128 Sport wheel/tire upgrade

zinman74 · 01-25-2009, 11:16 PM

Hello all from the Sonoma wine country! I am looking for some advice on upgrading my wheels and tires.

This 128 is my first car with RFT's and while I do love it, I think that i would enjoy it more with a different wheel and tire setup.

My first question for you experts would be this, if I replace the RFT's with non RFT's on my 17" sport package wheels, will I have to make any suspension adjustments and what kind of improvement can I expect?

What about upgrading to the 18" 264's on the 135i as a direct upgrade, with non RFT's?

If I don't get OEM wheels with the 1" width difference, and bought aftermarket 18" wheels with non RFT's, what kind of mods do I have to do to my suspension to make them work?

What would you all do? The least expensive option would seem to be buying a set of used 264's and getting non RFT's for them. I am looking for a bit less roll and a bit less of that tall/stiff feeling and would like to keep the cost down. Not planning to do much more than an occasional autocross on a flat airport type course and most of my spirited driving will be done on mountain roads. Thanks in advance!

Raf

ulrichd · 01-26-2009, 09:15 AM

Raf,
I did the upgrade to the 18" 264 wheel with non RFT Yokohama S-Drives in the stock sizes. My car has the factory sport package. No suspension changes or any other mods are necessary, juts bolt on and go. The ride is wonderfully compliant, far superior to my Cooper S on 17" non-RTF. You can pick up a used set in the For Sale board on this site.

ulrichd · 01-26-2009, 09:17 AM

I forgot to mention that you will need to either transfer the TPM sensors or get a new set. I sold my 128 wheels and tires on this board. Paid for the 18" wheels.

zinman74 · 01-26-2009, 11:51 PM

Aaaah, thank you my fellow 128i owner. Sounds good, maybe I can do this sooner than later. How did your ride and handling improve with the change as compared to the stock sport package 17's? Was it a noticeable difference?

ulrichd · 01-31-2009, 10:13 PM

I changed the wheels and tires the night I brought the car home, so I can't compare. I suspect that the ride with 18" non runflats is similar to 17" runflats.

01-25-2009, 11:16 PM	#1
zinman74 New Member 0 Rep 17 Posts Drives: Join Date: Nov 2008 iTrader: (0)	128 Sport wheel/tire upgrade Hello all from the Sonoma wine country! I am looking for some advice on upgrading my wheels and tires. This 128 is my first car with RFT's and while I do love it, I think that i would enjoy it more with a different wheel and tire setup. My first question for you experts would be this, if I replace the RFT's with non RFT's on my 17" sport package wheels, will I have to make any suspension adjustments and what kind of improvement can I expect? What about upgrading to the 18" 264's on the 135i as a direct upgrade, with non RFT's? If I don't get OEM wheels with the 1" width difference, and bought aftermarket 18" wheels with non RFT's, what kind of mods do I have to do to my suspension to make them work? What would you all do? The least expensive option would seem to be buying a set of used 264's and getting non RFT's for them. I am looking for a bit less roll and a bit less of that tall/stiff feeling and would like to keep the cost down. Not planning to do much more than an occasional autocross on a flat airport type course and most of my spirited driving will be done on mountain roads. Thanks in advance! Raf __________________ 2008 128i 6spd Black Sapphire/Black Leather Sport Premium I-Pod Sirius Alarm and that's it....... ...........for now
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01-26-2009, 09:15 AM	#2
ulrichd Colonel 210 Rep 2,233 Posts Drives: 128i M-Sport Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (6)	Raf, I did the upgrade to the 18" 264 wheel with non RFT Yokohama S-Drives in the stock sizes. My car has the factory sport package. No suspension changes or any other mods are necessary, juts bolt on and go. The ride is wonderfully compliant, far superior to my Cooper S on 17" non-RTF. You can pick up a used set in the For Sale board on this site.
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01-26-2009, 09:17 AM	#3
ulrichd Colonel 210 Rep 2,233 Posts Drives: 128i M-Sport Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (6)	I forgot to mention that you will need to either transfer the TPM sensors or get a new set. I sold my 128 wheels and tires on this board. Paid for the 18" wheels.
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01-26-2009, 11:51 PM	#4
zinman74 New Member 0 Rep 17 Posts Drives: Join Date: Nov 2008 iTrader: (0)	Aaaah, thank you my fellow 128i owner. Sounds good, maybe I can do this sooner than later. How did your ride and handling improve with the change as compared to the stock sport package 17's? Was it a noticeable difference? __________________ 2008 128i 6spd Black Sapphire/Black Leather Sport Premium I-Pod Sirius Alarm and that's it....... ...........for now
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01-31-2009, 10:13 PM	#5
ulrichd Colonel 210 Rep 2,233 Posts Drives: 128i M-Sport Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (6)	I changed the wheels and tires the night I brought the car home, so I can't compare. I suspect that the ride with 18" non runflats is similar to 17" runflats.
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