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Wheels & Tyres FAQ- please read before posting

112K views 258 replies 102 participants last post by  marco_polo 
#1 ·
Wheels and Tyres
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Updated: 1 May 2007

Introduction

Hi everyone. Members are often asking the same questions on wheels and tyres so I have compiled the following FAQ for this topic based on what members have posted.

1. What are the standard wheel and tyre sizes for BMW 1er?

7JX16 ET:44 .......... for 205/55/16 tyres
61/2JX16 ET:42 ..... for 195/55/16 tyres

7JX17 ET:47 .......... for 205/50/17 tyres
71/2JX17 ET:47 ..... for 225/45/17 tyres (only rear)

71/2JX18 ET:47 ..... for 205/45/18 tyres (front)
8JX18 ET:49 .......... for 225/40/18 tyres (rear)

2. What do the different BMW OEM 1er wheel styles look like?

See this .

3. What is the stud pattern for the 1er?

pcd is 5/120

4. Can I replace my RunFlat Tyres ("RFT") with conventional non RFTs on my BMW OEM wheels?

This is a highly contentious issue. From a practical perspective, the answer is yes, however 1er owners should satisfy themselves regarding:

a. Your BMW warranty. It appears that using non RFT at least voids your BMW warranty in relation to anything related to the use of non RFTs.

b. Your insurance. ie that your insurance company does not consider using non RFT on a 1er to be a modification which voids or otherwise creates an exception to your policy. The general consensus appears to be that non RFT are not considered a modification to your 1er that changes your insurance.

c. Legal requirements. Are there any relevant legal requirements in your jurisdiction to carry equipment to deal with any flat? Regardless, owners should consider how to deal with flats from a practical point of view.

d. Your safety. Cars fitted with RFT generally have greater control after any (especially sudden) loss of tyre pressure at speed.

The run flat tyre indicator works fine with non RFT as the 1er uses an . Don't forget to reset it per the 1er owners manual.

5. OK, I've decided to get non RFT- what do I do about any flat tyres?

Try using the BMW Mobility Kit (see ) or use a similar third party product.

6. I cannot find 18" non RFT that are identical to OEM spec- what can I use?

Widest specs that keep the speedometer as accurate as possible and understeer/oversteer bias with no guard rubbing is 225 40 18 front and 245 35 18 rear (see ). Those wanting more oversteer bias may consider 225 40 18 for both front and rear.

7. Will 255 tyres fit on the rear?

Tyre manufacturers generally specify that 255 tyres are too wide for all wheels up to and including 8" in width. However, TUV has certified some 255 tyres for use with 8" wide wheels. See . Members generally report no rubbing issues for 255 tyres on the standard BMW 18" 208M wheels.

8. What tyres should I use?

Depends on your priorities. See for a recent tyre comparison using the 3er.

9. What non RFT are BabyBMW members putting on their 1ers?

Pirelli P Zero Rosso
225 40 18 and 255 35 18 (Roofer)
225 40 18 both front and rear (Vasalis, )

Continental Contact Sport 2
205 50 17 and 225 45 17 ( and )
225 40 18 and 245 35 18 (Iwant1)
225 35 19 and 235 35 19 (minfred)

Michelin PS2
225 40 18 both front and rear (Ghibbett and Woms)

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
225 40 18 and 245 35 18 (Scottie)

Yokohama Advan Sport
215/45/18 and 235/40/18 (kompey)

Michelin Primacy HPZP
225 45 17 and 225 45 17 (Juancarslim)

Falken 452
235/35/19 and 265/30/19 (aponting389)

Dunlop SportMaxx
235/40/19 both front and rear (atmosphere)

Toyo T1R
225 45 17 both front and rear (oreo)

Michelin Pilot Preceda (PP2)
205/50/17 and 225/45/17 ()

Pirelli Dragon
225/40/18(88 ) front on 208M 7.5-inch (serpent1)
255/35/18(94) rear on 208M 8.0-inch (serpent1)

10. Where can I find more info about tyres?


I'm happy to add any other questions which the forum is able to work out so hopefully we can make this a fairly comprehensive document that will be useful to all. Please post specific edits as a reply to this topic and I will amend the above based on what is accepted.

As always on BabyBMW.net, all care was taken when compiling this information but people should satisfy themselves whether this is indeed appropriate for them before acting on the same.

Thanks to all who contributed to this info and helped me compile it. Any errors/omissions please let me know.

cheers
130girl :)
 
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#156 ·
Thanks Marco
Have pulled the trigger on 4 pirelli P zeros, being fitted on Tuesday. £400 fitted. Staying on runflats because the wife uses the car too and feels safer with them. She has the P Zero on her Mini and they feel like normal tyres compared to my Bridgestones which feel rock hard and tramline.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#157 ·
Had my Pirelli's put on after a battle getting the locking wheel nuts off.
They broke one locking adaptor and in the end destroyed the wheel nut getting it off.
I picked up 4 new studs from BMW and dropped them in instead. Don't want that kind of hassle ever again.
Pirelli's feel very squirmy at the moment until they scrub off a bit.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#159 ·
Hi,

I've a 118d M-Sport with 205/50R17 fronts and 225/45R17 rears.
However, I'm struggling to find a 205/50 for the front and reading the last few posts, Marco suggested that settling for a 225/35 R17 all round would be fine?
Could someone confirm I've understood this correctly, and if anyone has experience of this could they comment of the effect this has on steering?

JEM2369
 
#167 ·
I've seen several members posting up wheels and tyres on the forum and due to lack of knowledge always ended up asking or checking to see if the respective item would fit, as a result and without going through each page I managed to find an answer as follows: -

Rim offset, Wheel size & track - What does that mean?

Wheel Markings: - on the inside of your wheel, you will find markings similar to this: - 6 ½ J x 15 H2 5/120 ET39

Let's see what each of these symbols mean.

6 ½: - Inner width of wheel in inches (6 ½ x 25.4mm= 152.4mm).

J: - Indicates the shape of the wheel on the place where the tyre bead sits on the wheel.

x: - Indicates that the construction of the wheel is one-piece.

15: - Nominal wheel diameter in inches (15 x 25.4mm= 381mm).

H2: - Type of wheels flange. Wheels flange is a bulge on the wheel in the place where the tyre bead lies on the wheel. It prevents the tyre from falling inside of the wheel.

5/120: - First number is the number of bolts (in our case 5). The number 120 indicates the so-called PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter) which is the diameter of an imaginary circle drawn through the centre hole of the screws on which the wheel is mounted.

ЕТ39: - ET is the offset, that is the distance between the centerline of the wheel and the plane of the hub-mounting surface of the wheel. The offset is measured in millimetres and can be positive or negative. In our case it is positive: 39 mm.

Hope this helps other people.

dorsetred :cool2:

EDIT: By moderator, to save confusion.
 
#168 ·
Ive read every post in this topic on what tires i should get for my new rims.
Still not sure tho, iv picked up some styling 180s 7.5j front 8j back.
My car is not lowered and have no intention to do so in the future, now a friend told me that i should get 225/40/18 all around then.
The chart on my doorpanel says: Front 205/45/18 or 215/40/18
Back 225/40/18 or 245/35/18
I just want to know what will look best. :?
Thx
 
#169 ·
Can someone confirm if I was to put 225/45 on the front and 235/45 on the rears will it mess up the sensors?
It's currently on 205/50 front and 225/45 rear so surely it's just the same as it has a staggered size already?

According to the garage that was about to fit them there bmw tech guy says it will trigger the sensors and the speedo will be out.

Any help appreciated
 
#170 ·
ian_h said:
Can someone confirm if I was to put 225/45 on the front and 235/45 on the rears will it mess up the sensors?
It's currently on 205/50 front and 225/45 rear so surely it's just the same as it has a staggered size already?

According to the garage that was about to fit them there bmw tech guy says it will trigger the sensors and the speedo will be out.

Any help appreciated
Reset the TPMS once fitted, and it will be fine.

The speedo will be a tiny bit more accurate (by 1.3% ).
 
#171 ·
Hi Newbie here. I have looked through the FAQ but still have a query. I recently picked up my M240i and had 19" Double-Spoke 405M fitted as part of the M performance kit. I still have the original 18" wheels with tyres but I am looking for some winter tyres to put on the original wheels for when the weather gets really bad. I have 2 queries.
1, Do you have to tell the car when you put the 18" wheels on or is it just fit?
2, Does anyone have recommendations for winter tyres to fit the 18"s?
Ian H M240i Mineral Grey
 
#172 ·
IanM240i said:
1, Do you have to tell the car when you put the 18" wheels on or is it just fit?
2, Does anyone have recommendations for winter tyres to fit the 18"s?
Ian H M240i Mineral Grey
1) You need to reset the TPMS per the manual, but that's it.
2) I usually recommend 225/40/18 92v front, and 235/40/18 95v for the back (245/35 are silly money). Matched brands, quality tyres. I like Nokians for winters, Conti's are popular too.
 
#174 ·
@IamM240i - I looked at this option and all I could find were the Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie-II to fit the original offset wheel sizes (18" 7.5J front, 8J rear). Of course, these aren't cheap but I had them on my 330d xDrive and they were very good: they handled well in warmer conditions and were still great in snow. Be careful about Runflat versus non-runflat versions - some of the cheaper prices are for non-runflats (fine if that's your choice, but easy to miss). It was a close-run thing, but in the end, I opted for new wheels from an independent dealer with square 17" 7.5J all-'round carrying the Pirelli Sottozero S3. BMW also do a number of winter sets (wheels +tyres) for the M240i but these are all around £1500-£1800 (!) It has to be said that replacing the tyres alone is a lot cheaper, although the narrower width (7.5J) and diameter (17") rears noticeably reduced the tendency to aquaplane in deep water.
 
#176 ·
I have a 116i SE with 205/55/R16 tyres. It says it is compatible with 205/55R16 V 91 and 225/45R17 W 91
What is the reason for installing 225s?

I have a major problem with my new tyres...I just replaced my run flats (Pirelli 205/55R16 W) with non run flats Goodyear Efficiency Grip 205/55R/16 91V and they are terrible.
At the recommended pressures 2.0 front and 2.2 rear they are so soft that i feel no road and steering requires 200% input.
So i put in a few Psi extra and now the ride feels the same as run flats and the steering is still terrible and not precise. I can be driving along and the steering is so lose and has no feel to it.

What should I do? Go back to Pirelli 205/55/R16W and sell the goodyears to a part worn...I would like to try other non run flats like Michelin but I don't want to risk wasting money.

Thanks
 
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