E46 330 ci Sport - Tyre size change
Discussion
Evening all.
I've recently bought a 330ci sport, which is currently running on very cheap, and (on the rear at least) very illegal tyres. I can't remember the brand off the top of my head but they are clearly bottom of the range budget wink
The rears are shot although the front have some life left in them. I plan to buy 2 new rears tyres straight away but maybe leave the front whilst they have enough grip on.
the sizes are as they should be according to the sticker on the inside of the door:
Front: 225/40 zr18
Rear: 255/35 zr18
Basically the ride seems very hard, i appreciate it should be a firm ride it being a sport. but i was thinking about fitting:
Front: 225/45 zr18
Rear: 255/40 zr18
just to soften the ride up, ever so slightly (i really just mean just a little bit). I read in an old copy of EVO that this is the tyre size the E46 M3 runs on. And the local garage seemed to think this would be ok, ie: they will fit!
my questions are:
will changing the tyre size have a positive effect on the ride quality?
Is the ride just really hard because the tyres are budget ? and the rears are almost bald...
Would really appreciate any input you all might have.
cheers!
I've recently bought a 330ci sport, which is currently running on very cheap, and (on the rear at least) very illegal tyres. I can't remember the brand off the top of my head but they are clearly bottom of the range budget wink
The rears are shot although the front have some life left in them. I plan to buy 2 new rears tyres straight away but maybe leave the front whilst they have enough grip on.
the sizes are as they should be according to the sticker on the inside of the door:
Front: 225/40 zr18
Rear: 255/35 zr18
Basically the ride seems very hard, i appreciate it should be a firm ride it being a sport. but i was thinking about fitting:
Front: 225/45 zr18
Rear: 255/40 zr18
just to soften the ride up, ever so slightly (i really just mean just a little bit). I read in an old copy of EVO that this is the tyre size the E46 M3 runs on. And the local garage seemed to think this would be ok, ie: they will fit!
my questions are:
will changing the tyre size have a positive effect on the ride quality?
Is the ride just really hard because the tyres are budget ? and the rears are almost bald...
Would really appreciate any input you all might have.
cheers!
I have run the M3 profile tyres on an E46 with the standard suspension only because they were good value pilot sports off ebay! I can't say the ride was much improved but I suppose it has to improve it slightly. But I believe the M3 profile tyres are more expensive. If you are going to change profiles you have to go up on both front and rear, I have been told otherwise the difference in rolling diameters affects the DTC.
AlfaSpider said:
I have run the M3 profile tyres on an E46 with the standard suspension only because they were good value pilot sports off ebay! I can't say the ride was much improved but I suppose it has to improve it slightly. But I believe the M3 profile tyres are more expensive. If you are going to change profiles you have to go up on both front and rear, I have been told otherwise the difference in rolling diameters affects the DTC.
Also, with this change in tyre size the rolling radius of the wheel/tyre combination will change and the speedo will under read by @ 4%, so at an indicated 60 mph the car will actually be doing @62.4 mph. ( http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php )Another possible option would be to put smaller wheels on the car. In winter I run 17" wheels with 225/45 R17s and there's a noticeable improvement in ride quality.
ETA Having different brand/model tyres front to back on 18"s is a receipe for serious tramlining!!
ETA Having different brand/model tyres front to back on 18"s is a receipe for serious tramlining!!
Edited by ghibbett on Thursday 2nd February 07:15
Ozone said:
That would explain alot on my car then, Michelins on the front and Bridgestone on the back - the previous owner put them on.
I put my 330i Sport through the full BMW geo-check and it came back, after adjustments, with a clean bill of health. However the bugger still tramlined. I had Goodyear Eagle F1s on the front and Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetrics on the back. I wouldn't say the tramlining was horrendous (you'd hope not after the full geo setup) but it was certainly noticeable.Roll forward to winter and I put my winter 17"s on, with matched 225/45 R17s all round. It was a revelation. The car drove brilliantly.
Roll forward again to spring 2011 and despite my front Goodyear Eagle F1's having 4.5mm of tread left, I splashed out on a new set of matching Eagle Assymetrics. I wasn't sure it'd make much difference, but it absolutely did. The 18"s are slightly more prone to tramlining that the 17"s, but the car is so much better than before.
It's been a few years since I had my 330C but I don't remember the ride being over firm or harsh on the OEM 18" tyres, Bridgestone's and then PS2's. The 330 was the most sensitive car I've driven to different tyres on each axle though, when I first put the PS2's on the rear and left the Bridgestone's on the front the handling was ruined instantly. As soon as a matching pair of Michelins went on the front the car was back to itself. Also the tramlining with the Bridgestone Potenzas was terrible whilst almost negligible on the PS2's.
Interesting thread.
I have swapped my E46 330ci from the 18's to the 17's partly for ride, partly for cost improvement (the 225's are fine, but the 255's are still money), but also because I a 20min commute on back lanes and disturbed the bead resulting in a slow flat on the rears twice in the first month. Enough.
Ride is much better but it still hops and skips about on uneven roads, and still tramlines occasionally on larger roads, very much still drivable but not I would say much fun. Currently on a pair of aging P Zeros at the front, Potenza rear right, and some 'Windforce' ditchfinder rear left.
Due a full set of tyres which I hope will help a lot. Thoughts on brand/spec? 225/45R17
Daniel
I have swapped my E46 330ci from the 18's to the 17's partly for ride, partly for cost improvement (the 225's are fine, but the 255's are still money), but also because I a 20min commute on back lanes and disturbed the bead resulting in a slow flat on the rears twice in the first month. Enough.
Ride is much better but it still hops and skips about on uneven roads, and still tramlines occasionally on larger roads, very much still drivable but not I would say much fun. Currently on a pair of aging P Zeros at the front, Potenza rear right, and some 'Windforce' ditchfinder rear left.
Due a full set of tyres which I hope will help a lot. Thoughts on brand/spec? 225/45R17
Daniel
Edited by dhutch on Thursday 9th March 14:10
I Put my 335i on a square set up 225/45/17s for winter tyres in 2015/6 then decided to try summer tyres that size; opted for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 - amazing! on 17s with these tyres the car had the best blend of ride comfort and handling; it felt lighter, nimbler and more like my old E46.
When I ran my E46 M Sport 330Ci, I had terrible issues with ride and balance, even though it was running Bridgestone RE040s all round.
I changed to Michelin Pilot Sport 2 which at the time were the OE spec and it transformed the Chassis - Balance, turnin and grip were night & day compared with what it had previously.
I've subsequently read all kinds of threads where the E46 (particularly the Sport) was negatively affected by tyre choice. I would suggest you only ever run OE spec tyres, matched on both axles or the closest you can get. I wouldn't be seeking to mess around with anything.
An E46 on a good tyre set is a beautifully balanced, composed and joyful thing to drive.
I changed to Michelin Pilot Sport 2 which at the time were the OE spec and it transformed the Chassis - Balance, turnin and grip were night & day compared with what it had previously.
I've subsequently read all kinds of threads where the E46 (particularly the Sport) was negatively affected by tyre choice. I would suggest you only ever run OE spec tyres, matched on both axles or the closest you can get. I wouldn't be seeking to mess around with anything.
An E46 on a good tyre set is a beautifully balanced, composed and joyful thing to drive.
Spuffington said:
I'm confused - you have 18" rims but talking about buying 17" tyres. Also aren't your rims staggered and not a square Setup?
dhutch said:
...I have swapped my E46 330ci from the 18's to the 17's ....
Left the factory on 18's , which I have have in the garage, but its running on 17 style 44's.Daniel
The tyre size difference should be OK but the M3 tyre prices are not what you would call a bargain
While that may sound reasonable my 300BHP 944 Turbo did 15k+ on Michelin PS2s when I had it. I even sold it on the same times with tread left on them :I'd have been needing another set of tyres if they were the Falkens.
Goodyears IME are not much more than Falkens but last significantly longer
.
nerf said:
I had a chat with the guy who runs the tyre website and he actually recommended i stick with the correct size.. so ive ordered Falken 452s all round, at the correct size.... thanks for your input all..
cheers
nerf
Without putting a dampener on things how many miles do? On my E46 m3 the FK453s barely did 8,000 miles until down to the legal limit. The fronts? 16k and my tester getting very funny about passing them.cheers
nerf
While that may sound reasonable my 300BHP 944 Turbo did 15k+ on Michelin PS2s when I had it. I even sold it on the same times with tread left on them :I'd have been needing another set of tyres if they were the Falkens.
Goodyears IME are not much more than Falkens but last significantly longer
.dhutch said:
Spuffington said:
I'm confused - you have 18" rims but talking about buying 17" tyres. Also aren't your rims staggered and not a square Setup?
dhutch said:
...I have swapped my E46 330ci from the 18's to the 17's ....
Left the factory on 18's , which I have have in the garage, but its running on 17 style 44's.Daniel
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