[amberzombie]

Let me just start by putting it our there - Sydney roads are absolutely horrible. McEvoy St in Alexandria is probably right up there with one of the worst roads in any developed country.

I have 19" M3 reps on my current car (with M-sport pack) and while initially it was great, my wife is starting to complain that she's finding it uncomfortable to drive. it's running non-RFT tires at the moment.

I do still have the original 17" m-sport wheels that came with it so i've recently been thinking of putting them back on (still with non-RFT though).

anyone else did the same? just for the sake of comfort? and appeasing the missus?

[John_01]

I have two sets of rims - 17" and 18". Both are non-RFT. The 17" with Goodyear Eagle F1A have quite good ride quality. I changed back to the 18" with Michelin PP2 last week and the ride is definitely rougher. I am not sure how much this is related to the different tyres or the size of the rims. The other good thing about the 17" Goodyears is the total lack of tram-lining.

[amberzombie]

Originally Posted by John_01

The other good thing about the 17" Goodyears is the total lack of tram-lining.

and THAT'S one of my wife's main complaints.

I really do think that the best way to keep our car is to move back to the 17"s. She just threatened to trade in the BMW for a Mazda!!??!

[John_01]

Amberzombie, I hope the 17" solves the problems for you. I think the Goodyear F1A are quite soft rubber, so that might be a consideration if expect them to last a lot of Km. I don't notice tramlining on the roads I drive on, so I think it has to be a big improvement for that aspect. The 17" Runflats I used briefly had pretty bad tramlining, while the 18" Michelins are a better than 50% fix.

[johnnydad]

When I bought, I went back and forth and drove 17s and 18s, 17s and 18s. I couldn't see the advantage in 18s at all on the E90 M-sport, at least on the road. Much as they looked so fantastic, I couldn't do it.

I found 17s/RFTs acceptable, but on non-RFTs the car is transformed. Comparison with my wife's 16-inch RFT shod car has mine now more refined with noticably less bump/thump over joins and patter over broken tarmac.

Strikes me that non RFTs appear to improve refinement and ride (and reduce tramlining) more than dropping a size. I'd imagine 18s on normal rubber would be fine.

[aussie 64]

G day new member here, just like to say that i'm on pirreli non rft 255/40/18 on front and 225/35/r18 on rear ride not improved too much or steering although seems a lot quieter at speed. maybe in future we will try 17 rims seems a good idea .

[sbce90]

Originally Posted by aussie 64

255/40/18 on front and 225/35/r18 on rear

your sizes are mixed up. I assume you mean 225/40 on the fronts and 255/35 on the rears.

[xcuzme]

make sure you have the right pressures in the tyre.

i find the ride quality is actually better with the tyres pumped up higher.

then again, i think im used to the ride comfort of very low profile tyres.
i had 245/35/19 on my evo with harsh coilovers and it didnt bother me.

and next week ill have 245/30/20 and 285/25/20 on the 335i

mcevoy is shocking. ditto for o'dea avenue.
with the amount of developers contributions city of sydney council claim, way more than any other council, the whole of the south sydney area should be racetrack quality road.

[cruvon]

could it be the tyres you are using since the 320i is spec"ed to run 19"s so ride quality would be the same across the models I would think....I have heard good things about Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 non runflats for 19's so would def look at that as an alternative before giving up on 19's, could be expensive here though so check with Tirerack in the US

[Jeef Beef]

Also think about the handling performance benefits offered by the 17' rim. The gearing advantage offered by the smaller rim should feel quite significant on your 320i, making it feel faster and light on its feet.

I'm assuming the 19's are quite a bit heavier than the 17s. Less unsprung weight will definitely give better ride quality AND improved handling.

[Stuart@BMRAutowerkes]

Originally Posted by amberzombie

and THAT'S one of my wife's main complaints.

I really do think that the best way to keep our car is to move back to the 17"s. She just threatened to trade in the BMW for a Mazda!!??!

You're so whipped!

Trade in your wife for something that complains less lol.

I know that Sydney has bad roads - but aesthetics > ride comfort anyday!

[johnnydad]

Ride comfort + steering quality + handling > aesthetics, surely?

'tis for driving, not looking at? Not as if they look dreadful on 17's or 18's.

As for 285/25/20's out back - xcuzme, I'm interested to know why you are planning this? What benefits in handling etc are you chasing?

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by johnnydad

Ride comfort + steering quality + handling > aesthetics, surely?

'tis for driving, not looking at? Not as if they look dreadful on 17's or 18's.

As for 285/25/20's out back - xcuzme, I'm interested to know why you are planning this? What benefits in handling etc are you chasing?

+1. You gain performance, ride quality and handling with a 17' rim. You do however, lose a bit of steering feel.

@xcuzme, I'm not sure how well a 20 inch rim suits the 335i. There are certainly no handling/performance benefits associated with such a large diameter wheel. So much unsprung weight on each corner will blunt performance and dynamics. It might look amazing though

[xcuzme]

Same reason people get 19s and m
Sports kits, aesthetics and personal preference. The forged wheels
I'm getting weigh about the same as
Stock wheels which are hardly light weight so there isn't a noticeable difference in unsprung weight.

285s on the back for traction and because the rear wheels are 10 inch wide

[kaishang]

Mmm, I have 17" and standard, non M-sport suspension on my car. I got a loan car for a few days with 18" M-sport. Initially it seemed OK but as the day wore on it got annoying. The 18" M-sport seemed to have less traction for fast starts and they were a lot less comfortable.

[cruvon]

well,guess if it weren't looks I was after, would prefer my 16"s but 19"s comp the car nicely!!

[sbce90]

Originally Posted by xcuzme

Same reason people get 19s and m
Sports kits, aesthetics and personal preference. The forged wheels
I'm getting weigh about the same as
Stock wheels which are hardly light weight so there isn't a noticeable difference in unsprung weight.

285s on the back for traction and because the rear wheels are 10 inch wide

What are you getting? After seeing the Advan RS on the EVO I don't doubt your wheel choice at all. Will you have them in time for the meet?

[Stuart@BMRAutowerkes]

I think 285s out the back will be a first, or a first to me. Most people regard 275 as the widest an E9x can accomodate comfortably.

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by bmroxm5

I think 285s out the back will be a first, or a first to me. Most people regard 275 as the widest an E9x can accomodate comfortably.

Yeh, that's a TONNE of rear grip right there. I trust you are running a tune to justify the tyre size xcuzme?

Good to know you're getting forged 20's. Keeping the weight down while looking good is the way to go. PICS WHEN YOU GET THEM.

[John_01]

20s seems like a brave choice for Sydney's roads. Especially the 25 profile tyre on the rear. I reckon it's best suited to flat road surfaces in terms of both traction and ride quality.

[Brian@EWS]

Originally Posted by amberzombie

and THAT'S one of my wife's main complaints.

I really do think that the best way to keep our car is to move back to the 17"s. She just threatened to trade in the BMW for a Mazda!!??!

trade her in for a new wife

[johnnydad]

Trading one's wife in is probably the least effective way of freeing up cash for unnecessary aesthetic modifications....