my experience with the 15" 16" &17 rims and conclusions..

[ge45ton]

I've changed the bushes and shocks on my M44 but only for Meyle and Sachs parts, nothing fancy. Although I still get a bit of body roll the car feels really well balanced and planted, the 1.9 suits me very well but even with this I get the odd speed warning from the passenger seat! Never driven one of the bigger engines or an MX, I'd love to have my Supersport back again, mad wee beastie...

 

[FRANKIE]

Wasn't exactly sure of the definition of 'tramlining' so I looked it up:
Tramlining
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For the rail-borne mode of transport, see Tramway (industrial).


Rain grooved road that can cause tramlining
Tramlining is the tendency of a vehicle's wheels to follow the contours in the surface upon which it runs. The term comes from the tendency of a car's wheels to follow the normally recessed rails of street trams, without driver input in the same way that the train does. The same effect is sometimes called Nibbling.

Tramlining can usually be blamed on tires, and its incidence depends greatly on the model of tire and its state of wear. Although not normally dangerous, at very high speeds it can become a source of instability.

Vehicles with large and wide low profile tires are more prone to the effects as well as vehicles which have wheels fitted that are larger than the manufacturers recommendation or have reinforced sidewalls. People who are relatively inexperienced with driving with this tendency will feel that they have to make continual course corrections and it is very easy to overcompensate the steering, which could potentially lead to veering off the road especially if the road is a narrow track/country road.

The effects of tramlining can be eased by subjecting the vehicle to an inspection and calibration of the wheels (i.e. a full geometry check) or replacing the tires with non-reinforced (soft sidewall) tires

 

[joey]

its just been wishbone bushes and wheels for me so far and I get constant speed alarms in the left ear!

this year will be doing thicker arb's a cold air intake and or a K&N filter and a remap..as well as renewing the ball joints and gradually the rest of the bushes for poly ones, will then look at front shocks and rear coil springs...may put skunkworks inserts in the subframe bushings..

 

[ge45ton]

wasn't sure about poly bushes so I went for Meyle HD ones, haven't done the arb's either. I had the front struts replaced by a local garage but did the rear ones myself, dead easy, didn't even have to remove the wheels just put the rear on ramps...
My next job is to do something with the rear handbrake shoes, and I've a spare set of wheels that I'm going to clean up sometime and the cold air intake sounds interesting too.

 

[zedonist]

That said, changing to H&R ARB's is maybe too much for a 1.9 (for normal driving).
But changing to 2.8 ARB's should be an improvement, but not a distruction of your comfort.

Regards, Koen

H&R are fine on a 1.9, I can vouch for that, other than the engine and wider track of a 2.8, they are identical cars, so will handle the same with H&R fitted, but behave different as standard due to different thickness ARB's

 

[Stormy_be]

Weight of the Zed:
Seats (25kg each)
Bumper brackets (about 25 kg each - rear is heavier, front is a little less)
Carpets including foam (humongous)

 

[Zephyr]

Reviving a very old thread now, but my tyres really need to be changed (they look like new as the car was parked for 10 years inside a garage, but are 11 years old, so I wouldn't want to risk driving anywhere with these).
The car (1.9 M pack) was ordered (according to the build sheet) with BBS RS 723 724 17x7.5j/8.5j et41/41 and has Contis 225/245 on it.
I can not make any critique on the handling or ride as the tyres are rubbish, so reading this thread I am quite worried that I may spend a lot of money and end with the wrong setup.
Should I look after a set of 16’ wheels and store the 17s? (I have to admit I really like them)
Is it that much of a difference that is worth spending for wheels and tyres instead putting new rubber to the one I have?
I am not a “fast” driver, never track the car and the Z is a “sunday drive” so not asking for the ultimate handling machine.
if the 17s are not totally wrong for the car I would prefer to keep them.

 

[Ianmc]

Seemingly, 15, 16 and 17 were available for the M44.

 

[Ianmc]

I think the 225 50R 16 work well with the car

 

[Zephyr]

My car among others has these options:
S263 17” inch wheels with mixed tyres
S209 25% differential lock
S704 M Sports Suspension
S719 Sports Edition
So I guess the first owner wanted to have a sporty handling (quite peculiar for an underpowered 1.9 car).
so far I have not noticed anything “abnormal” or “hard ride” issues so I just wonder how more comfortable could it be with the 16 inch wheels.

 

[Ianmc]

I would be inclined to fit a new set of decent matching tyres if you like the 17", as many do

 

[FRANKIE]

It often felt to me that when you went from 16" to 17" tires, you got half the rubber for twice the price.........hmmmm.........Frankie

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I'm running 17" Michelin pilot sports on my '01 3.0i. I was in a similar situation (replacing tires that had 4K miles on them but were over 10 years old). I talked to a "BMW guy" and he asked me some questions about how I like to drive (I like a spirited drive....like to push things a bit) and ultimately recommended the Michelins. I love them. Also, I do not notice any of the effects noted in the original post.