I recently purchased Michelin Pilot Sport AVS tires for a '93 with the 17" throwing star rims. I got 235/45-17 all the way around, going on what Tire rack said. I was reading some old threads and am now under the impression that this is not what the car had originally when it was sold in 1993; that it had larger tires in the rear. Those being, 255/40-17. Is that correct? Have I made a mistake in buying the same size all around? Should I go buy that size in the rear? Unfortunately though, I can not seem to find anything on tire rack with those specifications. Help would be great apperciated!
Tyre-sizes have been widely discussed before , so you might be lost a bit , here goes ;
when your car is a original american car = 3.6 l , 235 all around whas standard.
when your car is import? = 3.8 l , 235 all around whas standard.
when 3.8l M5 had the nurnburgring optionpack , then ,235 front , 255 back ; this as part off the pack .
(manuelly overrideswitch for edc setting , wider rear wheels , 1mm thicker rearbar )
In your case there is a simple way off establishing the right size for just have a look at the size off the wheels , cause they would predict your needed tiresize ; 8 or 9 inch for 235 or 255 .
{since a pre-owner might have put aftermarket wheels on non NBpack car (popular change)}
When car is 95 M5 model (build from 8-9/94 ?), 18" parallel where fitted .
Imho , (flamesuit on ) the car behaves best with same size all around ( min. understeer)
And , I would be surprised if tire-rack got it wrong , the diff. in wheel-size being so obvious when actually fitting them with tyres .
Are the 18's definately 8's on the rear for the 1995 M parallel. If so Tyre sales have probably @#**ed up the balancing. The print out I just got from the wheel balancer was 18 - 9 @ 30MPH & 70MPH.
M5 powered
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1995 M5 Limited Edition (02/50)Rosso Red
Pilot Sport 2 Rubber
Valentine One With Conceal
Twin Head LRC100 IR Jammer System
Origin Blue B2 GPS
Sadly, I don't have the answer to your question, Powered. Do you know if I put 18s on my '93 US spec if I'll get an inaccurate reading on my speedometer?
Are the 18's definately 8's on the rear for the 1995 M parallel. If so Tyre sales have probably @#**ed up the balancing. The print out I just got from the wheel balancer was 18 - 9 @ 30MPH & 70MPH.
M5 powered
AFAIK the late '94 and'95 models with the 18" M-Parallels were 18x8 up front with 18x9 at the rear . . . BUT with 245/40 Z18 tyres all round (the 255/265 profile tyres were optional).
__________________ "If you're not producing skidmarks you're not trying hard enough"
I'll check with BMW in the morning to clear this up but I guess you are right. 265/35/18s were a cost option then?? Never knew that! Were the front then 235 /40/18 with this or still 245/40/18?
Regards
M5 powered
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1995 M5 Limited Edition (02/50)Rosso Red
Pilot Sport 2 Rubber
Valentine One With Conceal
Twin Head LRC100 IR Jammer System
Origin Blue B2 GPS
Not to be contrary, but a 265mm width tire was never specified by the factory for use on these cars. Models equipped with the Nuerburgring package (as mine is) were shod with 255/40 R17's on the rear -- just check the owner's manual for confirmation.
While it is certainly possible to mount the wider rubber on the 9" rears, I don't really recommend it. Most folks (especially in the US) still equate wide tires with a high performance car, and the logic seems to suggest that the wider, the better. The problem with this is that all of this increased grip in the straightaways comes at the expense of stability in the corners. That detracts from the perfectly balanced handling of the M5, and really offers nothing in return except for a "cooler look." Even BMW came to this conclusion late in the run when they changed the setup in 1995 to 245/40 R18s all the way around. (Some feel that this indicated that even the factory 235 front/255 rear combination was unecessary.)
Sure, you can slap 265's on the car and feel good about it, but if you plan on really wringing the car out as Munich intended (as I have done on the N'Ring), I think the wisest course of action is to stay with the "optional" factory setups: 235 45R17s up front, and 255/40R17s behind you.
Chuck
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1993 Euro ///M5 (Daytona Violet)
Tire Mistake?
Linear Mode
