e46 M3 Tire Sizing Thread

[Nihilation]

Found a post by Apex Race Parts showing 285/30/18 squared on 10" wheels, et33 front and et25 rear. They stated the car was on Ground Control coilovers.

[liam821]

Thanks Liam(EXTREMELY envious of the Phoenix Yellow)...so I’ll be a newbie next week, 02 TiNa, convert, manual w 63K, and will be adding new rubber. So what tire size is your personal recommendation ?

haha thanks! Yeah, like r4dr said, you should figure out the rim width first. Once you get your car let us know.

I'd guess 8.5" front and 10/10.5" rear. But knowing the wheel width is essential to picking what size tire.

+1

[r4dr]

I'd guess 8.5" front and 10/10.5" rear. But knowing the wheel width is essential to picking what size tire.

[Cb3319]

Don’t know just yet. Set to look/buy next week. Currently has 245/35/19 front and 285/30/19 rear.

[r4dr]

Cup 2s will also wear down before your eyes.

Cb3319 , what width are the wheels?

[Cb3319]

AND wheels are 19” SSR GT3s.

[Cb3319]

Titanium Ag, that is.

[Cb3319]

Thanks Liam(EXTREMELY envious of the Phoenix Yellow)...so I’ll be a newbie next week, 02 TiNa, convert, manual w 63K, and will be adding new rubber. So what tire size is your personal recommendation ?

[liam821]

Michelin Pilots vs Toyo Proxy XL...any experience?

I think you'll find that the Michelin's are the best tire you can put on the e46m3, period. If you want more performance, get Cup 2s, but for the best all-around not going to drive in the snow Pilot Sport 4Ss can't really be beaten.

[Cb3319]

Michelin Pilots vs Toyo Proxy XL...any experience?

[mtech9]

Ahh - this ruins my idea of putting my old 255 19s rears on my CSL wheels.

[crbws6]

Another potential DSC issue to watch out for is due to different sidewall stiffness front and rear. I recently had to install different rear tires which are softer than the older fronts. I was unable to match tires due to the older tires being out of production.

F: 245/35/19 Bridgestone RE-11(stiff) and R: 275/30/19 Firestone Indy 500 (soft). The delta in sidewall stiffness now generates enough yaw to activate the DSC on hard corners or sweepers with any bit of a bump. And this is without any perceptible tire slip.

[Albino09]

Is there a reason why 265/35/19 wouldn't work well for the rears? Seems to have a circumference that is closer to stock than 265/30/19, which seems to be a much more popular size.

While it is a good idea to stay close to OEM size for the speedometer's sake, what's more important is matching the diameters of all 4 wheels (or a close approximation thereof). The way our car's traction control works is by checking wheel speeds against one another. If the rear wheels see a higher speed than the fronts due to a diameter difference, the vehicle will cut power assuming there is wheel spin. If you plan on driving around with the VDC off all the time, you won't run into this issue.

[SP-1]

Is there a reason why 265/35/19 wouldn't work well for the rears? Seems to have a circumference that is closer to stock than 265/30/19, which seems to be a much more popular size.

[George Hill]

And there is also www.willtheyfit.com great source I use often.