What is everybody's opinion on what tires to get for a 08 335i ? I don't really plan on running it in the winter. And don't want run flats for sure. There is so many tires out there I don't know what to get. I plan on getting new rims with 235's all around. This is not a race car but do want it to handle well.
Tire choice is always a compromise of one set of factors vs another depending on your priorities - easiest thing might be to talk to someone at the Tire Rack to discuss intended usage, driving, driving style, etc., & see what recommendations they have for you. Or, spend some time perusing the specs of the different classes of tires that come up on tirerack.com and - typically, the lower the treadwear rating, the stickier, shorter-lived, & more expensive a tire will be. Translation: lots of grip, lots of rubber, but with bigger tread blocks and more rubber, perhaps a particular zuper-super-duper-ultra-mega-extreme-high-performance-death-valley-summer-only tire is more prone to hydroplaning compared to a more workaday tire, particularly as it wears - but, oooh, so much fun with fast stoplight launches, shortest-possible stopping distances, and zipping through turns, (mind you that such driving is far better & more safely reserved for days at your nearest BMWCCA driver's school track days, & more fun too), at least until you've burned through it's relatively brief 15-20k miles (or less) lifespan. At which point you have to decide if you want to spend that much money for tires again. Type of driving, performance priorities, & budget should guide your tire choice, assuming you want to be somewhat systematic & logical about it.
Does anybody have any opinions on after market rims? I've been looking at Tire Rack. A lot of rims on there are made in china and are a cheap price. Not so sure about the quality. There were also some Italian and polish made rims.I'm not so sure what to go with.
I trust the Tire Rack's offerings, I think they have way too high quality a reputation to risk - I know they put a lot of effort into making sure whatever they sell fits properly in all regards. As far as choice goes, my preferences are the lightest, smallest diameter wheels that will clear the front brakes, as-easy-to-clean-as-possible, that fit the widest tires possible without rubbing anything & don't have the wheel lips extending beyond the tire sidewall (which you see all too often and has stupid written all over it, but I digress...), that look acceptable, for the least price, that will allow fitting the same size tires all around. There are some super light-weight wheels out there, but the absolute lightest tend to be really expensive (BBS wheels, for instance). Kosei's seem to quite often show up as the Rack's go-to wheel for a good weight/value ratio.
My son recently put a set of Michelin Pilot A/S3 on his '07 335i coupe, and likes them a lot. Not as much pure grip as the Michelin Pilot PS2 ZP or the Bridgestone RE050, but he likes the ride and appreciates the cheaper price.
Ok I'm finally getting ready to make a decision on wheels and tires. I was throwing this out there is get some opinions on this setup. I was planning on going with Beyern Sparta wheels with Michelin Primacy tires 235/40 r18 all the way around. So my questions are 1) what's everybody opinion on this setup? 2) what is the stock wheel width 8",8.5",or 9"? 3) What is included in the sport package on my year 08 335I? is the suspension different? Basically how do you tell that you have a sport package? (I guess a stupid question)
Unless you have an xDrive car, all sport package cars should have staggered tires/wheels - 225/40R18 front and 255/35R18 rear. The rims are 8" front, 8.5" or 9" rear IIRC (I'm not going to go down to my car to check, sorry). The easiest way to check for sport package is if your front seats have the thigh support extension and high bolsters. What you've chosen should work fine - I would pick the 8.5" size, as the 9" is getting close to the max for the front. The 235/40 is a bit bigger than OEM, but shouldn't cause any significant problems other than changing your speedo - for reference my winter set is a non-staggered 225/45R18 and the speedo is almost dead on.
Thank you floydarogers for the info. Is there a way to correct the speedo if its off ? I went with the 40 for I little bit better ride comfort and to help rim damage pot hole stuff.
