G'day boys,
Long time no see.
I have owned a mint E30 318is for over 5 years now, and I have finally
managed to get my hands on a set of the optional 15" basketweaves for
the car. The wheels have been refurbished and fitted. They look
sensational. The car also has been chipped, installed higher-lift cams, 4.1:1 LSD, and a full stainless extractors-back 2.25" exhaust system. Mandrel bends, no crimps [headbang] But anyway, back to the problem at hand...
This is the issue: I had been running the standard 14"
'weaves (not sure if they were a 6 or 6.5" rim) which, in retrospect,
offered incisive turn in and a really tight feel at the helm. The 15"
rims with 205/55 section tyres (brand new Dunlop LMs) are incredibly "floaty" by contrast.
Indeed, the handling feels decidedly disonnected between the front
wheels and those at the rear. The car feels very nervous when pushed,
and I am not taking anywhere near the liberties I used to take with
the 14s. I'm not sure whether this is the natural order of things or
not. I realise that there is now a larger contact-patch on the road
and more unsprung weight. Of course, this would have an effect. But I
just wasn't expecteing the change to be so severe...
I guess I'm concerned about the offsets. The 14" rims have offsets of
either 35mm or 30mm for the 6" and 6.5" rims respectively. 15" it is
indicated, have an offset of 25mm. The wheels are genuine BMW 15"
items, so the offset shouldn't be an issue...But I'm not sure now. Obviously the toe should be fine, perhaps more camber is needed? Of course, I like to keep the car as original as possible and I don't want to change the factory settings (apart from the necessities, like the ones I've listed as changes above.) If this is just the way the car will handle on 15s then I guess that's something I'll have to adjust to. But it just doesn't feel like an E30 anymore.
Anyway, I'd just like to garner your thoughts/opinions. I guess I'm
disappointed that my pointy little E30 is now a bit floaty and sluggish!
Cheers guys,
Pete.
Long time no see.
I have owned a mint E30 318is for over 5 years now, and I have finally
managed to get my hands on a set of the optional 15" basketweaves for
the car. The wheels have been refurbished and fitted. They look
sensational. The car also has been chipped, installed higher-lift cams, 4.1:1 LSD, and a full stainless extractors-back 2.25" exhaust system. Mandrel bends, no crimps [headbang] But anyway, back to the problem at hand...
This is the issue: I had been running the standard 14"
'weaves (not sure if they were a 6 or 6.5" rim) which, in retrospect,
offered incisive turn in and a really tight feel at the helm. The 15"
rims with 205/55 section tyres (brand new Dunlop LMs) are incredibly "floaty" by contrast.
Indeed, the handling feels decidedly disonnected between the front
wheels and those at the rear. The car feels very nervous when pushed,
and I am not taking anywhere near the liberties I used to take with
the 14s. I'm not sure whether this is the natural order of things or
not. I realise that there is now a larger contact-patch on the road
and more unsprung weight. Of course, this would have an effect. But I
just wasn't expecteing the change to be so severe...
I guess I'm concerned about the offsets. The 14" rims have offsets of
either 35mm or 30mm for the 6" and 6.5" rims respectively. 15" it is
indicated, have an offset of 25mm. The wheels are genuine BMW 15"
items, so the offset shouldn't be an issue...But I'm not sure now. Obviously the toe should be fine, perhaps more camber is needed? Of course, I like to keep the car as original as possible and I don't want to change the factory settings (apart from the necessities, like the ones I've listed as changes above.) If this is just the way the car will handle on 15s then I guess that's something I'll have to adjust to. But it just doesn't feel like an E30 anymore.
Anyway, I'd just like to garner your thoughts/opinions. I guess I'm
disappointed that my pointy little E30 is now a bit floaty and sluggish!
Cheers guys,
Pete.
