It seems like BMW is alone in recommending a 7.5 inch wheel for a 235 width tire. Anyone know why that is? I'm going to purchase some new wheels, and was considering the BMW forged polished wheel, but they only come in the 7.5 and 8.5 inch sizes and I think an 8 is more appropriate for that size tire, and the 8.5 may not clear on the front. I guess it's not a big deal since the 95's came with that setup, but it kinda bothers me.
Paul, What are your thoughts on tire rotation? I was originally planning to switch to a non-staggered setup on my 98 M3, to allow tire rotation, but I know BMW does not recommend rotation, so maybe I'm better off sticking with a 235/40 on the front and a 245/40 on the back, with either all 8.5 inch wheels or 7.5 on the front and 8.5 on the back. Reed
I always rotate tires when possible. However, on my M5, even though I could pull the tires from the rims (for free) to swap from left to right (unidirectional tires) I was always too lazy. Not such a big deal. Staggered wheels are fine if you want to dial in some understeer, plus they have a nice look about them. You will not notice much difference from 235 to 245, though. The staggered sizes used on the M3 were 225/45/17 and 245/45/17.
Paul, Thanks. Actually, the stock rear staggered tire size was 245/40. I'm currently running 235/40 on 8x17 on the front and 245/40 on 8x19 on the rear, with Dinan Stage II suspension. This is on a 98 M3. The car is pretty neutral with this setup. I'm swinging toward sticking with the staggered sizes now, as I like the look and I've decided I can live without tire rotation. I might just get four 8.5" wheels and run the two tire sizes on them. Sound okay?
I meant to type 40. Oops. You meant 8x17 on the rear, of course, but yes, that sounds just fine. Just make sure that you get the correct offset wheels or you may find front strut or fender clearance issues. I would probably keep an 8 on the front and just get 2 8.5" rears (but I am not in a position to buy four wheels in any case, so that is up to you.)
The typos are killing us! Okay, thanks for all the input. I'll see if I can actually make a decision now.
