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[VWtoBMW]

I just ordered a set of OEM Style 230 wheels... 19x8 front and 19x8.5 rear

I was searching for tires, on Tirerack and a couple of other sites, and the choices are so limited. There are the Bridgestone and Pirelli RFT's but I do not want to get Run Flats.

Basically that leaves Yokohama ADVAN Sport, Kumho Ecsta SPT and Yokohama S.drive The reviews of them do not seem great... complaints of being noisy, uneven wear, etc... There were Goodyear Asymetric's but they disappeared from the site for my size. Front: 225/35/19 & Rear: 255/30/19

Questions...

- is it because I am looking off season for summer tires?
- are the tires just limited for that size?
- should I just go for the RFT's??? If I do I would say Pirelli's

Anyhow, I may be looking for tires a little earlier than I need them, but I am just discouraged.

[Want]

Hit up craigslist. You never know...

[Sherwood]

I have run and would run both s.drives and kuhmos over RFTs any day of the week

[WinoGregorio]

I put Hankook Ventus V12 but in 235/35 and 265/30 on my 19" 230 wheels last month and am very pleased. They ride and handle beautifuly. Their anticipated low cost per mile makes them very appealing and the fact that they are symetrical makes it even more so.

[M5007]

I don't think the time of year is an issue. I am in California and it's summer year round.

Try Falken or Hankook as an alternative tire.

I got tired of ruflat and got AAA lol

[remmib]

The 230 rears are 19x9.

You can use 235/35/19 and 265/30/19 too.

[jerflash]

on my car im really thinking about tring the hankooks since they get such high honors from car and driver. The s.drives are also a really good tire i ahve been thinking about but i think i may try the fuzion ZRi tires. they seem to get some good reviews and have a nice think rim protector. i still have a month or so to deside on wheels and tires but i must say that choosing the right wheel and tire combo for a bmw has been harder then any other car.

[VWtoBMW]

Originally Posted by WinoGregorio

I put Hankook Ventus V12 but in 235/35 and 265/30 on my 19" 230 wheels last month and am very pleased. They ride and handle beautifuly. Their anticipated low cost per mile makes them very appealing and the fact that they are symetrical makes it even more so.

Good to know. What is the noise level like versus the OEN Fun Flats?

Originally Posted by remmib

The 230 rears are 19x9.

You can use 235/35/19 and 265/30/19 too.

Oh, I was under the impression they were 8.5 More options I guess for tires!

[WinoGregorio]

They are very quiet. Less drone and slap than the OEM.

[TXe92]

nitto invos?

[VWtoBMW]

May be a dumb question, but with wider front and rear, is there any risk of rubbing?

Any pics of the wheels/tires close up? Is there a visual difference? I would think the car looks a little higher or that the wheels looks larger.

Originally Posted by WinoGregorio

I put Hankook Ventus V12 but in 235/35 and 265/30 on my 19" 230 wheels last month and am very pleased. They ride and handle beautifuly. Their anticipated low cost per mile makes them very appealing and the fact that they are symetrical makes it even more so.

[PeteW84]

I love my INVO's much better than the RFT's. Also, check out the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta, people like those as well.

[remmib]

Originally Posted by VWtoBMW

May be a dumb question, but with wider front and rear, is there any risk of rubbing?

Any pics of the wheels/tires close up? Is there a visual difference? I would think the car looks a little higher or that the wheels looks larger.

Going from 225 and 255 to 235 and 265 won't make it rub.

[WinoGregorio]

Originally Posted by VWtoBMW

May be a dumb question, but with wider front and rear, is there any risk of rubbing?

Any pics of the wheels/tires close up? Is there a visual difference? I would think the car looks a little higher or that the wheels looks larger.

No rubs at all. The tire fits better than the OEM. The shoulders look more square and not pulled in like a motorcycle tire. It looks much better.

[VWtoBMW]

Originally Posted by WinoGregorio

No rubs at all. The tire fits better than the OEM. The shoulders look more square and not pulled in like a motorcycle tire. It looks much better.

Cool... Thanks for the info.

If I am upsizing, do I need to do the front as well or can I keep those as 225 and just go to 265 from 255 for the rear?

[UltraRacer13]

Originally Posted by VWtoBMW

Cool... Thanks for the info.

If I am upsizing, do I need to do the front as well or can I keep those as 225 and just go to 265 from 255 for the rear?

fine. Look at the nitto invo's- The hancooks suck.

[WinoGregorio]

Originally Posted by VWtoBMW

Cool... Thanks for the info.

If I am upsizing, do I need to do the front as well or can I keep those as 225 and just go to 265 from 255 for the rear?

The right pairing is 235/35-19 and 265/30-19 because the calculated size difference is less than 1%. Using the 225/40-19 instead calculates to a 3.25% difference. No telling what that would do the the various safety systems like traction and stability control that rely on accurate speed calculation between front and rear.

The Nitto's are very good but I don't think they make them in 265. When I looked for my car they were only in 275/30-19. Not a real big problem from a diameter match according to thier published data but I was concerned about rubbing before I realized the previous owner rolled the fenders on my car. The other things that turned me away were the higher price and that they are asymetric. They ended up being over $300 more for the set and they can not be reversed on the rim to even out the tread wear. Given how much negative camber these cars run with, the inside shoulders wear out long before the rest of the tread. Being able to dismount them and run fresh tread on the insides doubles the tire life. I went through 2 sets of OEM Bridgestones in 15,000 miles on my 325Ci (alignment was always perfect) before I decided to go with symetric treads.

[VWtoBMW]

Originally Posted by WinoGregorio

The right pairing is 235/35-19 and 265/30-19 because the calculated size difference is less than 1%. Using the 225/40-19 instead calculates to a 3.25% difference. No telling what that would do the the various safety systems like traction and stability control that rely on accurate speed calculation between front and rear.

The front 225's would be 35 though.

[WinoGregorio]

Originally Posted by VWtoBMW

The front 225's would be 35 though.

Gotcha! That's even better.

[VWtoBMW]

Originally Posted by WinoGregorio

Gotcha! That's even better.

So if I only upsize the rear to 265 from 255, both at 30's.... and leave the front at 225/35 versus upsizing it to 235/35 I wont screw anything up whether it be DCT, ABS, etc...?

[WinoGregorio]

Originally Posted by VWtoBMW

So if I only upsize the rear to 265 from 255, both at 30's.... and leave the front at 225/35 versus upsizing it to 235/35 I wont screw anything up whether it be DCT, ABS, etc...?

Those sizes calculate out to be 25.2 and 25.25 respectively. That is less than .25% difference and almost identical to the OEM difference.

[VWtoBMW]

Originally Posted by WinoGregorio

Those sizes calculate out to be 25.2 and 25.25 respectively. That is less than .25% difference and almost identical to the OEM difference.

Nice, I think I just made up my mind! Thanks for your help