spock345
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2016
- Location
- Livermore, CA
15x7 on both alloy wheels and banded steels with 205/60/15 here. I do have to say the steel wheels with all that mass to the outside make the handling noticeably worse then originally designed, you may not feel it if you just putt around town in your car but if you start to drive it like you stole it you'll definitely notice a difference from say a set of 5.5s with 185s mounted. The alloy wheels on the other hand manage the weight placement much better and feel more like 5.5s with 185s. The deeper the dish though the more weight you are putting to the outside which was never built into the design of the suspension or the steering. Optimal performance in my opinion would be a 6 inch alloy wheel with 185 or 195 tires but if you want steel wheels the 5.5s are your best bet. 7 inch steel wheels on a vague old domestic machine works just fine but it's really just too much for our cars imho.
I went through some old guides on preparing these cars for rally that I am using to plan out engine mods (all I need to do now is head work) and the same story is 5.5" wheels and lowering it a bit.
I definitely like slinging it around on mountain roads. I may not "drive it like I hate it" as the old ads say but I do push it a bit. I have more fun in this car at or under the speed limit than I did driving my father's 540i m sport.
The compromise I also have to navigate is keeping the thing comfortable enough that my fiance would actually be willing to ride in it.