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[mgiglio2]

Not sure if this is a newbie question..but here goes. Bought my 335i sedan used with non staggered 18X8.5 CSL replicas. The tires were shot, so I bought 4 255/35 contiDW's. Big mistake, I should have realized 255's are way to wide for the front and now I'm having alignment issues. The car contantly pulls to the right due to road crown even after having BMW align it. (I've even posted about this in the suspension section) I know the best situation would be to buy new 18x8" CSL replicas and 235's for the front but between the vehicle purchase, new tires, and alignment, I'm low on cash. My question is, can I save some money and just buy narrower tires (running staggered tires on non-staggered wheels)? Forgive me if this is an obnoxious question but I'd really like some help, thanks.

[John_01]

What happens if you put the tyre pressure up to 40PSI? Does it make any difference?

Anyway theres no need to buy new rims. 235/40/18 is fine on 8.5" rims.

[mgiglio2]

Actually did this last night ^ good advice as it helped the alignment slightly, but the ride is harsh now, wouldn't want to drive like that every day.

[John_01]

mgiglio, What tires did you have before the problem occured? Were they 17" or 18"? I hope you won't end up buying new tires and then find the problem was caused by something else.

I think all 19" tires will have a tendency to give feedback through the steering wheel to some extent and you probably notice it more on a BMW due to less power assisted steering than on other brands. One of the problems is called tram-lining and it is generally worse on lower-profile, and especially wide tires. Hopefully you can get some expert advice about what is causing the problem on your car.

[cb4]

What are the offsets? I run a similar setup with 245/40s and it works perfect. I was thinking about running 255/35 square but decided against it. You should be fine by going to 245/40 or 235/40.

[cb4]

Originally Posted by cb4

What are the offsets? I run a similar setup with 245/40s and it works perfect. I was thinking about running 255/35 square but decided against it. You should be fine by going to 245/40 or 235/40.

I just ran the numbers and I am going to take back my statement about the 245/40s working well with the 255/35s in back. The diameter differences are pretty big between the two. You could do 245/35 up front. Not ideal, but works until you wear out the 255s and from there you could go to a 245/40 or 235/40 square tire setup.

[mgiglio2]

I'm sorry, not sure if I read your post correctly and I don't know much about offsets. I'm currently running 255/35's all around, and am thinking about going to 235/40's up front while keeping the 255/35's in the back. I think this is the setup BMW uses but they stagger the wheels as well, I'm only thinking about staggering the tires. Just wondering if this will be okay.

[cb4]

I think the OEM staggered setup is 225/40 up fron 255/35 for the rears. I think 235/40 in the front should be fine for you. The diameter difference between the fronts and rears would be .35 inches.

My suggestion was to go with 245/35s up front as the difference would be .28 inches and give you wider tires up front. your choice, but if it were me I would go with the 245/35s up front.

[John_01]

The difference in radius is very small, so I'd say its no problem. Visually, I think you will notice the width of the rear more than the small differience in radius.

If it was me, I'd get the alignment checked by a good independant shop that specialises in European cars and custom fitments. An alignment expert could probably give you a proper explaination of the problem, and advise you about best way to go about fixing it.

[VMRWheels]

225 or 235/40/18 fronts are a perfect size for a 8.5" front wheel. With that being said, there is no problem at all running a 255/35/18 in the rear with the same width wheel. OE BMW sizes do come in a 255/35/18 on a 8.5" wheel.

-Charles@VMRWheels