ive been seeing a few more M3's on the road and gawd i love this car. i loved the maxima forever before i got one. this bimmer is next on my list. they will make a beautiful pair sitting in my driveway. however, in the meantime, i am planning on buying the same size tires for my maxima purely for appearance sake. i am aware that larger tires such as these will give me poorer gas mileage, put more strain on my car, and slow my acceleration. nevertheless, i wanty so i will get. i always get what i want.

heres what ive researched so far:

according to bmwusa.com there are two different tire sizes for the m e46: the standard (225/45-18 front and 255/40-18 rear) and the optional size (225/40-19 front and 255/35-19 rear).

since the tire calculator on miata.net doesnt compute for 2 different sets of tire sizes, ive naturally opted to go with the rear tire size for this test.

if i change all 4 tires to the m e46 standard rear tire (255/40-18):


if i change all 4 tires to the m e46 optional rear tire (255/35-19):


this shows that these tires are within acceptable limits. now i just need to find out what size wheels i need to buy to accomodate these sweet tires. y2kse, how do i do this? stock m3 rear tires come with a 18x9 wheel (standard). the optional m3 rear tires come with a 19x9.5 wheel. should i follow these guidelines when choosing wheel size for the tires or does it deviate when i go from wheel to wheel?

is there anything else i should be taking into consideration? will these sized tires even fit on a maxima? lmao. i mean, i dont want it all sticking out of the sides. is that how big they are? what do you all think?

i respect your opinions.

 

It's a walk in the park, lcf. Just figure out which tires you want to purchase. Then go to the manufacturer's web site, locate the tires, and check the specs. The specs will indicate the acceptable rim width range. Also, keep an eye on the load rating for whatever tires you decide to purchase. Remember that the minimum load rating for a 5th Gen Maxima is 91.

 

roger that.

anyone know if these tires will rub?

 

I don't get it. Why would you want those rims and tires? Wont 9" or 9.5" wide rims stick out like crazy and/or rub? IMO, your car will look GHETTO with 2" of tire sticking out. Not to mention, as you already pointed out, the fact that it will hurt your acceleration and add more strain. How much will these things cost?

 

I would imagine you would need spacers to be able to put the wheels on, but I'm no rim expert. Wouldn't it cost a grip to get these? Why not just buy some sicker rims and tires?

 

im not putting on M3 wheels and tires, per se.

i am looking into getting the same SIZE tire (if it fits, looks acceptable, etc.) and for the wheels whatever wheels i choose. im thinking dronell co-5 or volk te-37.