Hey guys. I was admiring my view as I walked up to my car this afternoon and the rear tires did not seem very wide. I know the taller 18" wheel has something to do with the illusion but what is the width on the front and rear TIRES (I know the wheels are 8" front and back)?

 

Front is 225mm (Michelin Sport 225/45/R18 front)

Rear is 245mm (Michelin Sport 245/45/R18 rear)

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

I don't have my conversion tables handy so does that mean 7.5" fronts, 8.5" rears? I admit I am no expert on tire dimensions. The sport package on the 330Ci I considered had the 17" wheels with 7.5"/8.5," front/rear widths on their tires. Are ours the same?

 

first of all its not 7.5 and 8.5 for the 3 series. Its 7.5 and 8.0. And its 17. You can upgrade to the 18's same width thou

2004 Diamond Graphite G35 Coupe 6MT, Premium Package, Aero Package, DVD Nav

 

I could swear I read that the bimmer had 8.5" width on rears on 330Ci Sport Package with 17" wheels. Salesman also told me that. So you're saying my G35 Coupe with Tire/Wheel package has 7.5" front rubber and 8" on the rears, correct?

 

No ... The WHEELS are 8 inches wides for sure.. The tires have to be a little wider .. Usually they do tire width by mm... Both the tires have to be at least a bit wider than 8 inches cuz the tires are obviously wider than the wheels.

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

In my confusion I went to Tire Rack site and found following:
G35 Coupe with 18" Wheels
225/45 Front = 7.5" tread width
245/45 Rear = 8.0" tread width

BMW 330Ci with Sport 17" Wheels
225/45 Front = 7.5" tread width
245/40 Rear = 8.5" tread width (not same size of our 245/45s)

Looks like Bimmer salesman was right! No wonder the rears looked skinny to me from rearview.

 

Regards previous post. Fuhgidaboutit! that should have read "rim width" not "tread width." My original perception was that rears don't look as wide as the Bimmer package. I owned 2 bimmers prior to 2004 G35C and frankly they can't compare on the fun factor to my current beauty. Got a thumbs up today from guy in a '97 911 Carrera. People are starting to notice this winner. Still can't believe it was only $35K!

 

If both cars have 245 width rubber, whats the problem? They are printing the same size contact area. Additionally, you would NOT be able to tell any difference between the 245/45 and 245/40.

03.5 6spd DG/G aero pk/kit
He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.

 

Actually, a 245/40 will appear to be wider than a 245/45. Of course we all realize that having a width of 245 mm on both would be the same, but the lower profile of a 40 series tire will give the appearance of a wider tire.

Plus if the BMW uses 8.5" wheels compared to the G35 using 8" wheels, then that's even more reason that the BMW tire would look wider. An 8.5" rim "opens up" the tire and makes it look wider than the same exact tire on an 8" rim.