[greenrebellion]

I keep blowing out tires and wheels on these crazy Michigan potholed roads and I'm blowing through money like it is nobody's business.

Spent the whole night researching options, seems like winter wheels/tires with a larger sidewall would help (currently I'm just on all-seasons 225/40/18)

Let's assume for this topic that my lease is up in 15 months and I'll either buy it out or get an M240. Would like to buy a set of winter wheels/tires that can work on both cars.

I'd like to go with 205/50/17's (rather than 225/45/17) due to the larger sidewall and put them on my current 228xi...is there any issue with putting these on a future M240?

I wouldn't think so, but the reason I am asking is two fold.
1. There was a thread when I was researching that implied that there are load issues with the 205/50/17's and given that the 240xi weighs more, I was concerned.
2. On Tire rack, they don't show any 205's as a recommended size whereas they do on the 228xi.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Edit: Just realized there is a dedicated subforum for this stuff, my apologies, feel free to move it.

[F22santiago]

I run my stock 17" wheels from my old 228 on my 240 with no issues whatsoever, they actually look good too

[aerobod]

Some 17” wheels will fit the M240, but many won’t clear the brakes, including (surprisingly) in the rear. Best to do a test fit before having tyres fitted or select a wheel that someone else has verified as fitting, making sure the wheel spec is exact as some wheels have multiple offsets available, which will affect brake clearance.

[Sportstick]

I run 17s all year on my car with MSport brakes....Tire Rack knows what fits and what doesn't. They test them all beforehand. I chose BBS SR wheels with great results. No problem with 17" snow tires...I wound up with 215/50-17, but the 205 may be a closer speedo accuracy. Just check weight on each axle (door jamb label) and tire load capacity in pounds, not just being locked into load categories.

[samej]

I run 215/45s on 17's, square on my M240i xDrive. Local tire dealer (shout out to Sipan in Ottawa) double checked, ordered the rims and tested the fit. They surprisingly don't look too skinny been crazy for potholes this year around here - the extra rubber cushioning
has been great.

[greenrebellion]

Thanks everyone, let me ask this a slightly different way. If I go on tire rack and put in 228xi, it recommends either 205/50/17 OR 215/45/17. But when I put in 240xi, it recommends 225/45/17. When I go to a tire size comparison site, 205/50/17's are virtually the same size as 225/45/17...so is there any reason that 225/45/17 would not fit on a 228xi given the fact that tirerack doesn't recommend that size for 228?

I assume not, just want to be sure.

[tripitz]

Originally Posted by greenrebellion

Thanks everyone, let me ask this a slightly different way. If I go on tire rack and put in 228xi, it recommends either 205/50/17 OR 215/45/17. But when I put in 240xi, it recommends 225/45/17. When I go to a tire size comparison site, 205/50/17's are virtually the same size as 225/45/17...so is there any reason that 225/45/17 would not fit on a 228xi given the fact that tirerack doesn't recommend that size for 228?

I assume not, just want to be sure.

Tire rack does a good job posting common configurations; not all. Main thing to check is to make sure the circumference of the tire sizes are roughly the same and that they fall within the width of the rim you are using.

[morphomeman]

Call Tire Rack on the phone. Their reps know all, or at least will be able to answer your question.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by greenrebellion

Thanks everyone, let me ask this a slightly different way. If I go on tire rack and put in 228xi, it recommends either 205/50/17 OR 215/45/17. But when I put in 240xi, it recommends 225/45/17. When I go to a tire size comparison site, 205/50/17's are virtually the same size as 225/45/17...so is there any reason that 225/45/17 would not fit on a 228xi given the fact that tirerack doesn't recommend that size for 228?

I assume not, just want to be sure.

This may be driven more by load rating. However, categorical limits should not be a problem if the specific tire you want has sufficient load capability for the vehicle. Check the door jamb label for the weight on each axle and total, and then check the load carrying capability in the desired size for your preferred tire. By doing this in detail, I was able to have Tire Rack agree to a particular winter tire I wanted for my wife's car which did not pop up in the search due to load rating, but in reality, had more than enough capacity.

[Maynard]

Might relate to the wheel sizing - you will need to clear big brakes that are std. on 235/40, but optional on a 228, so those smaller 228 sizes might just be for wheels that only fit the stock brakes (I think the big brakes are identical between the two, but can't verify that). As noted, get a Tire Rack person on the line in person, and ask them to check fit on both options specifically - they have an excellent reputation for being accurate. You also may need to decide if the 240 will be xdrive, but not sure that makes a big diff in these cases. I'm running 205/50-17 on Sparco Pro Corsa 7.5 wheels, but no big brakes so I can't verify they would fit over those. FWIW, my manual also lists winter tire options for 225/45-17 and 225/40-18, so worst case is go w/ a larger size you know will fit the 240. All else being in-spec, the narrower tire will do better in rain or snow (but not a huge diff from 205-225). I just tack on an ///M emblem someplace to help compensate for the tiny little tires .

[samej]

Originally Posted by samej

I run 215/45s on 17's, square on my M240i xDrive. Local tire dealer (shout out to Sipan in Ottawa) double checked, ordered the rims and tested the fit. They surprisingly don't look too skinny been crazy for potholes this year around here - the extra rubber cushioning
has been great.

My bad - I'm actually running 205/50 17" (Blizzak WS 80s) on 17x8 rims (Art Replica R32s). So even more surprising they don't look skinny!! The rims clear the M brakes just fine.

[davberk]

I run 205 50 17 winter and 225 45 17 summer on my 228. The sidewall is the same height for both.