I just bought a set of Fikse FM/5's (used) from a another forum member. They are 17x8 front and 17x9.

I already have a set of staggered 18" wheels, and really wanted to pickup a set of non-staggered 17" wheels for autoxing, and as a spare for when I send my 18"s to get straightenend (Don't buy MAS Italy wheels, they are weak).

Anyways, I couldn't resist the bargain on these Fikse, and snapped them up.

I have a 330ti that has alot of weight upfront. I know it is not 50/50 balance anymore since I still haven't pulled the battery out of the engine bay, and added a 6-cyl. radiator and electir fan.

My question is :Would running a slightly staggered tire setup- say a 225/40/17 front and a 235/40/17 balance things out..... or does the F/R weight distribution not have such an effect as the tires?

I am just going to be Autoxing, not tracking (yet ).

Second option, would be to throw 235/40's on both front and rear. Yeah, I know I won't be able to rotate them, but that doesn't matter to me. Does the 1" difference in rim width play any effect on anything?

Third option. Try and trade 2 of my Fikse FM/5's to another owner so we can both have matching sets.

4th Option. Maybe I should just STFU and just deal with it!!! That will probably be the most likely answer from you guys!!!

Anyways, thanks for any oncoming advice.

since you now have more weight up front, it should understeer more than w/ the 4 banger in there. It'll still handle nicely though. You should have better responce w/ the I-6 at the throttle.

Staggered will always push more than non staggered set ups.....assuming all the other variables are the same.

I thought the more weight you had upfront, the more likely you are to swing the rear-end out in a corner due to less weight back there? Correct if I am wrong, I am just trying to visualize this in my head, and it's not easy.

****Edit**** Ok, now I think I understand, dude. This goes against what I originally invisioned.:95

Try telling that to a "real" 911 owner :)

because the engine is behind the rear axle, they really tend to oversteer.

more weight in the rear = more oversteer.

I've noticed that whenever I pack my trunk full of gear, 50+ lbs or more, that the car tends to understeer more.:95

What I have found is that, yes, you can trim the understeering attitude to some extent by varying tire widths.

My 97 M3 had stock tires/rims as follows: 225/45ZR17 on 7.5x17, 245/40ZR17 on 8.5x17.

My first mod, to eliminate understeer, was to increase the fronts to 235/40ZR17, keeping the rims stock. This produced a noticable improvement. However, a much bigger improvement (order of magnitude difference) was obtained by switching to stiffer sway bars front and rear, with emphasis on more stiffness in rear than in front. This mod helped my car achieve neutral dynamic handling. A different way to obtain the same goal as same sized tires all around.

Thanks for the advice , dude. I think I will be going 235/45 all around.

Kiley Sean:

I would be wary about putting 235s on a 8.5 inch rim. Although I am sure the tire will fit the rim, the concern I have is whether you will end up with too little sidewall (side to side) on each side of the rim. You may want to consult TireRack or another such expert to see what they say about this idea.

Please note, I put 235s on my 7.5 inch FRONT rims, keeping 245s on my 8.5 inch rear rims.

To my knowledge, other people who put 235s all around usually have 4 rims all the same width, from 7.5 to 8.0 inches wide. But I could be wrong.

Bottom line: I never installed 235s on my 8.5 inch rear rims and don't know how this would affect the understeering/oversteering balance on my or any other car. Good luck, and please share your findings with the rest of us.

8.5 should be just fine for a 235. 7.5 is far too small. BMW made a mistake with the 1995 M3's by putting the 235's on a 7.5 inch wheel. 8-8.5 is optimum for a 235.

Well the fronts are 8" wide, and 9" for the rears. So you are saying that 235's are alright for both 8" and 9", or would a 245/40 be better for the rear? Would running the same tire width all-around on staggered wheels will have minimal side effects?

TIA

I have the same width wheels as you, 17x8/17x9 and I plan on running 245 front and 255 rears...

Doc, are those strictly your "track" wheels, or are they both street/autox?

What other tire size combos did you run on those wheels and what were your experiences?

Thanks

Can you fit 245's all around?

I run (though it's an E46) 245/45 VR's up front with no rubbing at all (on a 7.5" rim too, but that's another story. :D ).

What Bryan said.

I've run 235's on 8.5" wheels. Great setup: gearing and steering response.

fwiw, BMW's came with 235/40's from the factory on 7.5/8.5 wheel setup; specifically the 95' M3 LTW & Forged Wheel option for the std M3's. In '96 they made the 7.5/8.5 wheel combo std. and switched to the 225/45f & 245/40r tires to address tramlining issues.

They're my street wheels.

I run ltw wheels on the track with 225-45 front, 245-40 rear hoosiers.

These are new wheels to me. I've run 225-45 front, 245-40 rear on the street with my other set of ltw wheels. It was nice, but I don't push the car so hard on the street that I experience under/oversteer...