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[VWtoBMW]

So I have decided to go for VMW VB3's for my Vermillion Red E92 335i.

To save myself from a harsh ride, I want to go with 18" vs 19" To save some cash, I would like to use the Bridgestone RFT's that came on the stock 18" wheels.

This is what I need advise on... I would like to use the OEM 18" tires that were on the car with 18x8 wheels for the front with 225/40/18 and 18x8.5 for the rear for 255/35/18 on the rear. I was recommended by VMW to get 8.5x18 for the front and 9.5x18 for the rear. Since I was to use the stock tires for now, I know they will be stretched.

How will this impact the ride? Can RFT's be stretched slightly? How will it look? Is this the best route to take? What about the TPMS from my OEM wheels... Can I use them?

[Gavin@MMW]

The RFT's ride horrible either way, changing rims wont do much if your still on the RFT tire.

Yes you can transfer the TPMS, and the stretch will be minor for the tires, but still not a good ride.

[VWtoBMW]

Originally Posted by Craven 328

The RFT's ride horrible either way, changing rims wont do much if your still on the RFT tire.

Yes you can transfer the TPMS, and the stretch will be minor for the tires, but still not a good ride.

Thanks, I actually dont mind the RFT ride for now. When I get fed up I will replace the rubber

Does a slight stretch degrade the integrity of the tire? whether RFT or not

[Gavin@MMW]

I would think the RFT is more vulnerable to irregular wear in general, so stretching them is not going to help by any means.

Non RFT's are better to stretch because they don't have all the reinforcement.

[e85sbm]

No longer interested in my OEM Style 287 wheels?

[VMRWheels]

225/255 RFT's work perfectly fine on a 8.5/9.5" wheel. The stretch will be very slight. TPMS can be swapped over without a problem. Feel free to let me know if you need any other help.

-Charles@VMRWheels

[TypicalCat]

that stretch is soo minimal i doubt you will notice anything.

[bkrM3]

Before my rant - the oem TPMS work fine. Swap those bitches over.

Onto the rant then: You notice the stretch all right, especially on the 255s in the back. I know, because i have the 18'' VMR VB3s and stuck my oem RFTs on them because they had tons of life left. It was fine for the extra summer I ran them. Now they're off for winter (189s with blizzak LM60s on right now) and never going back on.

Eff. That. Noise.

Not only do they look awful stretched out, but also the rubber provides no protection (from curbs etc) to the rim at all. I was realllllllly careful for the last season and my rims survived as a result. Second thing - the shop that mounted the oem RFTs on the wider VB3 rims had a hell of a time. I told them they were RFTs from the beginning and this shop works on pretty much all bmws (indy shop though...), so I'm pretty sure they knew what was involved at the outset and weren't worried till it became a massive pain. Not sure why it was so much trouble, but it was really awful.

Finally and most importantly, the blizzak LM60 RFTs are 30x nicer than those oem tires right now. The oem tires are loud, harsh and track like balls. I've never been so happy to switch to winter tires.

This spring I'll be switching to non-RFT, proper fitting (235 front/265 rear) tires - probably Michelin PS2s and a mini-spare/jack kit. I don't imagine I'll ever look back.

I got to thinking, before I became a big scared wuss with my bmw, all the cars I've ever owned or driven before have had non-RFTs and I've never had a flat in my life. Not that it can't happen, but when your tires are properly inflated and in excellent condition (e.g., plenty of tread), a flat is a pretty rare occurrence.

But damn if it isn't going to be fun burning off the last little bit of those RFTs on the way to the tire shop

Sorry for the rant