E30 Zone

I was curious to what people would think when it comes to the optimal wheel on an e30. My car has an m52 so plenty of powers and will be a daily car with the occasional track day.
Its currently on 16x9 et15 all round. Looks pimp but dont feel quite right on the twisty bits.
All advice much appreciated

15 or a 16. it will come down to the style of tyre that suits your driving over all else.

Standard 15" BBS will take some beating - both light and strong.

Brianmoooore wrote:Standard 15" BBS will take some beating - both light and strong.

defo

I would aggree, on road tyres big 16s will make the car feel dead and knumb..

Since been running 14s with a 185/60 tyre of various choices, car is much more lively, i think the 15 would be a good compromise! And you get a much better selection of tyre!

hazd31 wrote:I would aggree, on road tyres big 16s will make the car feel dead and knumb..

When you say big 16's do you mean wide? If so how wide?

I mean retardedly low profile tyres, 205 40s on a 7,5j rim.

Well the low profile of a 205/40 weather its on a 16" or 17" will give a sharper feel and not a "dead and numb" feel due to less flex of the side wall but will sacrifice ride comfort.

The correct size for a 16x7.5 rim on an E30 is 205/50R16 for the record.

A 205/50 has the best balance or ride and handling.

so what size are the tyres the rims are wide enough for serious rubber

Yeah but the arches are not! Its running 205/45/16 with silly stretch for em to fit, and the rears still rub. These wheels are going up for sale if anybody is interested and im after a set of original 15" bbs.

i am running 215/35/18 and the car is rock solid i also have an e36 rack to improve the steering. the car does not like bad roads but if you are going to do track days i would recommend it my wheels are 7.5 wide i have no rubbing. i also do not have that silly stretched look

Each to there own but personally i think 18s are way to big for an e30. Think im going to go back to the original 15 bbs rims. Want to make it look as original as possible.

I have 16x7 wheels with 205/50R16 tyres on the front, 16x8 wheels with 225/45R16 tyres on the rear, car is lowered 35mm and does not catch at all front or back.

Off topic, are 15" BBS 7J or 7.5?

Andy325i wrote:Off topic, are 15" BBS 7J or 7.5?

BMW e30 15"BBS are 7J.

Thankyou Barry

Just to help you,
A stanced 195 stretched onto an 8j rim et 25 with 25mm spacer rubs on the rear when lowered about 80mm. I found that when lowered to 60mm the rubbing stopped. Is a 15" wheel btw. Hope that helps.

I think the standard e30 bbs looks awesome and e30s look best on 15s.

15" or 16" for me!!! (Ooo err missus!!!!!)

16" Schnitzers are good on track, but give a noticeably worse ride on average roads, than the normal 15" BBS with 205/55/15's!!!!
I'm not bothered about the ride though, so the schnitzers are due back on in the next week or two!!!