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[UnknownSpiritX5]

I currently have stock wheels on my 328i (I think they are either 16 or 17 in). I was wondering, if I bought 18 or 19 '' wheels, will I have to change the tires as well?

[UnknownSpiritX5]

Jeez, "drive like a transporter" is a joke, ignore that.

Ok, I get it, different tire sizes are required. But what size width, and all that? This is my first car, and yes, it's a BMW. It's not because I "wanted" a BMW to show off despite the fact that I know very little about cars, it just happens to be my first car. And the only reason I asked here is because I know there are people here who know their car well, and I wanted to learn. I'm not here to just joke around and ask stupid questions; yes they may seem stupid because you know the answer already. It doesn't hurt to teach someone else, really.

[Quasimodem]

You shouldn't have a problem slapping 17" tires on 19" rims. Just use a lot of Vaseline.

[JDLM]

Originally Posted by UnknownSpiritX5

Jeez, "drive like a transporter" is a joke, ignore that.

Ok, I get it, different tire sizes are required. But what size width, and all that? This is my first car, and yes, it's a BMW. It's not because I "wanted" a BMW to show off despite the fact that I know very little about cars, it just happens to be my first car. And the only reason I asked here is because I know there are people here who know their car well, and I wanted to learn. I'm not here to just joke around and ask stupid questions; yes they may seem stupid because you know the answer already. It doesn't hurt to teach someone else, really.

www.tirerack.com

There are a lot of variables that are not going to be able to be explained by you, so go to the experts.

Like wheel size?

18X?
19X?

See these are essential for us as a site/person to help you the lost consumer

[syl2us]

Originally Posted by UnknownSpiritX5

Jeez, "drive like a transporter" is a joke, ignore that.

Ok, I get it, different tire sizes are required. But what size width, and all that? This is my first car, and yes, it's a BMW. It's not because I "wanted" a BMW to show off despite the fact that I know very little about cars, it just happens to be my first car. And the only reason I asked here is because I know there are people here who know their car well, and I wanted to learn. I'm not here to just joke around and ask stupid questions; yes they may seem stupid because you know the answer already. It doesn't hurt to teach someone else, really.

Sorry to say, but you know how they say "there is no such thing as a dumb question?" This question is exempt from that ruling.

But unlike these guys, I will give you a little insight. First of all, you need to realize that putting an 18" or 19" rim is physically impossible to fit into a 16 or 17 tire. When purchasing rims, you need to get corresponding sizes with the tires. Both in width and diameter! Also don't forget to match your lug type and have the correct offset. These are all crucial measurements when buying tires and not having the correct sizes will throw everything off.

Do some research here in the Tires and wheels section of the forums: http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=12

^^^You should be able to find all your tire needs here ^^^^

Research: Rim sizes, tire sizes, offsets, lug types.

[yerffejleahcim]

Call your tire shop so they can recommend tires. Your stock tires will not work.

[SoYank]

Simple answer. No, you can not put a 16 or 17 inch tire on a 18 or 19 inch wheel. On a 17-inch wheel, the metal part that goes on the hub with the bolts, the diameter is 17 inches. The hole in the tire at the bead is also about 16 inches in diameter. Basically your 17 inch rim will slide right through that hole in the 18 or 19 inch tire. OK, so much for rim size.

A tire has markings on the side, generally like 255/35R18Y92. What this marking means is:
255 width of the tread in contact with the road when properly inflated.
35 is the aspect ratio of the sidewall with the tread. In this case it is 35% of the 255 tread width. The wider the tire the lower the aspect ratio to maintain the diameter of the tire as a whole. But see rim size below.
R indicates radial construction.
18 is the rim size. In cooperation with the tread width and the aspect ratio this determines the diameter of the tire. As the rim size goes up and the tread width remains the same, the aspect ratio must decrease to maintain the diameter. The diameter of the tire is the rim diameter plus twice the sidewall.
Y is the speed rating of the tire.
92 is the load rating.

All of the information on this marking must be taken into account when buying tires and matching them to the wheels and to the car. For example, the E90 without sport package has a top speed of 137 mph. Its tires must be rated for at least this speed, hence the Y ratiing in my example above. You also want to maintain the original diameter of the tire as closely as possible. Otherwise it has an effect on the speedometer of the car. A smaller diameter will indicate a faster speed than actual and a larger diameter will indicate a slower speed.

Consider three tires. One is a 225/45R17, one is a 225/40R18, and the other is 255/35R18. They would each have approximately the same diameter but the first one can't go on the same rim as the other two. The second tire would fit on an 8 inch rim and the third on an 8.5 inch rim but I doubt if they could successfully be swapped on their opposite number's rim.

[ThorsHammer]

UnknownSpiritX5, since your original question has already been answered, here's some other advice...and I'm not being snarky.

Before asking a question in a forum, I have learned that it's also better to just type the question into Google first, and see what you find...especially if it's something that would apply universally. Your original question could be answered on any car forum out there, and it's not BMW-specific. So why not search in Google before posting here...especially your FIRST post?

Next, if your question is BMW-specific, like, "Will these wheels fit my car?", then try using the Search feature here on the forum first. In all likelihood, your question has already been asked or addressed before on here. There are literally thousands of posts every day, and the site has be online for years. Do the math. If you have thought of it, somebody else probably has too. So, use the Search first and educate yourself.

If you do this, you are more likely to be embraced by the masses here rather than chided as a noob who is just wasting bandwidth.

Congratulations on your first Bimmer; hope that there are many more in your future. Welcome to hell....er...I mean...the forum.