[abhishriv]

Hey everyone, with the spring approaching I've been looking into getting new tires and was looking at a setup which would be ok for daily driving plus maybe 2 -3 track days and some fun driving on the twistys. I'm going to be going with michelin pss for sure, i know that much but cant figure out what sizes to go with in the front. i want to be able to go as wide as possible without much or any rubbing.

Car: 2007 335i e92 6MT (mods in my signature)

Wheels: alufelgen sf-71 19x8.5 front et 35 with 5mm spacers, 19x9.5 rear et 35 no spacers

suspension: kw v2 (right now at a higher setting with about 1 finger gap between tire and fender.. thinking about leaving it at that level, maybe a tiny bit lower)

i plan on getting m3 control arms too for more feedback from the steering, also i know they will add a bit of camber in front. rear camber is set to -2.

tire options 245/35/19 or 255/30/19... ill be going with 275/30/19 in the rear.

let me know which option for the front you think will be better for track while not causing too much trouble for me in terms of rubbing or possibility of cracked fenders.

[Pyrat 2]

I would scrap the front spacers for the track. I'm running 255_35_18 in front with no issues. I have 265_35_18 on the rear. Minimal understeer.

[abhishriv]

Originally Posted by HeelToe

I would scrap the front spacers for the track. I'm running 255_35_18 in front with no issues. I have 265_35_18 on the rear. Minimal understeer.

only reason i had the spacers on in front was because last year i was lowered more, and the wheel was very close to rubbing against the strut. i may be able to take them off now since i raised up a bit

[abhishriv]

would 255/30/19 be too wide for a 8.5" wide wheel?

[EJ_3]

245 for sure. When I switch to PSS, they were a bit wider than most wheels the same size. For a 8.5 wide wheel, you'll be good.

[Pyrat 2]

Originally Posted by abhishriv

only reason i had the spacers on in front was because last year i was lowered more, and the wheel was very close to rubbing against the strut. i may be able to take them off now since i raised up a bit

Btw I have a 18-8.5 et 32 offset on the front with my 255/35-18 tires. So maybe the spacer is needed with a 35 offset.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by abhishriv

would 255/30/19 be too wide for a 8.5" wide wheel?

No, BMW mounts 255 on 8.5 but ideally you would use 9.0 or 9.5 since PSS, RE-11 etc. are wide tires. For track, negative camber in front is more important to improve grip than the 245 vs 255 tire. I would run square 255 set-up if possible, or 255 and 275, or 245 and 265.

[SneakyDeeky]

I'd be wary of putting 275 wide Michelin Pilot Super Sports on an E92, speaking from experience. I had some major rubbing on my pre-LCI E90, with rolled fenders and the pre-LCI E90 has the widest rear fenders of any non-M.

Here's the thread documenting my expensive mistake.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=675946

I accept donations - you can PayPal me $50 or so since I probably just saved you from a $200 loss when you re-sell the 275's. Ask me how I know this

[abhishriv]

Originally Posted by SneakyDeeky

I'd be wary of putting 275 wide Michelin Pilot Super Sports on an E92, speaking from experience. I had some major rubbing on my pre-LCI E90, with rolled fenders and the pre-LCI E90 has the widest rear fenders of any non-M.

Here's the thread documenting my expensive mistake.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=675946

I accept donations - you can PayPal me $50 or so since I probably just saved you from a $200 loss when you re-sell the 275's. Ask me how I know this

haha damn, you've got me scared now, but i see you were on 19x10 and with et 24. mine are 9.5 wide with et 35 and camber in the back is at -2

[VAlsbM3]

Raise the car to avoid rubbing. Do not use spacers while tracking the car. Also, I heard Hankook RS-3's are a great street/track tire

[The HACK]

For a mostly daily and occasional track car, to obsess about 10mm in tire width is I absurd IMO. It's not going to make a difference big enough to overcome some is the inconveniences of running larger for the street.

[abhishriv]

Originally Posted by The HACK

For a mostly daily and occasional track car, to obsess about 10mm in tire width is I absurd IMO. It's not going to make a difference big enough to overcome some is the inconveniences of running larger for the street.

Well the reason I asked about this is that there's not just the difference in width. The 245/35 is a bit taller than the 255/30 (25.8 inch vs 25.1) so need to figure out if I'm better off with a tire that's 1cm wider or a little bit taller.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by VAAW135i

Raise the car to avoid rubbing. Do not use spacers while tracking the car. Also, I heard Hankook RS-3's are a great street/track tire

RS3 is fine on dry roads but avoid driving with it on wet roads. I would never buy them for street.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by abhishriv

Well the reason I asked about this is that there's not just the difference in width. The 245/35 is a bit taller than the 255/30 (25.8 inch vs 25.1) so need to figure out if I'm better off with a tire that's 1cm wider or a little bit taller.

Again, 10mm to obsess over for a car that is mainly used for daily rather than track, is IMO a little too much.

Most of these type of questions can easily be answered with a simple reward vs. risk analysis.

On the street, for daily use, the larger sidewall will be slightly more comfortable, protect slightly better against potholes, easier to steer and potentially give better steering feedback, and the consumable tire will likely be cheaper. Less risk of rubbing despite the "slammed" suspension.

On the track, the wider tire will have better heat management characteristics, shorter/stiffer sidewall will have better turn-in, and smaller stagger means both the front tire and rear tire will get overwhelmed at about the same time.

Since the car is mainly a street driven car, and sees what, a couple of track events tops a year? Compromising in favor of track related features just does not compute for me. But then, I've got a second set of rims and tires just for track so what do I know?

[abhishriv]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Again, 10mm to obsess over for a car that is mainly used for daily rather than track, is IMO a little too much.

Most of these type of questions can easily be answered with a simple reward vs. risk analysis.

On the street, for daily use, the larger sidewall will be slightly more comfortable, protect slightly better against potholes, easier to steer and potentially give better steering feedback, and the consumable tire will likely be cheaper. Less risk of rubbing despite the "slammed" suspension.

On the track, the wider tire will have better heat management characteristics, shorter/stiffer sidewall will have better turn-in, and smaller stagger means both the front tire and rear tire will get overwhelmed at about the same time.

Since the car is mainly a street driven car, and sees what, a couple of track events tops a year? Compromising in favor of track related features just does not compute for me. But then, I've got a second set of rims and tires just for track so what do I know?

Thanks for the analysis. I was not in favor of the 255 fronts and was leaning towards the 245. But was confused because again I didn't know if the 1cm wider tire would cause rubbing or the 245 which is 1.5 taller.

I would ideally like to get a second set of wheels + tires for track but i think thats something i will look into after getting a few track days with this car.

[nitehawk]

I think you need a et30-32 offset too run 255s up front. I'd stick with 245/35 in your case.

[abhishriv]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

I think you need a et30-32 offset too run 255s up front. I'd stick with 245/35 in your case.

Yea I think without spacer up front I would be rubbing on the strut. I was running a 5mm spacer last summer up front but as ppl have mentioned. Probably not a good idea to use spacers on track. Hoping I should be fine with 245 since I've raised up my car too since last summer n

[WDBi]

I run 255 toyo r888 on a 18x8.5 et33 front 285 toyo r888 on a 18x9.5 et35 rear stock ride height max front camber no plates pins pulled i believe right around -1.5 i dont rub in the front but i do in the back but a light fender roll would solve that.

[abhishriv]

Originally Posted by Will@StageX

I run 255 toyo r888 on a 18x8.5 et33 front 285 toyo r888 on a 18x9.5 et35 rear stock ride height max front camber no plates pins pulled i believe right around -1.5 i dont rub in the front but i do in the back but a light fender roll would solve that.

Are the r888 your daily too or just track?How are they?

[abhishriv]

went with the 245 and had them for a couple weeks now and loving them!

[abhishriv]

Originally Posted by SneakyDeeky

I'd be wary of putting 275 wide Michelin Pilot Super Sports on an E92, speaking from experience. I had some major rubbing on my pre-LCI E90, with rolled fenders and the pre-LCI E90 has the widest rear fenders of any non-M.

Here's the thread documenting my expensive mistake.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=675946

I accept donations - you can PayPal me $50 or so since I probably just saved you from a $200 loss when you re-sell the 275's. Ask me how I know this

275 PSS in the rear and no rubbing... not fender mods necessary either. and lowered on kwv2... i guess i got lucky lol

[SneakyDeeky]

Originally Posted by abhishriv

275 PSS in the rear and no rubbing... not fender mods necessary either. and lowered on kwv2... i guess i got lucky lol

Nice - glad it worked out for you. Looks like that et35 made the difference.