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[pysical]

I live in the north east and I have coilovers and 19"s. I am feeling every bump and I am worried one of these pot holes are going to do some damage. If I change it up to some 18"s with some more sidewall tires will it help absorb some of the bumps? I also like the look of these type of setups as well.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/attachm...1&d=1350579051

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/attac...1&d=1353255892

http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...5&d=1355548752

http://www.m3post.com/forums/attachm...1&d=1350578399

However if I do this, I am looking at like a $1500 minimum investment. And without knowing if it would actually help I would like to get some opinions/suggestions first.

Thanks.

[Fundguy1]

It would help but what tires are you currently using? You can soften it up just as easy with a tire swap depending on what you have.

[pysical]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

It would help but what tires are you currently using? You can soften it up just as easy with a tire swap depending on what you have.

I have VMR 710s for wheels, and for tires I have Hankook Evo v12. They are 265/30/19 rear and 225/35/19 front if I remember correctly. I am X-Drive so it is the typical staggered setup for 19's.

[Fundguy1]

Originally Posted by pysical

I have VMR 710s for wheels, and for tires I have Hankook Evo v12. They are 265/30/19 rear and 225/35/19 front if I remember correctly. I am X-Drive so it is the typical staggered setup for 19's.

Hmmm which body and year? E92 or e90? Are they run flats? New, old?

[david in germany]

When I picked up my e90 335i it came with a set of 19" Alufelgen. I ran them for about a month before I decided to part ways with them. Even on the generally good roads of Germany the car was just too rough riding. I stuck the type 193's back on and sold the 19's. With the money made from the sale of the 19's I was able to pick up a set of 17's for the winter.

Bottom line. 19's are rough. 18's are the perfect ballance. Sell your 19' and find a set of 18's that you like. (18" tires cost less too normally)

[Fundguy1]

Those have very stiff sidewalls. Good for cornering, bad for absorbing bumps. Have you tried a set of continental extreme contact DW tires? Much more flex.

[Fundguy1]

18s will give you even more but after 19s with MPSS, going back to 18s with non rft on my buddies I felt like I was driving an SUV. Lots of sidewall roll.

[pysical]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

Hmmm which body and year? E92 or e90? Are they run flats? New, old?

E90 they are not brand new and not old. Still have plenty of life on them.

[pysical]

Originally Posted by david in germany

When I picked up my e90 335i it came with a set of 19" Alufelgen. I ran them for about a month before I decided to part ways with them. Even on the generally good roads of Germany the car was just too rough riding. I stuck the type 193's back on and sold the 19's. With the money made from the sale of the 19's I was able to pick up a set of 17's for the winter.

Bottom line. 19's are rough. 18's are the perfect ballance. Sell your 19' and find a set of 18's that you like. (18" tires cost less too normally)

Thanks. I am gonna do some research on what to get and see if I can keep an eye out and start pricing. I like the look of the VMR 710 that I have. But I also like the Forgestar. I am going for a real aggressive look.

[pysical]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

Those have very stiff sidewalls. Good for cornering, bad for absorbing bumps. Have you tried a set of continental extreme contact DW tires? Much more flex.

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

18s will give you even more but after 19s with MPSS, going back to 18s with non rft on my buddies I felt like I was driving an SUV. Lots of sidewall roll.

I have not tried any other tires. These came on the car so I replaced them with same ones. I don't ever track the car either though so I don't know much about the sidewall roll.

[DaZuc]

I switched from 359's 19" to 359's 18" the ride is not only smoother, but on bumps it feels less jarring.

Both were non RFT tires too.

[Fundguy1]

Hard cornering, not track is where you'll notice roll. I notice on off ramps for example. That said, etc are much harsher. 19s with non run flats ride smoother than 1is with. You could probably get away with a softer sidewall tire. Maybe larger too. What width wheels are you running? Going to 235/35-19 front, 275/30-19 rear would help. Buy you some of the sidewall you want. And loose the junky stiff tires too.

[pysical]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

Hard cornering, not track is where you'll notice roll. I notice on off ramps for example. That said, etc are much harsher. 19s with non run flats ride smoother than 1is with. You could probably get away with a softer sidewall tire. Maybe larger too. What width wheels are you running? Going to 235/35-19 front, 275/30-19 rear would help. Buy you some of the sidewall you want. And loose the junky stiff tires too.

8.5 front and 10 in rear.

[maddmatth]

I made this switch after 2 years with 19s and it gave a nice improvement to ride quality, very happy I did it. Not as drastic as the move from runflat to non-runflat, but still good. It makes potholes and sharp bumps less scary
IMO 18 inch is the perfect balance of sharpness and smoothness for this car.

[Fundguy1]

Originally Posted by pysical

8.5 front and 10 in rear.

You can go to the larger tires if you have the right offset too. Especially with those wide wheels. They are extra wide for your tire sizes. 235/35-19 front, 275/30-19 rear. Better angle on the sidewalls and 1/4" more sidewall. Makes a difference you can feel. Right now theyre stretched so sidewalls are vertical so more stiff.

[pysical]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

You can go to the larger tires if you have the right offset too. Especially with those wide wheels. They are extra wide for your tire sizes. 235/35-19 front, 275/30-19 rear. Better angle on the sidewalls and 1/4" more sidewall. Makes a difference you can feel. Right now theyre stretched so sidewalls are vertical so more stiff.

ET 35 Front
ET 38 Rear

I have 15mm spacers up front and 12 in the rear. I have a bit of rubbing but it is the parts where the fender meets the bumper. I just need to shave it down a bit. I like the flush look.

I am really thinking about 18's. If I did that, I could always sell these, or hold on to them for when I move to a better location. I really want to have that nice look that those pictures in the first post have. I like those meatier tires so I would win with ride quality and looks if I went to them.

[Fundguy1]

Those are on m3s. And second set up looks like 19s. Ets look right for bigger tires, but not the spacers.

[pysical]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

Those are on m3s. And second set up looks like 19s. Ets look right for bigger tires, but not the spacers.

Yeah I was just showing those because it looks similar. And the 2nd image is 18"s.

[E92330i]

I'm looking to make a similar move - I currently have 225s (www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/225) on my 2007 E92 330i M Sport.

Is there a list anywhere of what standard BMW wheels will fit? I'd love to drop to 17" as it's a daily driver, not a sports car.

I was thinking of something like these:

http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/187
http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/339
http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/284

Or even 18" like these:
http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/162
http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/216

Thanks for your help!

[ApexWheels]

The photo's in the OP do represent 18" wheels, photo #2 is our 18" EC-7's and photo #4 is our 18" ARC-8's. Reducing wheel diameter from 19" to 18" will certainly have a drastic impact on the way the car feels behind the wheel, handles, grips and absorbs blunt force from pot holes, road transitions etc.

18" wheels are lighter, tires are cheaper and more accessible, and they can even clear massive BBK's assuming you pick the right wheel manufacture.

Keep in mind, moving to an 18" wheel is only half the battle. It is also important to choose the right tire for your use. As you guys know, not all tire brands/types are created equal, and sidewall stiffness, width, dry and wet handling characteristics will vary from tire to tire.

If you are looking to mimic the E9X / 1M meaty look OP, then we can certainly give you some fitment advice based on your goals for the car and your current suspension setup.







Many enthusiasts are actually surprised how good 17's can look as well. Wheel protection/comfort as well as cost savings is increased as well. Weighing in at around 16.5 lbs. certain helps as well







If you have any fitment related question, just let me know how I can help.

- Ryan