Wheels

[tommygoldy]

My 325i touring is currently rolling on the ubiquitous 15" BBS cross spokes. They could do with some cosmetic TLC, I think one loses a little air, and the tyres aren't brilliant. Also, two are Nogaro grey motorsport ones and the other 3 are silver...

Compared to my previous E30 (316i 2 door on standard suspension with 14" bottle tops) and my E28 (520i on original 14" BBS), I find the ride on the Touring is a little harsh (crappy London roads) and the grip (particularly from the rear) is not exactly huge - although that is probably a combination of cheap tyres and me getting used to the power:weight ratio .

I know the Touring has a stiffer suspension setup, but what about the wheels? Mine would have originally come with 14"s and at risk of getting flamed I'm considering buying some bottletops - a retrograde step maybe, but as a daily driver what difference would these make to the car's overall feel and usability?

I actually quite like the way they look and I could end up a few quid up following a swap and selling my 15"s. That might make the difference between buying decent tyres or budget ones...

What do y'all think? My girlfriend just walked in the room and told me to keep the 15"s on it.

[spiny]

my experience is just that, my experience, but when i bought my e30 it had alpina 17 inch copies on it with low profile tyres and it was all over the shop handling-wise. last winter I decided that I wanted proper winter tyres, so rather than spending thousands on 17inch tyres, I bought a set of 14 bottle tops and some Serbian brand tyres and it -transformed- the handling, it was like going from driving on ball bearings to driving on sandpaper.
I don't know how much was my 'old' tyres being actually old, or budget, or just low profile, but the 14s made a genuine real difference to the feel. I'm gonna stick with the bottletops, even if I lose style points

[goldysingh]

I'll take the two motorsport 15's if you decide to sell

[Rich320I]

also i have a lovely set of bottletops with tyres and caps you can purchase if you go down that route

[tommygoldy]

my experience is just that, my experience, but when i bought my e30 it had alpina 17 inch copies on it with low profile tyres and it was all over the shop handling-wise. last winter I decided that I wanted proper winter tyres, so rather than spending thousands on 17inch tyres, I bought a set of 14 bottle tops and some Serbian brand tyres and it -transformed- the handling, it was like going from driving on ball bearings to driving on sandpaper.
I don't know how much was my 'old' tyres being actually old, or budget, or just low profile, but the 14s made a genuine real difference to the feel. I'm gonna stick with the bottletops, even if I lose style points

Interesting."driving on ball bearings" is exactly how the car felt on this morning's wet roads... tyres have got plenty of tread but they are probably a good few years old and look pretty cheap - Pace brand - never heard of them! Changing from 15s to 14s saves me £100 on a set of tyres ...

[jmc330i]

Is the suspension tired at all? Worn rear bushes will make the back end feel loose, and worn shocks etc won't be helping the ride quality.

From my experience, my old 2.5 touring was fitted with both bottletops and 15" BBS wheels, the grip is better on the 15s with the correct 205/55 tyres and there isn't much of a difference in 'comfort' over the 14s, I certainly wouldn't describe it as harsh.

[tommygoldy]

Is the suspension tired at all? Worn rear bushes will make the back end feel loose, and worn shocks etc won't be helping the ride quality.

From my experience, my old 2.5 touring was fitted with both bottletops and 15" BBS wheels, the grip is better on the 15s with the correct 205/55 tyres and there isn't much of a difference in 'comfort' over the 14s, I certainly wouldn't describe it as harsh.

Thanks for your comments. I don't doubt that the suspension is a little tired. But I think that getting the wheels/tyres right is probably the first step.

Probably not fair to describe the ride as harsh, although more so than the cars previously mentioned. Probably a mix of wheel size/tyre profile and suspension setup as my dads 320i cab (on 15"s) rides similarly to the touring.

[aimlessrock]

I purchased my cabbby with 15" x spokes and i did not enjoy the handling. I susbsequently rebuilt the whole suspension (full resto) and even then whilst it was big improvement it was still not that great. I then put the car on 14" bottletop for the stripdown for painting and the handling was much better. ive since reverted to bottletops and have no regrets.

the added joy is that no one will steal them!

[tommygoldy]

I purchased my cabbby with 15" x spokes and i did not enjoy the handling. I susbsequently rebuilt the whole suspension (full resto) and even then whilst it was big improvement it was still not that great. I then put the car on 14" bottletop for the stripdown for painting and the handling was much better. ive since reverted to bottletops and have no regrets.

the added joy is that no one will steal them!

Very interesting!

[tommygoldy]

Have picked up a set of 4 bottle tops and tyres to try. No spare and one is a bit rough so please get in touch if you have a spare or two!

[tommygoldy]

14" wheels now fitted. First impressions are good. In town (which is where I do most of my driving, unfortunately) the car feels lighter and more agile. Ride is smoother and quieter. I've not yet had a chance to chuck it about properly but so far its an improvement and a thumbs up for bottle tops.

The old tyres look worse that I thought now they're off the car, so that's obviously part of it, but all the same the 14s have a very different feel - and are better suited to everyday driving imo.

I'll take the two motorsport 15's if you decide to sell

PM your offer

[Gavla]

Have picked up a set of 4 bottle tops and tyres to try. No spare and one is a bit rough so please get in touch if you have a spare or two!

I have a good condition bottle top (was a spare wheel) with a decent tyre on. I am based in Central London.