Front vs Rear Tire Sizes.. Why the need to be different?

    Hi all,


    I apologize for my lack of knowledge...


    Is there a purpose to having different size tires on the front versus the rear? Is it a performance issue, or is it primarilly aesthetics?


    If this has been answered before, I apologize. I've searched the site for a possible answer, but I may not be using the right search words.


    On a side note.. I have realized why my tires look small in my wheel well.. it is because the previous owner installed 225 tires on the factory 50 R16 wheels as opposed to standard 235! What a knucklehead. Now I have to "suffer" the knowledge that my tires are smaller than the normal stock! :)


    When I'm ready to purchase my wheels, where can I get authentic 18" Parallels for the best price? Do 19" Parallels exist? I've tried http://www.bmwwheels.com but they seem pricey.


    So yes, I guess this is a 3 question thread:
    Why the size difference between front and rear? Where to get authentic 18" Parallels and do 19" ones exist?


    This site is addicting.. :)


    My 1995 BMW 840Ci
    Authentic M Parallels, Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S, ACS-style aluminum pedals and more to come...

    Hi


    Traction and appearance are the primary reason for "Staggered" tire sizes.


    With stock suspension they actually make the car plow/push worse than using same sized tires front and back.


    The 850CSI was IIRC the first factory staggered 8 series and larger anti-sway bars were installed to compensate.


    The correct resize on the stock wheels for summer tires should be 245/50 and for winter 225/55 M&S I believe. The stock 235 width is almost impossible to find now.


    I will leave the wheel question to others as mine came with the 840 and I am too lazy/cheap to go find new ones. It doesn't hut that I have never found a wheel style that I like better than the ones that I have already :D

    It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others. Mine sometimes feels that way.


    Terry


    1995 840Ci
    1991 850i
    Woodland Washington USA

    Terry,
    If i remember right, did you say some time ago that you had 255 on the front but have gone back to 245? if so, was there a particular reason for doing so? im due to have mine changed soon and thought about going to 255s (on 18s).
    Thanks, Les

    Actually had 265/35 on the front for a year or so. Only reason that I don't now is that Goodyear ran out of 265/35 18 F1s right when I ordered them:( None in the US or Canada and no planned production date. So I had to downsize or run mismatched tread.


    ET6 offset works but anything more won't fit.

    It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others. Mine sometimes feels that way.


    Terry


    1995 840Ci
    1991 850i
    Woodland Washington USA

    Thanks for the information. I spoke to a coworker and he explained the same thing. The wider wheels in the back definitely look nicer. :)


    I am leaning towards eventually going with the M Parallels. All the M Parallels in the gallery looked great. I only wish they made 19" versions.


    Terry, are you saying that my stock suspension needs to be changed before I can switch to the M Parallels and actually take advantage of the new wheels? Any idea where I can get authentic ones for a decent price? The dealerships are pricey and bmwwheels.com is pricey as well.


    My 1995 BMW 840Ci
    Authentic M Parallels, Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S, ACS-style aluminum pedals and more to come...

    The M-Parallels were fitted as standard to many 7-series (e38) and so these should fit straight-off, and should be plenty available second-hand. Be ware of any e39, 5-series wheels as these will need hub-rings due to different hub spigot diameters.


    The other thing is that everyone seems to want to fit large diameter wheels. I was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, this weekend, and the McLaren F1 was there on the BMW stand. It is fitted with 17" wheels!

    Zitat von cel0202

    Any idea where I can get authentic ones for a decent price? The dealerships are pricey and bmwwheels.com is pricey as well.


    Why not get a 2nd hand set for say $700then get them refurbed allin around $1000, there are plenty for sale over in Europe :!::wink:

    Those who risk nothing,achieve nothing,become nothing.

    Thanks for the information regarding Parallels from 5 series. I will definitely keep an eye out.


    Do any of you have thoughts or opinions about HRE Wheels? I really love the look of the 891R wheel, but they are crazy expensive (~$1500/ea). I wonder if there is a similar style that is cheaper from a different manufacturer.


    Here's an example below and with the magic of photoshop, how they may look on my car...


    What do you guys think? Opinions are welcome! :)

    Very impressive photoshopping. How did you get the angles right ? I've tried and tried to do this sort of thing in the past and long since given up.


    More to the point though. Those wheels look very classy indeed. You should be able to find something similar for a lot less money mate. It might take a while Googling, but $1500 per wheel is mega bucks :shock: so worth the effort searching I guess.

    Zitat von cel0202


    What do you guys think? Opinions are welcome! :)


    Looks sweet...although id be tempted to go a little bit bigger.


    These rims also let you show off your discs/calipers... 8)

    Frix


    (Another) 1997 Velvet Blue 840Ci Sport...with a Greek attitude to driving!!

    Zitat von TallTony

    It might take a while Googling, but $1500 per wheel is mega bucks :shock: so worth the effort searching I guess.


    When i was looking for alloys for my mr2...this place gave me a website to search for alloys etc etc.


    I found this set which was amongst the cheaper rims but still nearly £500 per wheel but i couldnt justify that on an old car. Hell, the rims would be worth more than the car!!


    Its a good place to search for what u want although they are based in the US. I tried emailing them but no response...business must be good i suppose.


    Still..if anything its a good site to get some ideas...i think the site is super buy tires (http://www.superbuytires.com) IIRC.


    Having said that, a car like the 8 doesnt really need to be changed - its jsut about perfect as standard. I got the M-tec alloys on mine and I love them.


    IMO if you are going to put aftermarket rims on the 8, they must be exlcusive (that means ££££) and not your run of the mill Wolfrace/Fox that belong on the chavved up Nova!!


    My pennies worth

    Frix


    (Another) 1997 Velvet Blue 840Ci Sport...with a Greek attitude to driving!!

    Keep the opinions coming... very good comments.


    Yes I agree, if I get wheels for my 8 will definitely stick with authentic BMW wheels like the M Parallels, or go for something very exclusive. I have to say I do like the rims currently on it, but 16 is too small. :) I will definitely take a look at the site and see what they've got.


    As for the photoshop stuff.. yes it's hard finding the right angle, but it seems most wheel images are taken at a slight 3/4 angle, if not straight. From there, simply select the image of the tire using the polygonal laso tool and paste it into the image of the car. From there, use the free transform tool to pull the top, bottom, left and right of the image and line each quadrant up with the tire you currently have on your car. The last step is to scale the wheel up or down for your diameter.


    The image of the wheel I used was from HRE's site and was on an Aston Martin in the picture. The calipers and brakes fortunately showed which means that I have also placed an Aston Martin's break system on both the front and rear of my 8. hahahah


    I will also post other wheel options that were on my mind...

    Here are three other options I am looking at:


    M3 Wheels


    M Parallels - My first choice. I've seen several people here have these on and their images look great, but I still wanted to see them on mine just in case. :)


    19in Twin Spoke Composite 125 - M Parallels do not come bigger than 18 so these are the only ones similar enough that are 19". The design is not quite as nice as the M Paralells in my opinion.


    Too bad I can't actually put any of these wheels on as quickly as I did with Photoshop. :)

    Very nice, I should definitely look at ACS as well as the other meant for BMW tuners. Aren't these wheels about $1500/ea as well? :)


    I think I've seen members with this wheel actually installed?


    Thanks for the info regarding the M3 wheels. I always liked them on the 3 series circa the late 90's.


    Yes, the photoshop thing isn't so hard... once you find the right image of the wheel with the correct, the rest is easy to add via layers. Here is a quick try. I used a different image I found on the web as opposed to your attachment to have a better match to the angle.

    Thanks for the information Tony. I guess authentic AC Schnitzer wheels are definitely expensive. I would probably prefer going with authentic BMW wheels rather than knock offs of ACS and others. They definitely do look nice on my car. Does any one else here on the site have those ACS wheels installed?


    Here is the 19" triple chrome. I don't like these wheels so much because it looks too similar to mine, plus it's a little bit too busy for me. Also, I'm not very much of a chrome fan.. I like the look of allow wheels. But here it is as requested.

    wow...you do have a lot of time on your hands...lol.


    tbh im not a fan of any of those besides the M parallels...the m3 wheels are nice but i agree they dont suit the 8.


    Have you thought of multi-spoke? Alpina style? Deep dish multi spoke on 19s would look sweet!!! 8)


    ...he opens up the photoshop application.... :D

    Frix


    (Another) 1997 Velvet Blue 840Ci Sport...with a Greek attitude to driving!!

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