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[e90m3_6MT]

I am looking to increase the width of my tires on the stock 19's

I wanted 275/35/19 rear but the re-11 don't come in that size
they do come in 285/35/19.

I will track the car maybe 5 times next summer.

I will be going 255/35 on the fronts

I wanted to know if there was any downside/upside of going 285 vs 265 in the rear.

[drburton]

285 is too wide for the stock 19' wheel (9.5" wheel). You will need to go to 275/35. If you are stuck on the RE11, you could go 275/30 but that is a pretty significant drop in circumference.

There will be people on the forum that say you can do the 285, but it will be bulging on the sides and may not be safe for track use. I wouldn't advise it.

[montreal red]

285/35/19 will have a tire side wall thats too thick, you cant use this set up even if you have aftermarket rims and 285 is too wide for the stock rims so i wont recommend it either.

use 285/30/19 if you have aftermarket rims. if you want a 35 profile tire then you will have to downsize to 275/35/19

[e90m3_6MT]

I want to stick with the re-11's but they don't have 275/35's .

thanks for the input, I'll be going 255/35 front and 265/35 rear

[dnvrdrvr]

Actually... I spent the summer (and 15 track days) on 285 RE-11s in the rear. Worked like a charm. Ben at TireRack confirmed this setup would work for me before I went with it as I had the same concerns.

[OMID INC]

i dont think 285 will fit on stock wheels

just read above post.. guess it does work. im running 275 width NT-05's look pretty nice and definitely "squared up" look. i guess another 5 mm on either side would be too bad .

[e90m3_6MT]

I just came from the tire shop and the guys says it would work for re-11's to put 285 on the rear wheels. Bridgestone specify they will work on rims from 9.5 to 11 inches. just might try it and if I don't I'll revert back to 265's

[dnvrdrvr]

Originally Posted by e90m3_6MT

I just came from the tire shop and the guys says it would work for re-11's to put 285 on the rear wheels. Bridgestone specify they will work on rims from 9.5 to 11 inches. just might try it and if I don't I'll revert back to 265's

The only issue I've had with these tires (and I'm on my second set: 265 up front, 285 rear) has to do with the sidewall stiffness. Usually it takes at lease 2 guys to wrestle them on... I usually pre-warn them about it and ask they be careful not to scrape the wheels in the process.

[e90m3_6MT]

Originally Posted by dnvrdrvr

The only issue I've had with these tires (and I'm on my second set: 265 up front, 285 rear) has to do with the sidewall stiffness. Usually it takes at lease 2 guys to wrestle them on... I usually pre-warn them about it and ask they be careful not to scrape the wheels in the process.

good to know, I will probably follow your lead. Did you have any problems with uneven wear and what pressures were you running?

by the way I love your pic where the corvette gives you the go ahead PRICELESS

[dnvrdrvr]

Originally Posted by e90m3_6MT

Did you have any problems with uneven wear and what pressures were you running?

Well, I have the Ground Control conversion kit which means I can play with the camber to help wear... Camber was set at just under -2 all the way around in May. In August I put on a fresh set of fronts and upped it to -2.5. Four more track days and could tell they could use even more... The rears wore awesome at -2 though - perfectly flat all the way across and they outlasted the front.

(And now I'm on snows... just looking wistfully at the 19's sitting in the corner.)

Pressures are higly subjective to the conditions. Generally I tried to keep them below 43-44 (hot) though. More than that and you start to get that "greasy" feeling. I actually found I had to keep the rears a little higher than the fronts to keep the suspension from giving me grief under hard braking.

Originally Posted by e90m3_6MT

by the way I love your pic where the corvette gives you the go ahead PRICELESS

Thanks! I highly recommend anyone who has the chance take your car to Laguna Seca - it's an awesome track. Tough, but NOTHING beats the corkscrew done right. Six months later and I still smile every time I think about it.

[e90m3_6MT]

Originally Posted by dnvrdrvr

(And now I'm on snows... just looking wistfully at the 19's sitting in the corner.)

I know the feeling

[MrHarris]

285/35/19 will work on 9.5 though that's the max a 9.5" rim can handle. If you aren't lowered and have not put on spacers or messed with the offsets then you will not rub and can run this setup just fine. I feel the 255/285 F/R combo is very balanced.

Now running 285/35/19 on wheels with a more aggressive offset, that I am not sure if it is safe as the sidewall is noticeably bigger and could hit your fender.

[e90m3_6MT]

Originally Posted by MrHarris

285/35/19 will work on 9.5 though that's the max a 9.5" rim can handle. If you aren't lowered and have not put on spacers or messed with the offsets then you will not rub and can run this setup just fine. I feel the 255/285 F/R combo is very balanced.

Now running 285/35/19 on wheels with a more aggressive offset, that I am not sure if it is safe as the sidewall is noticeably bigger and could hit your fender.

I got an all stock setup so I guess it's good

[bunnn]

Originally Posted by montreal red

285/35/19 will have a tire side wall thats too thick, you cant use this set up even if you have aftermarket rims and 285 is too wide for the stock rims so i wont recommend it either.

use 285/30/19 if you have aftermarket rims. if you want a 35 profile tire then you will have to downsize to 275/35/19

Mhmm how accurate is this? Cause I'm running the 285/35/19 rears on my 19x10 rear... I checked that the change is within the 3% limit ...but am I missing something important ?

[e90m3_6MT]

Originally Posted by dnvrdrvr

Well, I have the Ground Control conversion kit which means I can play with the camber to help wear... Camber was set at just under -2 all the way around in May. In August I put on a fresh set of fronts and upped it to -2.5. Four more track days and could tell they could use even more... The rears wore awesome at -2 though - perfectly flat all the way across and they outlasted the front.

(And now I'm on snows... just looking wistfully at the 19's sitting in the corner.)

Pressures are higly subjective to the conditions. Generally I tried to keep them below 43-44 (hot) though. More than that and you start to get that "greasy" feeling. I actually found I had to keep the rears a little higher than the fronts to keep the suspension from giving me grief under hard braking.



Thanks! I highly recommend anyone who has the chance take your car to Laguna Seca - it's an awesome track. Tough, but NOTHING beats the corkscrew done right. Six months later and I still smile every time I think about it.

do you have pics of what the wider tires look like on the rims?

[dnvrdrvr]

Originally Posted by e90m3_6MT

do you have pics of what the wider tires look like on the rims?

Hmm... there are a couple in my Albums. Since I haven't taken them with this conversation in mind they may not show what you're looking for. I'm cleaning this setup this weekend for storage - I'll take some additional photos & post when I do. But here's what I have right now:

Freshly mounted (when I posted this one I had questions about the directional versus asymetrical tread patterns)


A side shot


As for what MrHarris said - I'm not running any spacers, but I am lowered 1/2". Never had any issues with rubbing.

[montreal red]

Originally Posted by bunnn

Mhmm how accurate is this? Cause I'm running the 285/35/19 rears on my 19x10 rear... I checked that the change is within the 3% limit ...but am I missing something important ?

i guess its fine if you dont have any rubbing. i am running nitto nt05 275/35/19 on advan wheels and it didnt rub on stock suspension but as soon as i lowered the car, it rubbed in the rear when i go through huge dips. i am sure if i ran 285/35/19 it would be even worse because of the thicker sidewall. i am rubbing where the rear bumper meets the wheel well liner.

i believe the m3 GTS is running 285/30/19 not 35. so my opinion is that 285/30 is a better size than 285/35.

[GTM_Challenge]

The 285/35/19 on a stock sized rear wheel will have a little too much side wall movement IMO. It will bulge over the wheel some. The tire has some great grip levels regardless, but i would put in on a rim thats 10in wide or more on the M3

[e90m3_6MT]

Originally Posted by GTM_Challenge

The 285/35/19 on a stock sized rear wheel will have a little too much side wall movement IMO. It will bulge over the wheel some. The tire has some great grip levels regardless, but i would put in on a rim thats 10in wide or more on the M3

what do you mean by a little too much side wall movement?
what would be the impact on daily drive and the track in your opinion?

[GTM_Challenge]

Originally Posted by e90m3_6MT

what do you mean by a little too much side wall movement?
what would be the impact on daily drive and the track in your opinion?

You would maybe only notice it on track if you are intune to your car. Since the side wall is taller, and also buldging more on the narrow oem rear wheel, its not as stiff typically.

[e90m3_6MT]

Originally Posted by GTM_Challenge

You would maybe only notice it on track if you are intune to your car. Since the side wall is taller, and also buldging more on the narrow oem rear wheel, its not as stiff typically.

will the increase in grip from having a wider tire offset the fact that the sidewalls are not as stiff?

[dnvrdrvr]

Ah, but. One of the great things about these tires..? They're really stiff.

I'm going to look through some archive pics from this summer to see if I can get any clear shots of the wheels/tires on the outside of a corner - taking load. I may be wrong (don't tell my husband I said that!!) but I feel pretty confident saying I didn't have any issues with this tire setup on the track (seriously, 15 days this summer! not pansy-footing around either!)

I'm not a tire expert, but I do know that the tire width "size" (255, 275, etc) doesn't always mean they're the same width. The only thing I have figured out is that it helps to ask someone who knows (and is why I PMd Ben @ TireRack). I certainly respect anyone questioning this will work - I've gotten loads of help from from folks on this forum and is why I keep coming back...