tires and wheels Bought a roundie, need wheel advice

[deschodt]

Hi guys,

I bought a 73 roundie last month, though it's been at the shop ever since getting a replacement gearbox and some safety related items (brake lines, stuff like that)...

The car came with 13" steel wheels and 4 different tires, size, brand,state of wear, you name it ;-) I know stock is 165-13 - can't find those so for now, I ordered a set of 185 70 13 so I can drive around safely...

Eventually I'll want 14 or 15" wheels... I've read that a bad wheel will either rub or mess with the suspension and feel of the car... I'm not sure I trust second hand 30year old wheels either... What do you recommend that is suitable for the car, either stock look or more modern but "in spirit" in terms of wheels + tires combo ? New or known to be indestructible...

Ah, the mandatory picture...

[Mars]

Nice car. Congrats. Me likes Inka.

You have some pretty good choices. It depends on whether you want to keep a stock look or go with a sportier look honestly. Also, there is nothing wrong with 30 year old wheels. If you find a set you like just have your tire guy spin and balance them to make sure they are straight/true. He'll tell you if they are good or not. Personally I stay pretty close to stock. I like the original feel and being able to steer easier when parking, etc. but some folks put crazy 18" in there. I have a set of brand new Rotas I bought which are 15" and am having second thoughts about using them since I feel they are too big. They are just sitting brand new in the boxes for now..

I would suggest looking at lots of pics and deciding what style you like. Here are some sites:

2002Registry - running kind of slow right now:

http://www.bmw2002registry.com/viewImages/viewPictures.jsp?pageNum=1

My own site which has plenty of pics:

http://www.midatlantik2002s.com

And/or do a search here for 'car pics' or something as occasionally we get posts on nothing but cars and wheel options

[JohnC]

Take a look at:

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,269629/highlight,show+wheels/

[deschodt]

Thanks guys.. Don't get me wrong, I'm not lazy, I've done the search and browsed this site for a almost a month before posting ;-)

But it's pretty hard as a newbie to get a sense of which of all those wheels I see (there's a gazillion of them) are "correct" on a stock car in terms of clearance, feel, weight etc.... I'd keep the 13s if you could find more tires !! But since the choice is pathetic, I was kinda hoping there'd be a consensus in brand, offset, style that is kinda stock and appropriate, or which wheels to avoid because they ruin the handling, but I guess there is almost too much choice !! ;-)

I come from the old Porsche world, it's so much easier: Fuchs or else ;-)I'll drive on the 185 70 13 for a while and educate myself some more...

I like these, if I go aftermarket !

[Otis]

Where are you located? I have a set of Otis' old basketweaves, just sitting around doing nothing. Perfect condition, less than 1,000 miles on matching Dunlops. I switched out to Panasports (like in the picture that you posted) in a failed attempt to spruce up Otis so that he could get a date with Juanita (JohninVa's championship, supermodel-quality car). But, rejection -- Juanita's dating this Touring right now . . . that's another story. If you're anywhere near the D.C. area, then any reasonable offer will do. If not, then forget it -- shipping would kill the deal.

If you go Panasports, just call the Panasport guy in California -- he's very helpful. www.panasport.com

[Paul7002]

Lots of choices, but the 14" wheels from the e30 3 series are a common chioce. they look very BMW, but updated and the size gives you more choices of tire brands, size, types. Plus they clear a big brake upgrade with no probs. I'd suggest 185/60 or 185/65 tires for these wheels.

But I think the Panasport/Minilight style in 14 or 15" is my favorite look

[BLUNT]

heres my 69 on 15" panasports. you lose a little of the light feel of the 02 steering but its all a tradeoff.

[MichaelP]

If you're looking to keep a stockish look (hubcaps), but want better tire choice, 14" steel wheels with the 4x100 pattern are out there. They come from the 2000CS (predecessor to the E9 coupe) and can be had by (a) asking around ( perhaps from Carl Nelson (www.bimmerdoc.com) or © possibly from Al Taylor (www.altaylorsportscars.com/). 2000CS hubcaps are harder to find in decent shape, but E3/Bavaria/2800/3.0S hubcaps and trimrings fit the 2000CS wheels, and are easier to find -- they're frequently on ebay or from Carl Nelson.

A couple of folks on this board use them, but I can't seem to find a photo. Here's what they look like on the 2000CS:

[jgmgti]

Blunt,

The 69 is looking great!!

Jonathan

[Delia]

The car came with 13" steel wheels and 4 different tires, size, brand,state of wear, you name it ;-) I know stock is 165-13 - can't find those so for now, I ordered a set of 185 70 13 so I can drive around safely...

Eventually I'll want 14 or 15" wheels... I've read that a bad wheel will either rub or mess with the suspension and feel of the car... I'm not sure I trust second hand 30year old wheels either... What do you recommend that is suitable for the car, either stock look or more modern but "in spirit" in terms of wheels + tires combo ? New or known to be indestructible...

The 185/70-13 Yokohama T4 All Season Performance tire is $47 at the Tire Rack. It's a good choice. There are seven or so other tires available in that size.

If you're driving less than 1000 miles/year -- and if you have stock suspension, a good set of 185/70-13s is already an improvement over the stock 165s.

There is a tendency to change two things on an 02 almost immediately after purchase. One is the the wheel/tire combination, and the second is the size of the steering wheel. Both changes look really great, but handling is heavier and the car is harder to steer at low speeds.

After you drive around on the new 13 inchers for a while, add a smaller steering wheel. It will provide the first increase in steering effort. The next logical upgrade is shorter springs, bigger sway bars and stiffer shocks.

Wider wheels and bigger tires are a ways down the list. There are plenty of choices...

When I got my '73tii it had E30 Bottlecaps and 205/60-14 Yokohama A509s. The handling was appalling. As soon as I could afford it, I got some E21 13" Basketweaves and Bridgestone 185/70s. I now run the same tires on vintage 5" x 13" Minilites. I also have relatively large 380mm steering wheel.

My '74tii daily driver runs 195/60-14 Michelins on E30 Basketweaves. They are matched reasonable well to the moderately stiff Ireland suspension. It corners really well. The tiny Momo "Fighter" wheel doesn't help parallel parking, but I'm switching to a 380 mm wheel in the near future. I have some 5.5" x 13" wheels that may go on eventually.

So, take the time to figure out what you want. Enjoy the process. Learn. Share your newfound knowledge.

"That's what it's all about."

(*I apologize for the "Hokey-Pokey" reference.)

Cheers!

Delia

[ClayW]

I have a set of brand new Rotas I bought which are 15" and am having second thoughts about using them since I feel they are too big. They are just sitting brand new in the boxes for now..

Tempt me with a price! I haven't officially settled on my Mahle wheels!

[Mike Self]

If you're bound and determined to get 14" wheels, another suggestion that looks vintage and works well are the slotted steel wheels from an E30. Painted silver and fitted with the small Euro center caps they closely resemble the Alpina steel wheels from the 70s, only in 14 inch.

Or, just leave it alone. Those 30 plus year old original steel wheels are just fine structurally unless they're terribly rusted...

mike

[dlhoovler]

Here's my roundie with the 2000CS rims and hubcaps. I'm running 185/65-14 Sumitomo tires and really like 'em: a little "crisper" feel to the steering than the 185/70-13 Pirellis I had before (still have, actually, for cooler weather). There are also 2000 sedan caps out there that have identical styling to slotted roundie '02 caps... that'd be even more of a "stealth" upgrade.

-Dave