When i bought me BMW second hand it came with new tires that are 245/40 all around. but i am looking to get new tires now and i see the original set up for my car was 225/45 in the front and 245/40 in the back. Is it better to have smaller in the front and bigger in the back? or should i keep them the same all around? what is the advantage of ether? thanks
BMW purposely put smaller width tires on the front to make the car have more inherent understeer as it rolled off the showroom floor, as your average driver with average skills is more likely to react to the car being in certain handling 'attitudes' in a way where having the car understeer will make it, potentially, less likely for the driver to lose control and end up crashing. If you want more balanced handling, and are comfortable with all that implies, then make them all the same size. Just about every car mag. review of stock BMW's in recent years where the front tires are smaller width than the rears has the reviewers commenting that they find the bimmers understeering more than they would find ideal, or prefer. Keep in mind that these are people who are experienced drivers trained in performance driving techniques. If you don't know your understeer from your oversteer, are likely to throw your hands in the air, close your eyes, and let 'Jesus Take the Wheel' if you lose control and find yourself in a spin, then you might want to opt for the narrower front tires.
Not that anybody asked, but I just got a quote on four new run flats for my '05 325 ci. $1275.00 out the door from Les Schwab. Anyone got a better deal?
