16x9.5 on 195/50 how unsafe is this?

[Drock11]

well, just picked up these salad shooters today. I'm gonna be running them on my e36, 16x9.5 all around. i know this setup can be done because it has been done before on this e36......





*to the owner of this^ if you have a problem with me posting these pictures of your car let me know and i will take it down. i guess some people get pissy about that so i feel obligated to say this*

know specs on the montreal blue e36: 16x9.5 195/50 dunlop direzza's all around. not sure about spacers, but the fitment is on point. i messaged the owner with my questions and never responded... oh well i planned on posting anyways for a few questions.

always my main question is how unsafe is it to run 195/50 on a 9.5 wide wheel? i already know the risk of stretch and what not, but some people say this is a whole lot of stretch? i personally thought it was less stretch than a 205/40 because the tire seems to be higher/more meat on the 195/50. this is why i thought these tires would fit an e36 well. most e36's on 16's seem to be stupid low when they run small tires... my theory is running a 195/50 on 16x9.5 will give me a little thicker tire, which means i can still have a fair amount of ground clearence under the chassis, and still have very little wheel gap, like picture above. i under stand that 195 stands for the width of the tire and 50 is the ratio of the tire... so even though the 195 is obiously smaller in width than the 205, the bigger ratio (50>40) should give me more sidewall/height over all.... am i right? i also thought about running a 215/45, but then i saw this guy ran 195/50 so I'm leaning towards that more... and as for spacers ill figure that out once i get tires mounted then see how much room i have to play with

any help is greatly appreciated! the sooner i figure this shit out the sooner i can look for some tires

thanks again!
-Derrick

[Zic]

If you keep looking at the tire pressure you will be fine.
Since its harder to notice when a tire needs more air, when its stretched you need to be on top of the situation, i checked my tires every two days.

If you don't look at the tire pressure you will have a blow out, and that is unsafe.

[Daviticus]

That's a relatively moderate stretch, compared to some of the stuff I see here on S|W.

Like Zic said, keep up on your tire pressure, and you'll be fine.

[Drock11]

thanks for your help guys.

anyone know what tire size would better suit an e36? 195/50 or 215/40? i keep googling images and can't make up my mind... and my fenders are already rolled and the rears are pulled a little bit too

[Zic]

i would go for 195/50, based on the link below. 195/50-16 9.5 Vs 215/40-17 10et20. It would give you decent ground clearance.
Click here.


215/40-16 vs 215/40-17.Click here. The 16inch would not stretch as much, and have lower height.

215/40-16 vs 195/50-16. the orange one is the 195. Click here.

*edit, this is all based on my personal preference, on a 215/40-17 on a 10. The only thing i did was match the height and stretch on the 16's.

[Drock11]

i saw that website thing before but never really understood how it would help, but that def helped me out a lot! thanks! I'm most likely going with the 195/50 then so i can get more ground clearance

[Phenom3030]

If you haven't already, try Tyrestretch.com. You can see what others have done there as well.

[Drock11]

i look on there a lot. i normally just use google images since its a lot more convenient, but thanks anyways!

[AMGwheelwhore]

That stretch won't cause you any issues man, I plan on rocking the same set up on my w124 this winter. I plan on running a 195/45/16 front and 195/50/16 rear w/ 20mm adapters all around. I'm currently running a 225/40/18 on an 18x11 and as long as you keep watch on the pressure you'll be golden. Good luck man.

[Drock11]

i had stretch tires before and no one ever told me to keep an eye on the tire pressure.... glad i learned now! thanks for all your help guys! I'm currently in the hunt for tires, ill probably end up dumping $350 and getting new ones off discount tire anyways :/ but ill be sure to post up some end results

[Ollie]

you could always do a nice meaty flush.


16x8 -9 225/45s

Those are federals too so they run extra wide. I used what I had in that case but if I were you Id run 225/45s as well. Should be enough stretch to get it nice and low without resting the cars belly on the ground like with 215/40s. and avoid the balloon tire look which doesnt play well on e36 fenders or e36s in general imo. Just my .02 If youre not sure order 2 pairs of tires at a time and try them out, or keep checking craigslist for cheap tires

[Drock11]

you could always do a nice meaty flush.


16x8 -9 225/45s

do you have any more pics? specifically the rears since the fronts are only 8 wide. i might be interested in similar tire sizes..

[Ollie]

rear was 16x9 +11 225/45 also
all I got:



just cuz I feel like posting it lol:

front is 16" rear is 17

[Khalil]

Sweet front end bro

[Drock11]

Sweet front end bro

hey my e36 currently doesn't have a front bumper either!


thanks for the pics Ollie ill have to consider it. i have to be careful with offsets though, i know I'm gonna need spacers to clear my coils and what not so i don't wanna run something too meaty and rub