Trying to find replacement tires for my 1985 735i. I have been advised to get the standard tires instead of the metric i have on there now. Was wondering if anyone knew where I could find the new tires at, or should I just call the dealer. Love the car, don't want it sitting too long. TY all for the help.
I would only contact the dealer if money is no object...literally. If however, you DO care how much you spend on tires, I would recommend contacting The Tire Rack. They are a great supporter of the club and they know their business, they can help you with proper tire selection. Check them out at www.tirerack.com
It sounds like you may have the TRX wheels/tires, which use a unique rim/tire combination. To get out from under them, you'll need a non-TRX set of wheels as well. The Tire Rack website shows a selection of 26 wheels available in various sizes, and you can select a view mode that shows a side view of what they'll look like on the car. You can hunt ebay for used rims, but given the vintage, it might be problematic to find a set that looks like you'd want to have faith that they're straight, unbent, etc. Ebay might be less $$, but Tire Rack at the moment has the lowest priced 15" rim @ $79; a set of new rims for probably around $350 or so doesn't sound too bad to me. Suit yourself, depends on your budget of course. If it's feasible, you might consider a larger dia. rim, there's far more tire selection in 16" & 17" sizes these days than 15", however most 15" tires would likely be somewhat less expensive. Depends on your preference, possibly if you're in the snow belt, etc. Check the specifics on which wheel you consider - some of them may need a hub spacer and/or different lug bolts. If you rarely pull the wheels on/off the car, that may not be a big deal. I swap snow tires on/off every year and find having to futz w/ the spacers to be a small nuisance. Lastly, if you opt for new wheels, consider buying an extra if it can be in the budget. If you damage one later on and the rim's discontinued, you have to have it repaired, which these days can easily be $100.00 or more to straighten and repaint.
