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[omadab]

Hi, last winter I bent all my wheels. Dodging potholes at 100 km/h is pretty much impossible and Montreal roads suck so much especially where I live.
Old fitment: 255/35/18
So I am looking to bring down the wheels to 17" and I want as much sidewall as possible. I mainly want the most comfortable ride possible. What would you guys recommend as the biggest sidewall this car can handle without any rubbing issues.
The car is a 2011 e92 328xi stock suspension.
Currently I am looking at 225/50/17. Any thoughts?

[turbotel]

Hello from the land of potholes otherwise known as the United Kingdom.

I sympathise with your predicament having to avoid potholes after suffering various damage/suspension/springs/tyres etc.

We pay a road tax which goes straight into goverment coffers and is not spent on roads.

These cars are built for german autobahns,smooth and flat,well maintained.
Low profile tyres/no problem.

Your suggestion of 50 profile will lessen the problem and give you some extra absorbtion of shock from pothole impact.

Swerving to avoid potholes has become our national pastime.!

Good Luck.

[Canadiesel]

Originally Posted by omadab

Hi, last winter I bent all my wheels. Dodging potholes at 100 km/h is pretty much impossible and Montreal roads suck so much especially where I live.
Old fitment: 255/35/18
So I am looking to bring down the wheels to 17" and I want as much sidewall as possible. I mainly want the most comfortable ride possible. What would you guys recommend as the biggest sidewall this car can handle without any rubbing issues.
The car is a 2011 e92 328xi stock suspension.
Currently I am looking at 225/50/17. Any thoughts?

If going with a staggered set of wheels get 225/45/17 front and 255/40/17 in the rear and it will achieve what you want. Going to a plus sized tire will affect handling and possibly fitment. If you have runflats, simply going to standard tires makes a huge difference.

[gunnerxq]

Also don't run less than 35 psi. You're more likely to get a pinch flat and bend a wheel. Bmw recommend 3-4 psi above what's normally recommended in the winter.

[Vivek.]

255/35/18 vs 225/50/17 means that the latter is 0.9" or 3.6% taller than the former. This will fit with no issues (assuming stock height) and will increase ride comfort and decrease the chance of bending a wheel. On a side note, IMO it looks better and gives your car a lowered appearance while increasing ground clearance. That's a win-win-win-win by my count.

Oh--and a narrower, higher profile tire on a smaller wheel will be cheaper, so that's another benefit.

[bimmerfan1972]

Hi I am coming from the land of construction...Nashville, TN! I have bent and cracked many rims and busted many tires. In fact, 2 years ago, I busted both right side tires in one pothole! I was so pissed.

To my question: Those who have changed from run flat to standard, has your ride quality improved, have you busted tires or rims in potholes, do the tires last longer, etc.?

[Emilime75]

^I'm also in Nashville, but I've never bent/cracked a wheel or damaged a tire from a pot hole. When I switched from RFT to non RFT I also switched from 18s to 19s. The ride felt pretty much the same, maybe just a tad bit softer on 19" non RFT.

[bimmerfan1972]

Originally Posted by Emilime75

^I'm also in Nashville, but I've never bent/cracked a wheel or damaged a tire from a pot hole. When I switched from RFT to non RFT I also switched from 18s to 19s. The ride felt pretty much the same, maybe just a tad bit softer on 19" non RFT.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm actually in Nolensville, and our roads are pretty bad here. They are finally fixing them though, but they have caused me a lot of problems.

[tcphoto]

I too am back in Nashville and have had a couple encounters with potholes...shocking! Back when I owned the E46 and living in Atlanta, I was in town for a project. Returning from dinner with the client, I was driving in town on I24 in a heavy rain, heading to I65 South. I hit a huge pothole on the I40 ramp and blew a tire plus a huge bubble on another. I reached an overpass, pulled out a full trunk of gear and changed the tire. According to the Authorities, they would have paid for the damage if they were aware of the pothole...right. How can one expect basic infrastructure maintenance when they educate children in portable classrooms?

[Emilime75]

Originally Posted by bimmerfan1972

Thanks for the feedback. I'm actually in Nolensville, and our roads are pretty bad here. They are finally fixing them though, but they have caused me a lot of problems.

Hendersonville for me, and I wasn't trying to say the roads don't suck, they do. Guess I've just been lucky. Switching to non RFTs does soften the ride if keeping all else equal. The stiff side walls of RFTs have been known to cause wheel cracks.

[Emilime75]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

I too am back in Nashville and have had a couple encounters with potholes...shocking! Back when I owned the E46 and living in Atlanta, I was in town for a project. Returning from dinner with the client, I was driving in town on I24 in a heavy rain, heading to I65 South. I hit a huge pothole on the I40 ramp and blew a tire plus a huge bubble on another. I reached an overpass, pulled out a full trunk of gear and changed the tire. According to the Authorities, they would have paid for the damage if they were aware of the pothole...right. How can one expect basic infrastructure maintenance when they educate children in portable classrooms?

Supposedly, from what I've heard(not confirmed), if the pot hole is 2" deep, or deeper, the state will reimburse you for damages caused by it. Have no clue if this is a thing and how one would start that claim process.

[tcphoto]

It happened in '15 and I filed a claim only to be given the run around. It's like a claim I have with TSA, who pulled items out of my checked bag in '18 and drug their feet then offered half the value of the items. I'm still waiting on the check which is approaching 120 days. Be careful out there people...