[Spiderm0n]

I am planning on getting some summer wheels/tires. The 17X7” OEM 330xi wheels will be fine for winter, but I am interested in wider wheels for the rest of the year. So here are my questions:

1) Besides appearance, what is the optimal width for my wheels? (I am staying with 17” wheels. I like the idea of getting something in the range of 17X8” to 17X9” (with the higher number for the back two wheels)
2) As mentioned above, I am interested in a staggered setup. Does that make any sense given that I have AWD? I figure it does since I still get 60 some percent of the power going to the rear wheels.
3) I also read that someone (Nate, I believe) went with wider tires on stock wheels. What are the pros/cons and limitations for going wider then normal on the tires?

While I am looking for a performance improvement, I also really like the look, so I am trying to get the best of both worlds here. However, performance will win out over looks as soon as there is any performance degradation by going too wide on the tires or wheels.

I don’t know if it makes any difference to the answer but I will cover the new wheels with S-03’s

Thanks a lot…

 

[WILLIA///M]

Personally I have been really happy with my M68's for the summer. I'm running the stock 330i SP sizes on them with the 245/40/17's in the back. It's one of the combos listed in the Owner's Manual and I thought it would be best to stick with one of those just in case I ever run into some type of warranty issue with the drivetrain. I've got RE730's on mine so I'l be jealous of those S03's. I tracked down mine at TheWheelExchange. They occasionally get in original wheels for resale. Or, alee has a couple hundred lyin' around, he might sell you 4.

 

[Kaz]

Answers:

1) There's no 'optimal' width, but there are correct widths based on the width of tire, as well as what will fit on the car (combined with wheel offset). That said, 7.0-8.5in widths with appropriate offsets (mid 40mm) and appropriately sized tires will work best.

2) Staggered setups (but with the same overall diameter F/R) are good for 2 things: cosmetics and handling characteristics. You can't run taller tires in rear like a drag car for various electronic and mechanical reasons, so you can't get a 'raked' look from the side, but wider rears typically look more agressive from the back. As for handling, wider rear tires give more mechanical grip, thereby shifting balance towards understeer. How this works exactly with the xi AWD setup, I'm not sure.

3) Changing tire widths on a given width of wheel depends on how much of a width change the given wheel can accomodate, as well as finding an overall tire diameter that stays pretty close to stock.

TireRack and other sites cover this stuff in lots of detail, but here's an overview of just the 17in options:

330xi stock: 205/50/17 on 17x7.0
330iSP stock: 225/45/17 on 17x7.5 F, 245/40/17 on 17x8.5R
325iSP stock: 225/45/17 on 17x8

Interestingly, I'm seeing that for the middle setup, 255/40/17 is actually a closer diameter match to 225/45/17, which might be more crucial with the AWD. 235/45/17 and 265/40/17 may also work, but without proper offset the 265s may rub.

 

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

I would comment that you shouldn't go wider than 225 if you don't want LOTS of road wander. Also, in my experience, cars that don't have much power (this includes the 330) end up handling a lot worse with a staggered setup.
All that understeer takes a LOT of the fun out of driving it.

Suggested wheel size would be 17x8 with 225/45 Bridgestone S-03s.

 

[LMC]

Euro options for the car include 225/45R-17 all-around and the staggered 225 front and 245/40R-17 rear. I would think that staying with one of those combinations would be best, nothwithstanding Kaz's comment about the actual dimensions of 245 versus 255. 225s all around should give you better handling than the staggered setup.

 

[Spiderm0n]

Re: Answers:

2) Staggered setups (but with the same overall diameter F/R) are good for 2 things: cosmetics and handling characteristics. You can't run taller tires in rear like a drag car for various electronic and mechanical reasons, so you can't get a 'raked' look from the side, but wider rears typically look more agressive from the back. As for handling, wider rear tires give more mechanical grip, thereby shifting balance towards understeer. How this works exactly with the xi AWD setup, I'm not sure.

You guys helped me out... thanks! As much as I want an agressive look, understeer and road wander do not sound very fun. Looks like I might go with 17X8 wheels all the way around with 225/45-17 S-03's.

I really like these wheels: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/DisplayWheel.jsp?wheelMake=Mille+Miglia&wheelModel=MM11-2+Sport&wheelFinish=Bright+Satin+Sil+Paint

I think they would look good with my jet black sedan.

 

[Clem]

Care ful with Mille Miglias, with 17s you might be ok, but my buddy with 18x8 Evo5s is on his 7th wheel.

Why not look at ACS Type 3s in 17"x8.5" light and look good, or even a BBS wheel

 

[Kaz]

Care ful with Mille Miglias, with 17s you might be ok, but my buddy with 18x8 Evo5s is on his 7th wheel.

7?! :yikes: :yikes:

Does your buddy do rallying with em or do they really suck that badly?

The only times I or any of my friends bent a wheel was during (accidental) off-road excursions or smashing em against a curb. Not even from the crappy-ass LA City roads.

 

[Clem]

7?! :yikes: :yikes:

Does your buddy do rallying with em or do they really suck that badly?

We've hit the same roads and potholes (me riding on 18x8.5" ACS Type 3s, I've never had a problem)

Personally I thnk it's the way he drives. But you never know it could be those wheels in particular or just manufacturer.

In the end you get what you pay for.

 

[Mystikal]

Hey, the Satin version of my wheel!

Mine are only 16's, so I can't really comment on the strength. The sidewall is still 50 so I doubt they are in nearly as much stress as 18's with most likely 40 or 35 aspect ratios.

I agree that BBS or SSR make the absolute best wheels on the market, but I just can't justify spending that much money.

Here's a pic of my car soon after mounting the wheels:

 

[Spiderm0n]

Hey, the Satin version of my wheel!

Thanks for posting the pic! Gave me a good idea what they would look like. One plus with these wheels is that you can use the BMW wheel caps (as you did). Still not sure what I will get yet...