Change to 17" wheels from 19" on 3.0i sDrive?

I

ianl

Member
Hi,
Hopefully picking up our new 2010 3.0i E89 next weekend. I have to let my wife drive it occasionally, lol, and she is notorious for crashing up, down and into curbs. She has absolutely ruined the 19" alloys on our F11 330D. The car is coming with some aftermarket 19" alloys, which are quite ugly, so I want to change them anyway. She who must be obeyed wants me to put on 17" alloys. I am not against this, and I know the looks won't be as good as 18", but will the handling suffer much? I'm no racing driver but I don't want a big effect on the handling.

The car originally had style 296 so were 8x19 at the front and 9x19 at the rear. There aren't many 17" staggered available, but style 161 is 8x17 and 8.5x17 on the rear, so might be okay? I will go for non-runflats.

Any advice would be appreciated, although I am unlikely to change the wife or be able to teach her how to park. :)

Ian
 
17" really are small. So, since your wife is going to kerb whatever you put on, go to 18" but with tyres that give good rim protection.

Continental do, I believe.
 
There’s too much gap and tyre on 17’s on an E89

18’s a happy medium with a set of properly fitted rim protectors on the wheels and as mentioned a tyre with a rim protector built in.

Failing that buy her vouchers for an alloy refurb place for birthdays and Xmas and she’ll maybe be more careful :rofl:
 
Well if you are thinking of fitting 17s why do you need them to be staggered? I'm sure I've read somewhere that BMWs generally understeer more with staggered sizes.

I got a lovely square set of E89 Style 290 17 X 8J wheels from a forum member to replace the horrible OE ones my E90 330i came with (same engine as a 30i Z4) and with 225/45 tyres on I've never noticed any lack of grip!

18s may look better, but I'm not sure they fill the arches much more seeing as the tyres have a lower profile. :?

As Busterboo said it's well worth looking for tyres that offer better rim protection, and it might help to go up a size in width for a bit more protection - as in from a 225 to a 235, etc.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think rim protectors are a good look. :roll:

Anyway welcome to the forum, and good luck with whatever you decide to go for. :thumbsup:

And don't forget we'd like to see photos of your car once you have it!
 
I run both 17 Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 and 18 Zito 935 staggered wheels both with Conti tyres...

The ride is definitely the best on 17 and subjective handling I would say that they are as good overall..17 better on poor surfaces 18 better on smooth surfaces..what a surprise..

Mine is a MSport with OE springs and Bilstein B8 dampers..

Once you go down from 19 most quality wheels with decent tyres should take most potholes etc..17” will always have the edge..that’s why I use them for the winter when the really big potholes tend to appear..
 
Thanks for all the replies. I need to think about this more as she is convinced 17" will mean she is less likely to kerb them as there will be more rubber. I'm having two new tyres on the F30 fitted on Wednesday (due to bulges), Michelin Pilot Sport 4, which I believe have some rim protection built in. I'll see how much protection they could offer as this may help me decide.

Mr Tidy asked me why I wanted "staggered". Well, I didn't know what that meant until the other day, so I just thought as the original wheels (style 296) were staggered I should keep them the same. No other reason.

Cheers.
 
ianl said:
Thanks for all the replies. I need to think about this more as she is convinced 17" will mean she is less likely to kerb them as there will be more rubber. I'm having two new tyres on the F30 fitted on Wednesday (due to bulges), Michelin Pilot Sport 4, which I believe have some rim protection built in. I'll see how much protection they could offer as this may help me decide.

Mr Tidy asked me why I wanted "staggered". Well, I didn't know what that meant until the other day, so I just thought as the original wheels (style 296) were staggered I should keep them the same. No other reason.

Cheers.
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Well 17 inch with continentals or Goodyear asymmetric both have good rim protectors....

The other issue with kerbing is that some designs of alloy wheels ask for punishment as parts of the design stick well outboard and will be the first to contact the kerb...

So for example my Pro Race 1.2 design have a ‘tucked in’ design where the wheel material is mostly inboard leaving the tyre to take the initial contact...

No design of wheel / tyre will protect from the ‘lets gently engage with the kerb to see where it is’ done repeatedly...

Another positive for 17 on kerbingis that compared to the 19 the rubber stretches another inch up the side to help the kerbing...

E89s came with staggered wheels in all diameters 17/18/19 as standard..

For road use by normal people I’ve not seen any negatives on asymmetric set ups for E89s...or on the other hand for square set ups..save on more powerful E89s bigger rear boots are helpful to contain the power..

All IMHO..
 
Buy her a set of 17s, along with a jack and a wheel brace.
Tell her if she wants to use the car then she has to first fit 'her' wheels.
Maybe then he'll learn to be a little more caring for the alloys :rofl:
 
enuff_zed said:
Buy her a set of 17s, along with a jack and a wheel brace.
Tell her if she wants to use the car then she has to first fit 'her' wheels.
Maybe then he'll learn to be a little more caring for the alloys :rofl:
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Let me know how that works out for you! lol

But really, how hard is it?
 
BadgerDog said:
enuff_zed said:
Buy her a set of 17s, along with a jack and a wheel brace.
Tell her if she wants to use the car then she has to first fit 'her' wheels.
Maybe then she'll learn to be a little more caring for the alloys :rofl:
Click to expand...
Let me know how that works out for you! lol

But really, how hard is it?
Click to expand...

Oh, I cheated and bought my better half her own Z. :wink:
 
enuff_zed said:
BadgerDog said:
enuff_zed said:
Buy her a set of 17s, along with a jack and a wheel brace.
Tell her if she wants to use the car then she has to first fit 'her' wheels.
Maybe then she'll learn to be a little more caring for the alloys :rofl:
Click to expand...
Let me know how that works out for you! lol

But really, how hard is it?
Click to expand...

Oh, I cheated and bought my better half her own Z. :wink:
Click to expand...
HAHA, thats one way to do it! Mine drives a Cooper S. She has taste, too! ;-)
 
Most women don't find the need with cars to have bragging rights ,unlike most men.She will find the Z4 a lot more pleasant to adrive on todays roads in the UK with 17in non runflats.I have amended this post to add most :D
 
My 2010 3.0l e89 came with 225/17/45 all round which was the standard set up before the MSport was released, once the rears needed replacing I fitted them with winter tyres and then purchased a set 18” wBBS CK’s shod with 225/18/40 Goodyear F1’s which looked so much better and remain a comfortable ride.
 
I have OEM 17" wheels on my 3.0i but I also have the car lowered on Eibach springs. I think it is the best overall compromise between comfort and looks. I actually think the BMW 18" wheels are not as nice as the 17 or 19s.
 
montymoore said:
I have OEM 17" wheels on my 3.0i but I also have the car lowered on Eibach springs. I think it is the best overall compromise between comfort and looks. I actually think the BMW 18" wheels are not as nice as the 17 or 19s.
Click to expand...

LOL I went with 18s in the end.
 
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