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Wheels on sport package for 3 or 5 series
This is a newbie question. I test drove a 2008 535i with sport package and liked the handling. However I do not like low profile wheels. Is it even physically possible to put standard tires (as in non-sport 535i) onto the sports version 535i? If so, would this seriously compromise the handling? If so, how different would the handling then feel? Thanks.
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I suppose you could swap out the wheels but I'm not sure on this because sport packages sometimes lower the ride height. You'd lose a bit of the crispness and feedback due to the slightly taller sidewalls of the tires (although in all honestly, 50-series sidewalls are still pretty low profile). However, I'm guess you liked the ARS system and seeing as how that makes the biggest difference in handling, you'd still retain some characteristics of the sport package.
| | Reply » Wheels on sport package for 3 or 5 series |
The biggest problem you'll have when downsizing wheels is finding a set that will clear the car's brakes, especially on the N54 powered cars. The outside diameter of the wheel is not necessarily a solid indicator.
By the looks of it, most 17" wheels will fit without too much difficulty, but you won't be able to go to 16".
I do not recommend using a tire with a taller profile on the stock wheels because it will throw off your speedometer and could even cause rubbing issues under certain circumstances.
As for loss of performance, feel, etc - the car's turn-in will probably not be as sharp, but it won't be an enormous change, especially if you're still using a tire with the same sized footprint. On the other hand, braking, steering and throttle response will all be faster. The rule we use at the track is to equip the car with the smallest set of wheels that will still clear the brakes. Large wheels are for show, not go. 
| | Reply » Wheels on sport package for 3 or 5 series |
Kind of another newbie related question, the overall diameter of the entire wheel/tire combo never changes when you change rim size, correct? If you get 17" from BMW, that just means the sidewalls are wider than the same car spec'd out with 18" rims, right?
I want the sport package, but I don't want RF tires, and I want a spare...
| | Reply » Wheels on sport package for 3 or 5 series |
Quote: Kind of another newbie related question, the overall diameter of the entire wheel/tire combo never changes when you change rim size, correct? If you get 17" from BMW, that just means the sidewalls are wider than the same car spec'd out with 18" rims, right?
I want the sport package, but I don't want RF tires, and I want a spare... | Yes, if you get properly sized tires. I went from 195/65R15s on my 323i to 225/45ZR17 and there was no (significant) change in overall diameter. The speedometer is calibrated the same regardless of whether you have the sport package or not - there's a reason why they use certain tire sizes.
Note that the 225/45 (45% of 225 mm = 101.25 mm) has a much shorter profile than the 195/65 (65% of 195 mm = 126.75) does. You'll see that the sidewall on the 17" tire is 25.5mm shorter. 25.5 x 2 (the sidewall needs to be counted twice, as there are two of them in the vertical profile of the tire) = 51 mm, and two inches is 50.8 mm, with the extra two inches going into the wheel itself.
Say you wanted to downsize from the 18" sport wheel to a 17" wheel on the 535i without changing the width of the contact patch. Stock sizes are 245/40R-18 front (457.2 wheel + 196 mm sidewalls = 653.2 mm), 275/35R-18 rear (457.2 + 192.5 = 649.7). A 17" wheel is 431 mm, so to keep the same overall diameter you'd need an extra 26.2 mm of sidewall. A 245/45R-17 is 220.5 mm, which is 24.5mm taller. Generally speaking, you want to increase the aspect ratio by a factor of +5 every time you downsize the wheel an inch. That's about as close as you can get (any closer will require you to manipulate the contact patch as well - e.g. 225/45 and 195/65 being near identical). Just make sure the 17" wheel you buy is wide enough to handle the 245 tires.
As an aside, BMW specifies 225/50R17 as the standard (non-sport) tires. 656 mm overall diameter, very similar to the 653.2 mm sport diameter. That's 0.4% difference. The difference in speedometer reading at 100 mph would be less than half a mile per hour with that difference; virtually imperceptible. Ideally, anything less than one percent should be just fine.
If you're going to change wheel sizes, I also recommend going to identical numbers at all four corners and doing away with the stagger. You'll save money (because the wider rears cost more money and can't be rotated with the fronts) and improve the handling balance of the car in the process (less traction at rear axle = less understeer).
| | Reply » Wheels on sport package for 3 or 5 series |
You can compare tire sizes here: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
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Wheels on sport package for 3 or 5 series