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      06-23-2009, 12:19 AM   #1
Fen335i
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maximum tire sizes for OEM wheels

Apologies in advance if this was already covered in one of the threads...I searched last night for quite a while and never found anything that completely answered the question: How wide of a tire can you put on the 18 and 19" OEM wheels for the e92 M3? I realize I may need to upgrade to a wider wheel to get what I truely want, but does anyone know how big you can go without rubbing or losing performance? Does anyone have an pictures of this on their car? Thanks.
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      06-23-2009, 12:38 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fen335i View Post
Apologies in advance if this was already covered in one of the threads...I searched last night for quite a while and never found anything that completely answered the question: How wide of a tire can you put on the 18 and 19" OEM wheels for the e92 M3? I realize I may need to upgrade to a wider wheel to get what I truely want, but does anyone know how big you can go without rubbing or losing performance? Does anyone have an pictures of this on their car? Thanks.
Well first of all...do you have 18" OEM wheels or 19" OEM wheels? (or both)

Or...is this a rhetorical question? (fishing expedition)
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      06-23-2009, 12:49 AM   #3
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I'm purchasing in about a month and doing some research...I'd just like to know how I wide I could go on either set.
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      06-23-2009, 01:06 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fen335i View Post
I'm purchasing in about a month and doing some research...I'd just like to know how I wide I could go on either set.
Then get the OEM 19's.

Here's why...

a) OEM 19's look 10x better than the OEM 18's

b) OEM 19's are stronger (forged)

c) OEM 19's have a better used resale value (short term and long term)


As for tires...

255/35/19 tire on the front 19 x 8.5 wheel is about as wide as you want to go

and

275/30/19 tire on the rear 19 x 9.5 wheel is pretty much maxed out as well.

Some crazy guys have gone further, but you don't want to get too far away from the ideal tire/wheel fitment.
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      06-23-2009, 01:20 AM   #5
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Thanks Lemans_Blue! Good info. It would be great to see what those tire sizes look like on the 19's. Do the 275's look much wider than the stock 265's? Can you tell the difference? I've always been a fan of fat tires in the rear...but don't want to jeapardize the performance of the car either. So, it's a fine balance between "looks" and performance. Performance wins in my book...but, if I can go a little wider and not lose anything, than all the better!
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      06-23-2009, 01:37 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemans_Blue_M View Post
As for tires...

255/35/19 tire on the front 19 x 8.5 wheel is about as wide as you want to go

and

275/30/19 tire on the rear 19 x 9.5 wheel is pretty much maxed out as well.

Some crazy guys have gone further, but you don't want to get too far away from the ideal tire/wheel fitment.
I think I agree that you would not want to go further, but based purely on the wheel width Michelin says a 285 tire can be ran on a 9.5"-11" inch width wheel, meaning this will be fine on the OEM 9.5" width rear wheel. I don't think Michelin is too "crazy" with their specs. The 255 is the maximum width for the OEM front wheel. These maximums might vary slightly from tire manufacturer to manufacturer.
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      06-23-2009, 01:38 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fen335i View Post
Thanks Lemans_Blue! Good info. It would be great to see what those tire sizes look like on the 19's. Do the 275's look much wider than the stock 265's? Can you tell the difference? I've always been a fan of fat tires in the rear...but don't want to jeapardize the performance of the car either. So, it's a fine balance between "looks" and performance. Performance wins in my book...but, if I can go a little wider and not lose anything, than all the better!
The section width of the actual 275/19 tire is not that much wider than the 265/19 tire. Both will offer you a little curb protection for the lip of the wheel. Going any larger is simply adding unnecessary weight that will negatively impact performance.
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      06-23-2009, 01:45 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemans_Blue_M View Post
The section width of the actual 275/19 tire is not that much wider than the 265/19 tire. Both will offer you a little curb protection for the lip of the wheel. Going any larger is simply adding unnecessary weight that will negatively impact performance.
Depends. If you are only worried about drag type take offs go the widest you can at the rear. If you are worried about handling, the understeer/oversteer tendency then you should scale the OEM sizes roughly in proportion in width.
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      06-23-2009, 02:11 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by swamp2 View Post
Depends. If you are only worried about drag type take offs go the widest you can at the rear. If you are worried about handling, the understeer/oversteer tendency then you should scale the OEM sizes roughly in proportion in width.
Agreed, but I doubt the OP understands what he would be giving up in an attempt to gain straightline grip. A 285/30/19 tire would be 'sloppy' on a 9.5" rim, despite the fact that it fits per the manufactures spec sheet...

You pay a severe price penalty by moving from the 265/35 - 275/30 tires sizes to the 285/30 tires sizes. Since performance tires have a fairly short lifespan, this consumable item's price tag is important.

265/3519 & 275/30/19 average price range: $250-$360 per tire.

285/30 average price range: $380-$500+ per tire.

Not to mention that 285/30/19 tires are considered an 'odd ball' performance tire size, therefore you have limited selection and they are not always readily available to purchase. (constantly at low stock or backorder) Ask me how I know this...
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      06-23-2009, 05:15 PM   #10
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Thanks to both of you for the insight. Good information. I do plan on tracking the car a couple times a year, so I don't want to lose performance in the handling department. So, it sounds like 275's are about as big as I want to go. Thanks again!
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      08-04-2012, 08:14 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemans_Blue_M View Post
Agreed, but I doubt the OP understands what he would be giving up in an attempt to gain straightline grip. A 285/30/19 tire would be 'sloppy' on a 9.5" rim, despite the fact that it fits per the manufactures spec sheet...

You pay a severe price penalty by moving from the 265/35 - 275/30 tires sizes to the 285/30 tires sizes. Since performance tires have a fairly short lifespan, this consumable item's price tag is important.

265/3519 & 275/30/19 average price range: $250-$360 per tire.

285/30 average price range: $380-$500+ per tire.

Not to mention that 285/30/19 tires are considered an 'odd ball' performance tire size, therefore you have limited selection and they are not always readily available to purchase. (constantly at low stock or backorder) Ask me how I know this...

Sorry to start up this old thread but what do you mean the 285/30 would be 'sloppy' on the OEM 19" rims?

Thanks
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