Tyre advice

[daniboi328]

Hey guys looking for some advice on what brand of tyres to buy for my project.
I'm running 15" 7j wide wheels and intend to lower it around 40-50mm.
Intend to run as wide a tyre as I can to get as much grip as possible so at a rough guess I'd say a 205/40/15

It's been suggested to me that I get toyo r888 as they seem to be best suited to what I'll be using the car for but any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Ӣ I'm running a s50b30 in a stripped out e30 so they need to be sticky

Ӣ For road use only (I very much dealt ill track it)

Ӣ Only a weekend toy so won't be doing thousands of miles but obviously would like them to last as long as possible

Ӣ Preferably good in the wet as well as the dry

Ӣ And of course as cheap as possible

I understand I'm probably asking a lot and I dealt I can tick all the above but as many as possible would be good

Also the best place to buy said tyres ?

Thanks Dan

[Grrrmachine]

Sticky tyres don't last long.

Long lasting tyres are shit in the wet.

Good tyres aren't cheap.

So you'll have to make your mind up as to what you really want. Bear in mind that if you drop the back end that much without fitting adjustment tabs to the rear beam, then your rear camber will chew up tyres in only a few thousand miles, so factor that into your tyre costs.

That said, Toyo Proxes T1R are a good budget tyre, as are Falken 412. Sizewise, 205/50 is better than 205/40 to preserve the rolling radius needed for your speedo.

[daniboi328]

I'd rather spend the extra money and get the stickiness that allowes me to put the power down and have fun

What sort of money am I looking at ?
(Last time I had 15" wheels I was 17 and it was on a saxo)

Is it best to buy them on the Internet or from a store ?

[Grrrmachine]

Check out the prices on sites like blackcircles.co.uk, or oponeo.co.uk. Can't help with prices, I'm 1000 miles from anywhere that uses pound sterling

[Rtaylor2208]

Camskill.co.uk is worth looking at as well.

[Jimbob]

Yokohama AD08 or Federal 595rsr are loosely in the same category as Tokyo r888 but quite a bit cheaper.

[daniboi328]

Cheers guys all the advice is much appreciated

[Brianmoooore]

1/ Wider tyre does not equal more grip per se. Increasing contact area does not increase friction between the surfaces.
2/ If you lower the car the amount you say, (assuming the conventional shorter spring way), with no other mods, then you will greatly reduce traction (and handling) and the rear tyres will only be making contact on their inner edges

[daniboi328]

My apologies for being so vague
I'm running fully adjustable coilovers with camber/castor control so I'll be able to sit the tyres as flat as possible

[Jozi]

Could you not get a 225 on to them?

[daniboi328]

Not to sure if a 225 will go on a 7j comfortably ?

[Jozi]

Why not, you'd have the opposite of stretch though. I'm nearly sure the M3 ran a 225 although that may have been on 16's?

[daniboi328]

Pretty sure that was on a 16" 7.5j

[Jozi]

Could have been! Just had a look at a Hartge brochure and it's lists (amoung other sizes) 225/50/15. There were 205's and 225's on my wheels when I got them but they are 16x7.5.

[daniboi328]

Your probably right, I think I'll have to look into it a bit deeper and make sure 225 won't rub on my set up

[Jozi]

I don't like posting links to other forums but there's a thread on r3v with a guy recomending tires from his personal experience, there's sure to be someone with the same wheel and tire combo. http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=83125

[harry_p]

Instinct tells me a 225 is a tad too wide for a 7in, however, bmw used a 235 on 7.5in e36 wheels, so that's 10mm wider than a 225 on a wheel 12mm wider that a 7in, so I'm pretty sure it would be fine.

I personally wouldn't go over a 215 on a 7in more for looks than performance it safety reasons.

Worth bearing in mind that most trackday type tyres are more square in shape than normal road tyres so tend to be slightly larger for the same given measurement.

[Blitz]

225 is fine on a 7" wheel. Its the OEM size on E34, E32 and E39's on 15".

[bss325i]

Forget 888's in the wet!

[daniboi328]

What's people's opinions on the best alrounder ?

[harry_p]

225 is fine on a 7" wheel. Its the OEM size on E34, E32 and E39's on 15".

But that's combined with a massive profile, the 5s and 7s with 235s and smaller sidewall got 8in wheels.

[harry_p]

Actually, the toyo website gives an acceptable rim width range and ideal size for the r888

http://www.toyo.co.uk/tire/pattern/proxes-r888

225 45 15 will suit a 7.0 - 8.5, with 7.5 the ideal

225 50 15 suits 6.0-8.0, with 7.0 being ideal.