size of rims and types of tires

[JohnnyM]

I want to replace my wheels for new ones. I have a 2001 330i sports package, what is the widest in the back i can have them? I want 18 inch wheels with 9 in the back and 8 in the front. Also what is a good high performance tire. I like dunlop and yokahama, any other suggestions?

[E-Town BiMMeR]

Go to tirerack, they'll tell you what the optimum tire width for you wheel size. As for as I know, you can go 255 in the back, myabe even squeezing in 265. But 255 is the best size IMO. I currently have Yokos AVS Sport on my car, I like them and the tread pattern is nice too. But if your city's roads have lots of pebbles, then they'll be stuck in the tread making a click, click, click noise when you drive with your windows down.
My next set, I might try Bridgestones S-03 or Michelin Pilot A/S for its high tread-wear rating, and I read that they perform as well or even better than some high performance tires out there.
Hope that helps.

[SMAnsari]

I have a 2002 330XI and I wanted to change my rims and tires...Am I limited in what I can do because of the 4 wheel drive?...I like the M wheel for the 2002 3 Series as alternatives...Any thoughts on whether they can work?

[tingzilla]

keep in mind that factory rear M3 wheels with 17x26 / 18x26 is too wide~ almost anything below 22 is okay. Check with local BMW service department

[Tony]

My,my, my! Why is it we're never happy with what we have. Anyway, I too would like to change my wheels. I've got the stock wheels on my 2002, 330ci with Pirellis.

Call me crazy but I've always like the BBS wheels on BMW's. I would also like to change lenses all around. I do not care for the clear lenses and prefer the amber lenses, let's seeee, what else?

I am ecstatic about the car except for these two items. My wife says trade it . Any good divorce lawyers out there?

Is there a TRADE forum on yet?

Tires: Michellin Pilot Sport, I have them on my 330Ci now and they are great. Quiet and stable up to 140mph so far while still testing them through the turns. I have yet to see better while testing Perelli PZeros, Toyo FZ4's and Yakohama tires as well as the Continentals which came on the car.

Wheels: I have the 17" M Series Sport wheels with stock tire size and was persuaded away from anything but the Dinan wheels, AC Schnitzer, or limited BBS with proper combination of tirs size due to the setup on a BMW and the hubcentric nature of the wheeel necessary to mainain balance combined with the DSC features and electronics on the car when reading the speed and stabilty of the vehichle. Given the advanced electronics of the car and the presision needed to monitor such electronis, even the slighted miscalculation of tire size and diameter of the wheel and tire could "fool" the DSC into thinking the car is out of countrol causing the car to go into false recovery/breaking modes or cutting of fuel to the engine. You may be able to get away with anything other than the optimal requirements up to a certain mph, but in hard driving ad high speeds, this could be dangerous.

...food for thought....
Andy

[Antroiny]

This is the same wheel/tire setup I currently have on my car, and love it. I have 18x8 wheels in front, 18x9 in rear. I have Yokohama AVS Sport tires (235/40/18 front, 265/35/18 rear), and the traction is excellent in both dry and wet weather. The wet traction is much better than the stock Conti's, which is important up here in the Seattle rain.

If you do go with 18x9 wheels in the rear, I recommend you get an offset of at least 40mm (same offset as mine). This should keep your tires from rubbing the fender over large dips/bumps or under full cargo load if you get 255's for the rear (most popular sized tires for this wheel setup is 225/40 for front, 255/35 for rear). I wanted the widest tires possible, which is why my tires are a little wider. I had to get my rear fenders rolled to fit the 265's ($100 total), but if I got an offset of about 42mm or more, I bet I would have been fine.

I also recommend looking for wheel/tire packages at the Tire Rack. That's where I bought my setup, and I'd definitely shop there again in the future. Here's a link to how my car currently looks:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38783