# 205/50/17 wheel/tire setup on 330i



## PG (Jan 13, 2002)

Alan,

I currently have Continental Contisports mounted on M68s with the staggered setup (exactly what you have on your new '03).

The reason I'm considering a narrow wheel/tire setup (like with the type 79 wheels) is because I'm extremely sensitive to my car's tramlining tendencies and I'm just looking for a more comfortable ride without sacrificing too much performance.

The way my car is right now is not bad at all if the road is smooth. But, on rough roads in the city, my car tramlines a lot.

Keep in mind that my '01 330i has the 2002 steering rack (as I'm sure you remember) and I'm very happy with the steering.

Would you say that the steering feels any lighter/heavier with your all-season tires than it does with the performance tires? I just want to make sure that my decision to go with a narrower, all-season tire doesn't have any negative effects on my car's steering feel.



Alan F said:


> *PG,
> 
> Which tires do you currently have on your car now ?
> 
> ...


----------



## jrubens (Aug 14, 2002)

I had the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus on my car for a while and was very pleased. I've just put new ContiSport tires on and, again, have had no complaints. (I'm not keeping the car long enough to pay Michelin prices). I have an older car,though, and the specs are totally different.

A friend of mine who's in the business just put Toyo's on a 528 and a 740il, both1998 models, and the results have been excellent. The Toyo's are supposed the be close to the quality of Michelin at half the price.

Again, though, I don't know how the Toyo's that spec for the 330i are, although I believe they got a decent write up in Roundel not that long ago.


----------



## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

Well on my 2001 I noticed the steering was a little lighter (not by much at all though).

As far as the 2003, I am not sure, I really didn't have enough seat time to really remember.

Also, I remember that you have the 2002 steering rack but keep in mind there are also differences in the suspension as it has been revised and is now what I consider to be perfect !!!

One thing you should consider is this . . . if you pick up a set of type 79's or even type 73's from someone selling them, it will probably cost anywhere from $700-$900. ( I paid $1000 for mine). Let's say you put them on and decide you don't like them, you could always resell them and get most of your money back. 

So it's not like this is a huge decision to make . . . I am telling you this to ease your mind . . . don't stress on it too much.

If you have anymore questions, either post them in this thread or email anytime.


----------



## milski (Aug 25, 2003)

AF330i said:


> If you have anymore questions, either post them in this thread or email anytime.


At the end you sold the 79's. What is that you did not like about them? I'm considering getting a set for this winter.


----------



## flashinthepan (Jul 25, 2003)

PG,

I hear your concern about tramlinning & freeway speed comfort, I didnt want to give that up either, 

I originally did have 205-50-17 Goodyear RSA's all season. Quiet, nice ride etc...

Yes they arent performance tires but you do get a comfort ride and no tramlinning.

No tire is absolutely perfect in every way IMO, but the all season types will be quieter and smoother.


----------



## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

I don't really understand your choice to stay with 17" and use a 205/50-17. The 205 has the same dia as the 225/45, so while being narrower the sidewall height is still the same and that is part of the tramlining problem. If you plan to change wheels anyway then you really need to drop down to 16" and use a 205/55-16 or 215/55-16. This will make the biggest difference in ride quality and contrary to *theory* the the taller sidewall height relative to response and performance won't be very significant between those two diameters if you were to do a heads-up comparison using the same brand/model of tire. It doesn't sound as if you are planning to race on them. :dunno: 

the large diameter wheel fad amuses me, some people don't seem to realize that for most tires 18" and up the sidewall is not getting shorter, the OD's are getting larger


----------



## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

milski said:


> At the end you sold the 79's. What is that you did not like about them? I'm considering getting a set for this winter.


I wasn't crazy abouthow skinny the rear tire looked . . . I am used to seing my car with a beefy 245/40/17 tire in the rear sand to me, the 20550/17 looked to skinny . . . pluslooks wise I don't thinkthey complimented my car.

For some reason they look better on the Xi where the car is raised a little higher and you can see the width of the tire a little more. . . or maybe it's because the higher suspesion doesn't make the wheel look as tucked in visually :dunno:

Whatever it is, they do make a great winter wheel but I decided to try somehting else . . .


----------



## milski (Aug 25, 2003)

AF330i said:


> I wasn't crazy abouthow skinny the rear tire looked . . . I am used to seing my car with a beefy 245/40/17 tire in the rear sand to me, the 20550/17 looked to skinny . . . pluslooks wise I don't thinkthey complimented my car.
> 
> For some reason they look better on the Xi where the car is raised a little higher and you can see the width of the tire a little more. . . or maybe it's because the higher suspesion doesn't make the wheel look as tucked in visually :dunno:
> 
> Whatever it is, they do make a great winter wheel but I decided to try somehting else . . .


I'm planning to put 225/45/17 on them, so they should not be that skinny. :dunno: 
And I do like them, lookwise. There's a 330xi with 79s which parks at work, they do look good on it. Worst case come, I'll get something different next winter.


----------



## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

milski said:


> I'm planning to put 225/45/17 on them, so they should not be that skinny. :dunno:
> And I do like them, lookwise. There's a 330xi with 79s which parks at work, they do look good on it. Worst case come, I'll get something different next winter.


Can you put a 225 on a 7" wide wheel . . . you might want to make sure it is ok before you buy them.

Do you want me to dig up a couple of pics of my car with them on it and post them ?


----------



## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

AF330i said:


> Can you put a 225 on a 7" wide wheel?


yes, it's the lower recommended limit on a 225/45-17 for most manufacturers.


----------



## milski (Aug 25, 2003)

AF330i said:


> Can you put a 225 on a 7" wide wheel . . . you might want to make sure it is ok before you buy them.
> 
> Do you want me to dig up a couple of pics of my car with them on it and post them ?


Yes, I made it as sure as possible without getting the wheels themselves. It was confirmed here, at tirerack and michelin's web site, so it should work.

Thanks a lot, there is already one on the previous page of this thread. :thumbup: I'll post pics when I have them installed.


----------



## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

milski said:


> Yes, I made it as sure as possible without getting the wheels themselves. It was confirmed here, at tirerack and michelin's web site, so it should work.
> 
> Thanks a lot, there is already one on the previous page of this thread. :thumbup: I'll post pics when I have them installed.


Before you buy a set, look at these pics, the first pic in this post was right after I let the car down from the jack so it looked kind of like the Xi (higher up) wich wit these wheels look better but here are 2 pics of my car without that jacked up look and I don't think it looks too great . . .


----------



## milski (Aug 25, 2003)

AF330i said:


> Before you buy a set, look at these pics, the first pic in this post was right after I let the car down from the jack so it looked kind of like the Xi (higher up) wich wit these wheels look better but here are 2 pics of my car without that jacked up look and I don't think it looks too great . . .


Still does not look bad, especially for a winter setup? :dunno: 
If I can find out who drives the 330xi at work, I might talk to the guy to have two of the wheels swaped just to see how they would look on my car. Not very likely to happen though :tsk: 
My other choices are 98 (which are almost the same) or 97, which are 7.5" but more expensive.


----------

