e46 M3 Tire Sizing Thread

[liam821]

Hello All! I recently rejoined the M3 ownership club, adding an E46 to my garage. It came with some CSL wheels, not sure if OEM or replicas but the tire sizes on the car now are a bit confusing as mounted.

275/30/19 in the front, 275/35/19 in the rear. I don't know the exact wheel sizes but this seems out of spec to me. Should I be putting the current fronts on the rear and getting 245/35/19 up front? Thoughts? Any help would be much appreciated!

Welcome! And congratulations. I'm going to assume it's running a square setup, that's why it has such a large tire in the front. So in a square setup, the front and rear wheels are the same. They look OEM from the pictures, but it can be hard to know for sure unless you inspect them closer.

There is nothing wrong with a square setup, that's what I run in my car, but it will tramline a bunch, and the front steering can be twitchy. Really, it's personal preference and driving style. If you want a more OEM driving experience, swap out the front wheels for a set of "front" sized ZCP/CSL wheels and a smaller 245 tire. I'm sure you'll have a line of people willing to trade you straight up.

[Jshowers72]

Hello All! I recently rejoined the M3 ownership club, adding an E46 to my garage. It came with some CSL wheels, not sure if OEM or replicas but the tire sizes on the car now are a bit confusing as mounted.

275/30/19 in the front, 275/35/19 in the rear. I don't know the exact wheel sizes but this seems out of spec to me. Should I be putting the current fronts on the rear and getting 245/35/19 up front? Thoughts? Any help would be much appreciated!

[liam821]

Also interested in hearing people's experience with this setup and whether their car is lowered.

You have to have the right suspension in the front for them to fit correctly. If you run a 6" spring, it's a high chance the lower spring perch will be right where the rim wants to be with a 10" wide rim. I had this problem, but swapped to a 5" spring, which raised the perch enough so everything fits nicely now.

[jsuen]

Hey all-

Has anyone run 275/40R18; all around, on E46 M3?

Offset will be standard setup for squared wheels - ET35 with spacers in the rear.

I did run 275/40R18 in the rear at one point and found them to be a tad too tall but never done them up front.

Also interested in hearing people's experience with this setup and whether their car is lowered.

[01 Carbonragtop]

It never ceases to amaze me as how fatty these rear rims and tires can be on these cars

[bavarian3]

Interesting point on the rolling diameter. Has anyone experienced any real world effects of this?

Although I'm changing these, I noticed my car came with 225/45 front 245/40 rear on stock 18's.

Based on this it the front would be taller than the rear. I haven't noticed any negative performance from dsc. It is an Mk20 if that matters.

[K-Dawg]

Personally, I'd spend the extra $150 for the Michelin PS4S before compromising on tire size.

Also, you'll notice that the 225/255 PS4S combo is available in two different flavors. The less expensive one with the load/speed ratings in parenthesis is the OE BMW Star tire.

[liam821]

Those will fit. For a stock car, I'd probably just stick with the stock tire size. Modern tires are already very grippy compared to the PS1/2s the car came with. CSL used a 235/265 if you want more tire for a stock car. The ECS1 in the 235/265 has plenty of grip for the street.

Edit: Another reason to keep the stock tires is the extra sidewall, tire profile - 40/35 vs 35/30 - for a little more ride comfort.

This. Depending on your rim size, I'd do 235/265 or 245/275. 235/265 is a nice street setup that tracks normally and has no weird tramlining.

[Hammerfang]

Appreciate the feedback, one of the other reasons I was looking at larger sizes is tire rack is out of the OEM size rear tires in the ECS2s

[Slideways]

Looking for some recommendations on tire sizing on a stock car and stock 19” wheels.

I’d rather use a slightly wider tire in front then 225 so am thinking of getting continental ECS2 tires in 245/35-19 & 275/30-19. Does anyone have experience running this tire at those sizes on a stock car? Unlikely I’d ever lower the car very much.

Those will fit. For a stock car, I'd probably just stick with the stock tire size. Modern tires are already very grippy compared to the PS1/2s the car came with. CSL used a 235/265 if you want more tire for a stock car. The ECS1 in the 235/265 has plenty of grip for the street.

Edit: Another reason to keep the stock tires is the extra sidewall, tire profile - 40/35 vs 35/30 - for a little more ride comfort.

[Hammerfang]

Looking for some recommendations on tire sizing on a stock car and stock 19” wheels.

I’d rather use a slightly wider tire in front then 225 so am thinking of getting continental ECS2 tires in 245/35-19 & 275/30-19. Does anyone have experience running this tire at those sizes on a stock car? Unlikely I’d ever lower the car very much.

[MTiz]

Chiming in with my wheel and tire setup since I didn't see it under the recommended section.

BBS LM
19x9
19x10
ET27 all around
PS4S 245/35/19
Cup2 265/35/19

Love the meaty look of this setup, definitely rides a lot better than my former stock 225/255 19's setup. Also got to shake it down on the track this past weekend and the car performed flawlessly.


Future plans include raising the rear up a tad as the cup 2's rub every so often just barely. My goal was functional aesthetics which I think I accomplished quite well.

[Sprp85]

Hey all-

Has anyone run 275/40R18; all around, on E46 M3?

Offset will be standard setup for squared wheels - ET35 with spacers in the rear.

I did run 275/40R18 in the rear at one point and found them to be a tad too tall but never done them up front.

[DoubleSidedTape]

Would be ok for a drifter probably, but I wouldn’t use them for anything else, or try to sell them to someone who would use them.

[Tbonem3]

Why not just use them?

Hard to say they have value when there's risk associated with using 8 year old tires. Maybe list all 4 for $100 local pick up?