Tire Help

V

v8z4

Member
 Fountain Hills, AZ
I just purchased a set of CS7 (CSL replicas) for my 2003 Z4. Currently I have the factory 225/45/17s on all four corners. I'm running 10mm spacer in the front and 20mm spacers in the rear with studs all around.

The CS7s are:
Front - 18x8 with 45mm offset
Rear - 18x9 with 48mm offset

So now I need help picking tires.

I'm inclined to go with:
Front - 245/35/18
Rear - 275/30/18

My reasoning is that these sizes:
a) give me some extra grip
b) are a standard size with lots of options


But I'm not really sure what to do. I could always go with Z4M width (225 front/255 rear) but it seems a lot of M guys step up to 245/265.

Beyond size, I need help picking the brand/actual tire I use. First off, NO RUN FLAT TIRES! I'm only looking at "summer"/dry weather tires as I never drive in snow (I live in the AZ desert) and it only rains 5 our of 365 days of the year. Would rather avoid the super exotic/expensive tires as this is a daily driver.

Thanks,
Chris
 
v8 ...
Go to the Tire Rack web site ...
Do a search for tires for your model.
They will direct you to their Best Sellers as well as a Tire Decision Guide.

When you view the tires ..at the bottom of each is Additional Tire Info ...
Click on Specs ...
You will see a chart of every tire from that manufacturer's model.
You will discover stuff like the rim widths required, weight, tread width etc, but the most important is the overall diameter.
If you are still confused ...
Call their 1 800 phone number... I talked with Rudy Riedel and he is very familiar with BMWs and was a great help.
Delivery of my tires and rims to Canada was only 5 days to my front door. Amazing considering that there was an international border to cross.

I think the only thing you really have to decide upon is what you plan to use your Zed for? In my case it was not for track use, but as a light touring / vacation car. Im 60 and recently retired so my days of burning rubber ...well lemme think about that one again.

I have Michelin Pilot Super Sports ..A bit on the expensive side but well worth it, even for my intended use. 225 35 18 on front and 255 30 18 on the back.
Hopefully someone here can comment on the larger sizes you are considering.

Good luck
Bumpy in Canada
 
I have been all over Tire Rack.... so much so that my eyes are going cross.....

At this point the issue is I have to many options and I don't really have a good way of narrowing them down further. Because my car is a daily driver/weekend canyon carver, I have a general idea but could use some more 1st hand experience.

Is your Z an M or non-M? How do you like the 225/255 combination?
 
My Zed is an 08 3.0si with Sport Suspension and staggered 18 wheels
Actually I used the Bridgestone RFT's on a tour from Toronto to Prince Edward Island (East Coast) through New England.
Last day was 1200 kms in just over 12 hours. (I told you I am 60 right)
I put the stock rims and tires just because they are run flats and I was very pleased with the ride and sound.

My every day summer tires are the Michelin Pilot Super Sports on Lorenzo 21's (not 21 inch rims ..that's the model number)
Those were very highly recommended by Rudy and they are very good. They are superior handling if you like to carve the corners.
Plus they are significantly wider than the Bridgestones.

Winter tires are Michelins on 17 inch Moda 14 rims ...225 45 17 ..(maybe 40 - Ill check tomorrow)

I understand your confusion ..Ive been there
Be patient and wait for someone with real world experience with those larger sizes.
Grip is a factor of softer rubber. You sacrifice tread wear with that ...
In my experience the bigger the tire ,,the bigger the headache in the long run..

I am pleased with my 225 / 255 combination
 
You listed your size as 225/35/18 and 255/30/18. Are those numbers correct? I looked up those tire sizes on tire rack and there were zero results.

I had calculated needing 225/40/18 and 255/35/18 (off I do the 225/255 combo), which I see listed in the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. They are certainly within my range (I said $800-$1000 for 4 tires) so if they are really good performers, they certainly go on my list of possibles.

Thanks for the input. Every little bit helps.
 
You could use 235/40-18 front and 265/35-18 rear for non-///M's. There is a lot of choice with that combo. One tire to consider is the Continental Extreme Contact DW. Excellent grip, progressive, and reasonable in price for a hi-performance summer tire. I run these on my ///M in a different size and am well pleased with them.

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is also made in that size combo and will cost about $200 more and if you want the best that would be the way to go.
 
You make an ol' man climb downstairs to confirm his tire size ..Hhhmmph
Yup
225 40 18, 255 35 18
So you were right and I should have checked first..

What WLH said ...
About the 235 / 265
And the Contis are recommended by many.

Best of luck with your decision

Bumpy
 
Thanks all. After the replies and then reading different reviews/tests, I have decided to go with the Michelin Pilot Super Sports in 235/265. They seem to be very good performers and readily available, while not being SUPER expensive. Now I'm just waiting for my rims to show up..... uhhhhhhh....I feel like a kid waiting for... oh hey its almost Christmas :P
 
V8 - I put the Michelin Super Sports on a few months ago, dropping the run flats. Nothing but good things to say. Very predictable in the aggressive situations and the give a lot of confidence because of this behavior. Not much snow here in Santa Barbara, so I think they are a great choice for our climate. Might as well have the best!
 
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