
Requires a stronger suspension, and possibly a lift
Requires recalibration of the speedometer
Effectively reduces torque at the wheels...your leverage against the surface isn't as good as with a small wheel.

Usually the bigger the rims the more low profile the tires become! As in a smaller tire wall,

The big rims may look great spinning round the streets but if you hit a rock stone at speed with the low profile tires will not withstand a huge impact resulting in a new tyre (low profile tires v. expensive) and damaged rims!!!!!!

Use this tire calculator for reference. It gives you size and RPM's.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

BMW designed the suspension system to be used with certain size wheels. Adding bigger wheels without modding the suspension will throw the offset off on the alignment and create other problems. It's up to you if you want to go with bigger wheels. Others have and say they fit, but what is the long term affect on the vehicle and the handling? Try them if you want but I did try to educate you on the cons of doing so.
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Old 02-01-2010, 06:31 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 6speed ti View Post
Disadvantages:
Cost
Weight/Rotating mass
This gives you poor fuel economy.
Requires a stronger suspension, and possibly a lift
Requires recalibration of the speedometer
Effectively reduces torque at the wheels...your leverage against the surface isn't as good as with a small wheel.
Hang on there, guy. Some of what you are saying is true, but some of it is not.

I run 225/50-16 on the ti, and 235/40-17 on the M3. These are the stock factory sizes for both of these cars. The outside diameter of the M3 tires is NOT any larger than the ti tires. I have two sets of mounted wheels for each car (summer and winter), and they both fit exactly the same into the same wheel rack. If you look at the wheel/tire straight down, you cannot tell any difference at all in size or shape. (If you do the Miata wheel calculator, it will tell you that the 17" actually have a smaller outside diameter by 1/2"). Essentially, the 16s and 17s are fully interchangeable on the ti (and would be on the M3 also, if the 16s would fit over the M3's brakes).

Cost- 17"s are certainly more expensive, both for wheels and tires. I would always rather buy 16" tires than 17"
Weight/Rotating mass- 17" wheels can be heavier than 16"s. They can also be lighter. There is a great range in wheel weights availible. The 17" BBS's I have on the M3 now are a good deal lighter than the stock 17" wheels it came on.
This gives you poor fuel economy.- The difference in wheel/tire weight will have a negligible effect on fuel economy, unless the new wheels are really heavy.
Requires a stronger suspension, and possibly a lift- Same size, same weight requires no change at all in suspension, unless the new wheels are really heavy
Requires recalibration of the speedometer- not unless there is a real difference in outside diameter, and there isn't
Effectively reduces torque at the wheels- not unless there is a real difference in outside diameter, and there isn't

Bigger wheels with low profile tires are definitely more fragile (and more expensive) than smaller wheels. Wheel damage on the M3 has been expensive over the years. I worry much less about potholes when driving the ti.

E36s were sold straight from the factory on 15, 16, and 17 inch wheels- with identical suspensions. As long as the bolt pattern and offsets are the same, you can use any on your E36 (if they will fit over your brakes).

The real reason I wouldn't buy these wheels is that they are staggered- the rears are wider than the fronts. It makes buying tires more expensive and complicated, and means you cannot rotate the fronts to/from the rears- but it offers no advantages at all on a ti (unless you think they look cool).
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Last edited by MPWR; 02-01-2010 at 06:57 PM.
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Old 02-01-2010, 07:19 PM   #10
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Regarding tires, 17's have more options in many brands. We had a set of 16 and 17 inchers for a race car, the 16 in rims just don't seem to get teh support from the big race tire companies, I think because most of the factory sports cars went to 17 and 18" wheels.

Just my perception....

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Old 02-02-2010, 01:15 AM   #11
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They WILL fit PERFECTLY. i have those very same exact wheels on my ti. They're from an e46 330 with sports package (i think thats the only car they came on) my car has fully adjustable coilovers and sits pretty low. the is no uneven wear on the rear tires but i do have and adjustable camper plate in the front. I SAY DO IT!!! here's a pic of sam, wish i had a better one but this was taken a couple days ago with my phone. hope it give you good thoughts friend.

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Old 02-02-2010, 03:07 AM   #12
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Here's a shot of those on B-rad's car;



His car is lowered on H&R Race springs, IIRC... No fitment issues.
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Old 02-02-2010, 04:02 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 6speed ti View Post
From BMW this is what is approved to fit a 318ti.
185/65R15, 205/60R15 and 225/50ZR16.

BMW alloy wheel catalog has various wheels and where the 17 inch wheels are listed for most models there is a note that says "EXCEPT 318ti" next to the 17 inch listing.
that's just because BMW never offered 17" rims on the ti from the factory, they only came with 15" and 16", it doesn't mean they won't fit, I have aftermarket 18"s on my car and they fit fine
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Old 02-02-2010, 04:03 AM   #14
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man... can i be down with the black ti crew? lol
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Old 02-02-2010, 04:16 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 668M42 View Post
man... can i be down with the black ti crew? lol
Hmmm... I dunno... post some pix of your car (in your gallery, not in this thread) and we'll vote on you at the next meeting.
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