I am the new owner of a 1985 528e. I just put some studded snow tires on my stock 14" wheels and the handling is so poor it is making me hate my car. For the first time in my life I am considering buying performance tires. The man at the store suggested I go to a 15" or 16" wheel in order to get into a better choice of quality tires. The choices are a little overwhelming. Before I fork out $1000+ for new wheels and tires, I want to learn a little more about what I am doing.
Are 15" wheels better than 14" and 16" better than 15"? Is tire performance only limited to how much I am willing to spend? Can I buy tires that are TOO stiff? Is there a performance sweet spot somewhere in the midst of all these choices? Am I asking the right questions?
Dwayne
01-31-2005, 04:51 PM
With studded snow tires on your car, I wouldn't expect any sort of good handling. Most everyone would assume that you're not going to run studded snow tires year round, so, yes, you should have some different tires to put on. Most anything will be better than a studded snow tire. Compared to your snows, all-season tires would even be performance tires.
gmessori
02-01-2005, 07:56 AM
Are 15" wheels better than 14" and 16" better than 15"? Is tire performance only limited to how much I am willing to spend? Can I buy tires that are TOO stiff? Is there a performance sweet spot somewhere in the midst of all these choices? Am I asking the right questions?
The larger rim you get, the lower profile tire you will have to buy in order to match the overall height of your OE tire. Generally speaking, the lower the profile the better your car will handle (less sidewall flex on a low pro tire vs. a tall tire)
The bottom line is how much performance you want. You can spend 200 bucks a tire for something like a BFGoodrich g-Force, but never need the grip it has compared to a Kumho, which you can get for 130 bucks. (that’s for a 245/45/17)
If your not a person who drives aggressive, get some sumitomos for @ 50 bucks each for now, if you are an aggressive driver, move up to a 16" rim and grab some 205/55/16 Continental ContiSportContact 2 (which is the EXACT size tire you would need with a 16x7 rim) which are a good tire for 100 bucks. Of course, tire preferences are like.. well you know the saying.