fitting narrower rear tyres z3 ?

[ANDREW HUGHES]

Hello everyone,

I have a stock 2000 z3 2.0 6 cylinder.
with stock 16" alloys which I want to keep.
the rear tyres are up for replacement they are 225/50 R16.
They seem to look "fat" on the rear wheels would like a less bloated look to the tyres.

Is it possible to fir a narrower tyre or is it a case of a diffierent style/make of tyre ?
Or is it a complete no stick to the same size ?

 

[Ianmc]

As you note, 225/50 R16 is the recommended tyre for the 16" wheel on the Z3. I personally stay with OEM sizes, as the wheels/car was designed to work with them. Others may have experience of differing sizes, but larger rather than smaller (less grip?) I think is the favoured route.

 

[Geophys]

The 'look' of the tyre is very secondary to its function which is to keep you alive by gripping the tarmac. If BMW decided that a 225 was the minimum needed for safety, then I personally would not wish to go smaller. Mine runs on 245/40/17 on the rear.

 

[ANDREW HUGHES]

decision made stay as is.
many thanks

 

[bp;ptxus]

Hello everyone,

I have a stock 2000 z3 2.0 6 cylinder.
with stock 16" alloys which I want to keep.
the rear tyres are up for replacement they are 225/50 R16.
They seem to look "fat" on the rear wheels would like a less bloated look to the tyres.

Is it possible to fir a narrower tyre or is it a case of a diffierent style/make of tyre ?
Or is it a complete no stick to the same size ?

Did you check BMWs range specs for the 16s? I remember seeing a Table somewhere on the internet, where the combo options on wheels and tyres were shown

 

[NZ00Z3]

I know that I'm late to the party (international times). There are a couple of 2.2L Z3's around here running 205/55/16 tyres, same rolling diameter as the 225/50/16. No issues with loss of traction as they don't drive silly. Reason for fitting the smaller tyres is that there are more options when purchasing new ones and the prices are cheaper.

 

[Dino D]

You can lower the profile for similar effect.

A 2.8 on 225 has plenty of grip so I really don’t see you overwhelming a 205 with the mighty 2.0.
Will make for a more entertaining drive if you press on though I’m sure.
The much more powerful e30 325i, 333i and 327i models all run 205’s.

They fitted 225 to things like a e36 330i which has 230bhp..

Have you seen the biscuits that the i8 and i3 run these days, amazing how they even stay straight!