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[jcoop269]

I realize this topic has been touched upon many times but my searches never yield the exact information I'm looking for. I have a 2010 128i Sport Package therefore I have the staggered setup stock. I have gone through 3 sets of tires in less than 3 years and am looking to go square this next time around. My setup as far as wheels/suspension go is stock so:

A. What are my wheel sizes? ex. 17x? et. ?
B. What size tires will work the entire way around on this stock setup?
C. Are any spacers needed for a square setup?(Hopefully not)

Should I go with the front stock size of 205-50R17 all around? I run exactly what I'm supposed to as of now which is the 205-50R17 front and 225-45R17 back but having my rear go in like 15000 miles is no longer acceptable.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by jcoop269

I realize this topic has been touched upon many times but my searches never yield the exact information I'm looking for. I have a 2010 128i Sport Package therefore I have the staggered setup stock. I have gone through 3 sets of tires in less than 3 years and am looking to go square this next time around. My setup as far as wheels/suspension go is stock so:

A. What are my wheel sizes? ex. 17x? et. ?
B. What size tires will work the entire way around on this stock setup?
C. Are any spacers needed for a square setup?(Hopefully not)

Should I go with the front stock size of 205-50R17 all around? I run exactly what I'm supposed to as of now which is the 205-50R17 front and 225-45R17 back but having my rear go in like 15000 miles is no longer acceptable.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I believe your front wheel is 17X7 and rear is 17X7.5. Both have ET 47 offset. At least this is what the MSport wheels are and I think the Sport package wheels were the same.

There is another forum member here that is running 225/45/17 all around, even though the front and rear wheels are different width and he rotates them still. While I would not do this, I think he has had this set-up for awhile and no reported problems.

[jcoop269]

Originally Posted by Iron Man

I believe your front wheel is 17X7 and rear is 17X7.5. Both have ET 47 offset. At least this is what the MSport wheels are and I think the Sport package wheels were the same.

There is another forum member here that is running 225/45/17 all around, even though the front and rear wheels are different width and he rotates them still. While I would not do this, I think he has had this set-up for awhile and no reported problems.

Wouldn't it make more sense to use the narrower tire all around rather than the wider one? The 225-45/17 is a wider tire isn't it than the 205-50/17 that is in the front. I would have thought the wider in the front would cause issues.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by jcoop269

Wouldn't it make more sense to use the narrower tire all around rather than the wider one? The 225-45/17 is a wider tire isn't it than the 205-50/17 that is in the front. I would have thought the wider in the front would cause issues.

I think 225/45 all around we be an ideal set-up when going 17" wheels. Some have even gone 235/40, when using wider wheels (17X8").

[lowside67]

I agree that 17x8 and 225-45-17 is the ideal setup for an all stock 128i.

Mark

[VMRWheels]

We normally recommend an 18x8.5 ET45 in the front and rear with a 225/40 tire. Not sure if you are interested in going 18 but just another option to consider.

[jcoop269]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

We normally recommend an 18x8.5 ET45 in the front and rear with a 225/40 tire. Not sure if you are interested in going 18 but just another option to consider.

Ya, I just want to go square with the stock 17's if possible...is it possible? I mean that's why I would have thought the 205's in the front would have been ideal the whole way around because the back wheel is is only very slightly wider. If I were to put the 225's square the front wheels are too narrow that's why I would think 205's might work better all around.

[Olgeezer1]

If you want to keep your stock wheels and go square you don't have much choice but 205's or maybe 215's if you can find that size in a tire you like. 225's need at least a 71/2" rim. Perhaps you could find a used set of rears to go on the front. I got lucky with a Canadian Sport Pak. car that came w/staggered 18's. Squared up w/225/40/18's that are approved for both 71/2 and 81/2 rims and I think are the ideal tire size for the 128's power.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by Olgeezer1

If you want to keep your stock wheels and go square you don't have much choice but 205's or maybe 215's if you can find that size in a tire you like. 225's need at least a 71/2" rim. Perhaps you could find a used set of rears to go on the front. I got lucky with a Canadian Sport Pak. car that came w/staggered 18's. Squared up w/225/40/18's that are approved for both 71/2 and 81/2 rims and I think are the ideal tire size for the 128's power.

225/45 will fit on a 7" wide rim, so you can go square with 225/45 all around.

[Olgeezer1]

Originally Posted by Iron Man

225/45 will fit on a 7" wide rim, so you can go square with 225/45 all around.

I stand corrected. On 18's you need a 7 1/2" rim, but you can get by with a 7" rim on 17's, in which case 225 squared on your stock rims should work great.

[dat128]

i have the stock m sport wheels and have 225 all around.

you need to check with tire manufacturers specs for mounting.
i have bf goodrich rivals and the 225 was still within the mounting parameter for 7in wide wheels.

[jcoop269]

Originally Posted by dat128

i have the stock m sport wheels and have 225 all around.

you need to check with tire manufacturers specs for mounting.
i have bf goodrich rivals and the 225 was still within the mounting parameter for 7in wide wheels.

Interesting but good news...thanks. I just wasn't sure if it was going to be too wide a tire for the front as far as clearance around that area of the car. The stock 128 without sport wheels has the 7" rim all around, correct? So I'm assuming stock, it uses 205's square? So in conclusion, I can use the 225 45's I have in the back in the front on the 17x7?

[Olgeezer1]

Originally Posted by jcoop269

Interesting but good news...thanks. I just wasn't sure if it was going to be too wide a tire for the front as far as clearance around that area of the car. The stock 128 without sport wheels has the 7" rim all around, correct? So I'm assuming stock, it uses 205's square? So in conclusion, I can use the 225 45's I have in the back in the front on the 17x7?

Correct.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by Iron Man

I think 225/45 all around we be an ideal set-up when going 17" wheels. Some have even gone 235/40, when using wider wheels (17X8").

Some of us have even gone 245/40 when using wider wheels (17x8") on stock Sport Suspension

It's crazy talk!

[Metta121]

I have 2010 non-Sport Package 128i. The car came with the following square setup:

Wheel Style: 256
Wheel Size: 17 x 7 ET 47
Tire Size: 205/50 R17
Tire: Bridgestone Turanza RFT

I rotated them religiously every 5,000 miles, checked tire inflation monthly, and had the car's alignment checked every year or so. I got at least 40,000 miles out of them.

A little over a year ago I got an amazing deal on a wheel-n-tire package from a local BMW dealer, and I am now running the following staggered setup:

Wheel Style: 269
Wheel Size: 18 x 7.5 ET 49 (front); 18 x 8.5 ET 52 (rear)
Tire Size: 215/40 R18 (front), 245/35 R18 (rear)
Tire: Bridgestone Potenza RFT

I have driven about 20,000 and will probably get another 10,000 before needing to replace the rear tires. I was definitely hesitant about losing the option to rotate the tires, but things have not been too bad thus far. I could be wrong, but I like to think that my OCD behavior regarding proper tire inflation and checking the car's alignment helps me get more mileage from the tires.

[jcoop269]

Originally Posted by Metta121

I have 2010 non-Sport Package 128i. The car came with the following square setup:

Wheel Style: 256
Wheel Size: 17 x 7 ET 47
Tire Size: 205/50 R17
Tire: Bridgestone Turanza RFT

I rotated them religiously every 5,000 miles, checked tire inflation monthly, and had the car's alignment checked every year or so. I got at least 40,000 miles out of them.

A little over a year ago I got an amazing deal on a wheel-n-tire package from a local BMW dealer, and I am now running the following staggered setup:

Wheel Style: 269
Wheel Size: 18 x 7.5 ET 49 (front); 18 x 8.5 ET 52 (rear)
Tire Size: 215/40 R18 (front), 245/35 R18 (rear)
Tire: Bridgestone Potenza RFT

I have driven about 20,000 and will probably get another 10,000 before needing to replace the rear tires. I was definitely hesitant about losing the option to rotate the tires, but things have not been too bad thus far. I could be wrong, but I like to think that my OCD behavior regarding proper tire inflation and checking the car's alignment helps me get more mileage from the tires.

The more I've thought about it, I will not be going square. It wasn't meant to be therefore I'm not going to do anything BMW wouldn't recommend. The tires you use may be part of the reason you get more life out of them...they are grand touring all season tires. Now the RFT aspect may shorten the life slightly but the tread is much deeper on a touring tire than what I always go with which is a UHP all season tire. This set will be the BF Goodrich G-force Comp2 A/S and despite being number 1 of 24 in the testing of UHP tires from tire rack, I guarantee I don't get more than 20,000 miles MAX from them even with a perfect alignment, as I've always made sure of, as well as proper tire pressure.

[dat128]

i personally dont like the stock staggered set up on my 128i... something about having a narrower tires than my old focus just doesnt sit right.

My ideal set up would be 17x7.5 wheels all around with 225 or 230 squared around.
now im not sure 230 all around would fit since ive never done it, but itd be nice.

that being said, with the bfgoodrich rivals, its like having my car superglued to the road and i havent reached a limit of tires yet... so im assuming 225 is suffieicient enough.

and i dont really bother with rotating the tires front and back. im ok with going through 2 sets of rear tires with 1 set of front tires....

[jcoop269]

Originally Posted by dat128

i personally dont like the stock staggered set up on my 128i... something about having a narrower tires than my old focus just doesnt sit right.

My ideal set up would be 17x7.5 wheels all around with 225 or 230 squared around.
now im not sure 230 all around would fit since ive never done it, but itd be nice.

that being said, with the bfgoodrich rivals, its like having my car superglued to the road and i havent reached a limit of tires yet... so im assuming 225 is suffieicient enough.

and i dont really bother with rotating the tires front and back. im ok with going through 2 sets of rear tires with 1 set of front tires....

That two sets rear per one front has always been my plan but the last three years I've continued to want to try different tires. I'm a UHP A/S guy as I live in PA and just got the BF Goodrich g force Comp 2 all seasons and per all reviews, they appear to be number 1 and awesome so I may have found my tire but I haven't mounted them yet. As far as 225's all around on 7.5's, apparently many on this thread think they'd be ok on the front 7's as well to go square so I'm not sure but I'm not gonna do it.