Ideal wheel size?

[NIX]

I have always thought and been told that for handling the best wheel size for an E30 are 15s with 205/55 tyres.

But looking at many of the cars on this site, there is a mixture of sizes mainly between 15" and 17"

My E30 has been lowered 60mm, what size wheels and tyres would be the best setup in order to give me optimum handling and no rubbing within the arches?

I have also been told that wide wheels are good in the dry but not so hot in the wet, which is annoying since wide wheels look sweet but in England its usually wet!

I'm running on ickle 14"s at the mo but hope to save up for some new wheels in the new year.

I reckon 17s look cool but apart from looks are they much better than gettin 15s? Would 16s be the best in terms of compromise? - although have heard that its more expensive to get tyres for 16s due to the fact that they are less common than 15s and 17s??

Any suggestions/comments?

[kam-325i]

The optimum tyre size for a standard car is in the owners manual, But when you start to change the suspesion setup, that goes out of the window. it will be down to personall choice.

I have just removed some lowering spring from the rear of mine and fitted standard IS springs. I am running 205/50/16's all round.

[NIX]

If it makes a difference (dont think it will) have got Bilstein shocks with Pi springs for a 60mm drop, and will be replacing rear beam mounting bushes and front lower eccentric bushes for polys (powerflex)

The car is only a 318i and may have been better off replacing the suspension with Si/mtec suspension but like my rides nice and low

[kam-325i]

It's a case of a comprimise, Great handling, but excessive tyre wear on the rear due to the increased camber.....

[NIX]

Yeah not good when cash is low and new tyres are needed. But increased camber does look kooool!

[NIX]

So guys what do you reckon will give me optimum handling - 15" 16" or 17" or is it merely a case of visual preferance and how much I'm prepared to spend on wheels?

[kam-325i]

Well, a 17" 205 tyre will have a bigger contact patch than a 15" 205 tyre...

[NIX]

Good in the dry but bad in the wet though right?

[kam-325i]

Good in the dry but bad in the wet though right?

That depends on the tyres......

[NIX]

If they both had the same tyres?

[Simon13]

me i'd say

15's with 205/50's or 16's

[NIX]

me i'd say

15's with 205/50's or 16's

Hi mate,

Yeah was gonna get those 15"s off Kos for my RD wheels but think I might just go for the cash option (plus he's havin trouble gettin hold of the guy sellin the 15s) and get some different wheels come the new year. Not sure tho. Wouldn't mind sticking with 15" BBS option and painting the inside black leaving a silver rim - got a black car so I reckon it would look cool - knightrider styleee

[NIX]

Thanks Kam and Si for feedback, any other preferences/opinions from peeps?

[astondg]

The important things for handling are the weight of the wheel, the strength of the wheel, and the profile of the tyres you can use with the wheel (and also the width but I think most wheels come in the sizes an E30 can use).

Lighter wheels means less unsprung mass which helps handling and also less rotational mass which helps acceleration and braking. Smaller wheels of equivelent make should be ligher but different makes and ages will be different, the 15" BBS are reasonably light at about 7.5kg (I think) and my 16" Rota Subzero wheels are 6.5kg but this won't always be the case, most bigger wheels are heavier. Both seem to be fairly strong. A weak wheel could flex or deform slightly, especially over bumps, which could affect handling but might make it ride nicer.

On a completely smooth surface lower profile tyres should help handling by reducing the sidewall flex (it will make the steering feel sharper/more direct) but on roads with bumps they could make handling worse because the tyre can't absorb the bumps as well. It might feel twitchier on bumpy roads, run out of grip sooner, and the ride will be rougher. Normally when manufacturers go to a larger wheel they also modify the suspension settings.

15" might be best but I like the 16" I have now and they didn't have any negative effect on lap times (on either the dirt or bitumen) and they are lighter than the 15" wheels I had anyway. I think the 50 profile tyre I use with them gives the right compromise between handling and ride on the roads I drive it on and seems to work ok on the track. 17" seems a bit too big to me and 45 profile a bit too low but with some light wheels and a few suspension adjustments they might work ok.

You have to consider if you want spacers or not, a lot of newer wheels might not have the right offset. If you go with spacers only get the ones that bolt to the hub and then have studs sticking out for the wheel to fit on, NOT the ones that are just a metal plate with holes in it. Also check that the wheels don't rub anywhere, this may limit your choice too.

Aston

[NIX]

Thanks very much mate for the reply. Think I might just stick with the 15" BBS option and instead of spending extra cash as I would with buying 17"s, use the money I save to get a mint set of 15"s, possibly painted black (just to be a bit different - want optimum handling but cant forget about the looks) and with some sweet tyres.

Cheers mate!

[mrLEE30]

think in the 80's they raced with 16's on the M3's

[Moofles]

Well, a 17" 205 tyre will have a bigger contact patch than a 15" 205 tyre...

only if you use a lower pressure in the 17" tyre...i've explained this too many times to bother doing it again tho, sorry

[maxfield]

think in the 80's they raced with 16's on the M3's

They had 18s,16s would not fit over the brakes

[Demlotcrew]

The best size is,

7.5" * 16" ET25

tires: 225 45 16 all round

maxfield Please change the size of your sig pic, if you dont know how to do it Please PM me otherwise your sig will be disabled.

Thanks

Andrew