15" BBS Wheels

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   I'm thinking of buying a set of these for my 320i se coupe (E30). I don't know what size of tyres to put on them. My car has standard suspension (not m-tech).

please help

thanks

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maximus Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member II Al 535i Sport Joined: 27-January-2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 196	Topic: 15" BBS Wheels Posted: 02-December-2003 at 14:48
	I'm thinking of buying a set of these for my 320i se coupe (E30). I don't know what size of tyres to put on them. My car has standard suspension (not m-tech). please help thanks

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Madrab Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member II Joined: 21-November-2003 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 569	Posted: 02-December-2003 at 15:22
	There are 2 main sizes, 195's and 205's that fit onto these 15" rims. The 195's are tighter and have less wall flex than the 205's have under cornering but obviously have a smaller contact patch. I fitted 195's after using 205's for a handling test and found the 195's better under cornering, the 205's handled better under heavier loads though. 195's are cheaper too!! Depends on the make of rubber too of course. Rob Edited by Madrab
	1990 E3o 325i Touring and she's definately a she! Pain in the ass sometimes but goes like a bunny :oD

kbannon Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group E39 525i Sport Individual Joined: 09-October-2002 Location: 64 Zoo Lane Status: Offline Points: 15508	Posted: 02-December-2003 at 16:12
	195s are taller so would have more wall flex if Im not mistaken. When I got my 320i 3 years ago it was shod with 195/65 on (kerbed) 15" BBS alloys. I eventually replaced these with wider but lower 205/55 tyres and the difference was unreal (so much so that there is very little oversteer ) but I do have better control (I believe)
	Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual

kbannon Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group E39 525i Sport Individual Joined: 09-October-2002 Location: 64 Zoo Lane Status: Offline Points: 15508	Posted: 02-December-2003 at 16:15
	I should have added that the benefit of the taller 195s was that they cushioned the car to an extent going over bumps.
	Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual

Matt318is Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06-November-2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 39	Posted: 02-December-2003 at 22:53
	not true although you have a taller 195 the tyre is narrower therefore it is pulled to an aquivalent if not lower profile than the 205's! (I know that is what happend on my old car's wheels) I am running on 205/55/15 BF Goodrich Profiler G tyres. There a midrange tyre but performs brilliantly, best tyres i have had and there only �60 a tyre.

rezaq Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member II Joined: 20-March-2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 248	Posted: 03-December-2003 at 07:52
	Whatever you do, dont buy a set of continental sport contacts as they have absolutely no control in the wet. I have had stunning results with pirelli p7000 and kumho ecsta supra 712. Remember the correct size for the BBS crossspokes is 205/55/15 - running 205/50's looks wrong (unless the cars really low) and 195/65's are just plain nasty. i have a spare set of bbs's in my conservatory.

JamesE30 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 03-December-2002 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 98	Posted: 03-December-2003 at 08:45
	I agree with that comment, Continental Sports Contacts are useless in the wet. I bought a set of re-conditioned 15" cross spokes with two half worn Sports Contacts on the front and I bought two new for the rear - absolutlely useless!! I read a tyre review a few months later and replaced the tyres with Yokohama A539's (205/55/R15), which cost me �65 a tyre. The improvement is amazing. Although, slightly softer, the tyres perform superbly in the dry and in the wet the car feels somewhat firmer on the road. Good Luck,

Kevin_E30_318iS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member II Joined: 14-December-2002 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 883	Posted: 03-December-2003 at 09:37
	Go for the 205/55 R15 tyres. As they are wider than 195s they look better on the car and also extend over the outer lip of the wheel, so help prevent kerbing
	Kevin_1990_318iS

Madrab Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member II Joined: 21-November-2003 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 569	Posted: 03-December-2003 at 13:49
	Hi Killian, gents, The 195's are not necessarily taller, this is determined by the profile of the the tire. If a 205 or a 195 both have a 60 profile then the sidewall is the same size. A profile is determined by the diameter of the wheel to avoid changing the manufacturers final drive ratio. A 14" wheel would ideally use a 60/70 profile, a 15" would use a 50/60, 16", 40/50... etc, this keeps the wheel's overall rolling centre diameter (centre of wheel to top of tire) the same so acceleration and top speed aren't altered. Quite agree though, the higher the profile the better ride (cushioning) it will give you. The lower the profile the better steering response but gives less warning that it's going to let go its grip. It is the width of the tire against the width of a wheel that can determin how a tire will perform on any given wheel size. With the 205's on a 6" BBS alloy the tire is slightly wider, the wall curves over the edge of the rim (looking down) so when the car corners there will tend to be more sideways flex in the wall (slip angle), ending up with more pressure on the contact patch. With a 195 the wall is almost vertical (how a tire is ideally designed to work) therefore less sideways flex and less pressure on the contact patch. The extra flex on a 205 is offset by the larger contact patch so there is little loss over the 195, that is why BMW can recommend both sizes for the BBS alloys. (on the sticker on my Tourers door pillar ) It really comes down to how a person feels with a given size but I must agree with Kevin, they do look better and avoid kerbing if you catch the tire first. Rob Edited by Madrab
	1990 E3o 325i Touring and she's definately a she! Pain in the ass sometimes but goes like a bunny :oD

Peter Fenwick Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Bavarian-Board Contributor Joined: 27-August-2003 Location: Lost somewhere in time... Status: Offline Points: 6484	Posted: 04-December-2003 at 09:50
	Rob, I agree with everything you say except tyre profile. The profile is a percentage of the width of the tyre, so for example a 195/50 tyre has a profile equal to 50% of 195mm, 97.5mm, and a 205/50 tyre, 50% of 205mm, 102.5mm. So a 205/60 and a 195/60 will not have the same height of tyrewall. This can be seen very clearly when you compare the wheels on my E36 with an Escort RST. My car has 225/50/16's and an RST has 195/50/15's. However the RST has a lot less tyre wall than my car despite the tyres both being 50 profile. You are right in what you say about decreasing the profile when you increase the wheel size to keep the same rolling radius. A friend of mine once changed the 205/50/15's on his car for biggers wheels with 205/50/16's and couldn't understand why the car was slower off the mark and the speedo was out.
	Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.

Madrab Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member II Joined: 21-November-2003 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 569	Posted: 04-December-2003 at 11:22
	Fair enough Peter, Totally agree with the mathematics/theory and didn't word it correctly. I was really trying to idicate that the difference in sizes/profile between tires, when it comes down to handling, is very little, the larger contact patch but slacker wall on the 205's balances out with the 195's stiffer wall but smaller patch. Ultimately I think it really comes down to tire maker/compound/pressures/tread pattern and personal choice between them. I stand/sit corrected. Rob
	1990 E3o 325i Touring and she's definately a she! Pain in the ass sometimes but goes like a bunny :oD

Madrab Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member II Joined: 21-November-2003 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 569	Posted: 04-December-2003 at 11:23
	Fair enough Peter, Totally agree with the mathematics/theory and didn't word it correctly. I was really trying to idicate that the difference in sizes/profile between tires, when it comes down to handling, is very little, the larger contact patch but slacker wall on the 205's balances out with the 195's stiffer wall but smaller patch. Ultimately I think it really comes down to tire maker/compound/pressures/tread pattern and personal choice between them. I stand/sit corrected. Rob
	1990 E3o 325i Touring and she's definately a she! Pain in the ass sometimes but goes like a bunny :oD

maximus Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member II Al 535i Sport Joined: 27-January-2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 196	Posted: 04-December-2003 at 21:39
	Hi razaq the spare wheels you got, are they 15", you want to sell them to me?

rezaq Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member II Joined: 20-March-2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 248	Posted: 10-December-2003 at 12:15
	Hi Maximus, Have a great set of BBS crossspokes with centre caps - they have loads of tread left on Continental Sport Contacts in the correct 205/55/15 size. I have never had to fill up with air since i've had them (2.5 years) which means the wheel rims are solid and seal well. They are literally stacked in my conservatory after I switched to 17's and I need rid. I don't think you are allowed to advertise on this site as everytime I do it gets removed!! I would sell them, and would want �250 for the set if I did. I am in the East London area. Edited by rezaq
	Reza Q BEng (Hons), MEng, MIEE 1991 320I SE Lux coupe, 145K 1990 325I Sport Auto, 143K 1988 M3, 65K

b318isp Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 10-October-2002 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 2057	Posted: 10-December-2003 at 13:57
	BTW, the contact patch area does not change (assuming air pressure is kept the same) - just the shape of it. Go with 205/55/15 and get a tyre with good wide grooves (as the width can accomadate them).