93 525 Paul
01-26-2015, 05:19 PM
Bought staggered set of CL Beyern wheels and tires for my wife's E60 525i a couple years ago. Seemed like a nice deal and upgraded her car (non sport) from 17s to 18s and I put the 17s on the E34. The front tires were 225 40 18 while the rears were 275 35 18. Only after I bought my 550i did I notice that the rears were the same size but the 550i comes stock with 245 40 18s on the front. The Michelin's on the 550 seemed to have much more compliance than the Kumho Ecsta tires on the 525. I chalked it up to the Kumho's being stiffer/cheaper.
The fronts on the 525 were gone while the rears are fine, so I bought a pair of Kumho Ecstas to match the rears. However, I jumped up to the 245 width like the 550 came with. You would think it's a different car. My wife and my son both noticed the difference, and I'd say it's nothing less than HUGE. The 20mm of extra width just makes a massive amount of difference. The narrower tires were probably just too narrow and the sidewalls couldn't work. The 245s have a nice curved sidewall and the ability to flex has made the driving feel and the ride quality way better.
Never would have thought 20mm would make so much difference.
The fronts on the 525 were gone while the rears are fine, so I bought a pair of Kumho Ecstas to match the rears. However, I jumped up to the 245 width like the 550 came with. You would think it's a different car. My wife and my son both noticed the difference, and I'd say it's nothing less than HUGE. The 20mm of extra width just makes a massive amount of difference. The narrower tires were probably just too narrow and the sidewalls couldn't work. The 245s have a nice curved sidewall and the ability to flex has made the driving feel and the ride quality way better.
Never would have thought 20mm would make so much difference.