Biggest Tires for stock e36 rims

stupenal · 07-16-2002, 03:45 PM

I currently have 205/60/15 on all 4 of my stock e36 rims. The car is a 1992 325i. I'm in dire need of replacing the rear tires because they are bald beyond belief. LIke, if i drive over a manhole, the rear end will fishtail. Anyways, I'm also looking for a set a really quiet tires with decent performance. I was looking at the Yokohama AVS dB which are rated decent at tirerack.com. Any other recommendations? Think 225 will fit in the rear? Thanks

jenmcd · 07-16-2002, 07:46 PM

Check with the tire rack on tire sizing. I do believe that 225's will work with your rims. Just find the width (should be stamped on the inside the rim). I figure if my 914 can handle 195's (165's are stock) yours can also be bumped up. As far as tires go...how much do you have to spend and are these for street only or do you DE?? S03's are good but $$$.

Keith

stupenal · 07-17-2002, 08:32 PM

I called up one of those tire chain stores today and they quoted me $72 including installation per tire for Yokohama AVS intermediates. They also said i can go up to 225, but it'd have to be 225/55. I couldn't find any yokos in that size with such a good price to performance, so i'll just stick with stock size. I'm not a DE or autox person, just one who loves to enjoy my car more than a daily driver. So, i'm thinking on getting the avs intermediates. Too bad the punk on the line didn't call me back when he went to go check inventory. Oh wells, i'll call back tomorrow.

Blackfoot · Blackfoot's Garage

funny you should post this now, i just received my yoko avs db's from tirerack yesterday, having them installed at 11 this morning. will let you know.

stupenal · 07-20-2002, 09:09 AM

shoot, well, i already ordered avs intermediates instead because they were about $20 cheaper per tire. Total is $157 including tax, installation, and all this service from them yada yada at america tire co. How hard is it to put the tires on yourself??? I think I could've saved a good $40 if I knew how.

Blackfoot · Blackfoot's Garage

in my observation after 3 days of driving, the db's are exactly what yoko markets them to be: a quiet tire that grips very well for a low-price, all-season offering. i notice hearing more wind noise than before...that's because the new tires make less road noise than my old dunlops. also a pleasant surprise is the somewhat stiff sidewall, which helps during hard cornering. good deal for $67/tire.

Quote:

Originally posted by stupenal
How hard is it to put the tires on yourself??? I think I could've saved a good $40 if I knew how.

hmmm, assuming you and your friend(s) could get them on, how would you propose to balance the tires?

stupenal · 07-23-2002, 12:03 AM

Well, I'm glad your dBs are working out. My tires were installed today (AVS intermediates) and the road holding on these are pretty impressive. What a difference new tires can make on both ride quality and handling!!! The car feels totally different, as if I changed the entire suspension setup. Tirerack is selling them at $49 a pop, can't beat that with a baseball bat!

As for the installation thing, I just kinda thought you were going to install them yourself, prompting me to wonder exactly how it could be done in an economically efficient manner.....

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

I only know of two ways to DIY tire installation.

The first is to spend large chunks of change on a proper tire mounting machine--or smaller (but still sizeable) chunks on a "hobbyist" type that is only so-so.

The second is to follow the methods that John Muir outlines in his VW "Idiot Book", which involve crowbars and hammers and large implements of destruction. They were intended for tough (and very cheaply replaceable, at the time!) steel wheels, and I'm guessing that you won't be happy the first time something slips and gouges the heck out of your $1600+ set of wheels.

Again, there seem to be two ways to go with balancing the tires. Get the big-bucks pro-type equipment (or the less-effective "hobbyist" stuff), or follow Muir. Muir's method was to put the wheel on the hub and bolt it down. Then spin the wheel and note where it came to rest. Put a little bit of weight at the top part of the wheel, then repeat. Note that friction can and will skew your results... Probably OK for an old hippie Bug or Bus, but I don't think I'd want to go "canyon carving" on a set of wheels balanced like that.

--DD