I'm looking to the family for wheel/tire advice.

[goofiefoot]

Let me say first that I am horrible at making decisions that will cost me money. Heck, I started contemplating buying a new (to me) car well over a year before I got my ZHP. Unfortunately, this decision would best be made sooner than later.

I need new tires. New tires are expensive. So, here's my thought process:

Option #1 - suck it up and buy new tires that fit the stock 135s. Though they are a pain to clean, and have some curb rash, I do like the wheels. My last name is not Andretti, and I do not race my car, so I would rather buy tires for longevity than performance. All-season seems to be a better option for longevity, so I could consider Yokohama AVIDs, Pirelli P-Zeros, or Continental DWs. This option will cost $850-1000.

Option #2 - find new wheels that keep the ZHP character but give me the option to rotate. 18x8 or 18.8.5 square setup. Pretty much limited to aftermarket, and would end up with an initial higher cost, but be offset by being able to sell my 135s for about $500-600 (realistic?). Factoring in proceeds from this sale, this option will cost $700+.

Option #3 - find new smaller wheels that are budget-minded and still fit the ZHP. Looks like I could get 17x8 wheels and tires shipped from TireRack for about $1000, so this option could cost $400-500 after selling my 135s.

Option #4 - sell my 135s to pay for tires for the winter wheels I got with the car (CLASSY). This pretty much costs me nothing but time (and possibly dignity).

I'd love any and all thoughts from the Mafia. Thanks!

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Option one. Keep the wheels. Buy new tires. Style 135 and the ZHP go hand in hand.

[danewilson77]

Option 2.

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[Alphatek45]

1 or 2. Please delete 3

[aurelius]

The Style 68M wheels look good on the E46. Those being the 17" ZSP (sport pkg) wheels seen on most US-spec E46 330 models.

I recently sold a set of those: 4 non-staggered "fronts" with decent Sumitomo tires for $600.

Most used sets you'll come across will be ZSP take-offs and therefore will be staggered.

I'd look for a set of those with decent matching tires.

[Hermes]

I vote for #1

[az3579]

FYI,
I would skip out on the Pirelli P-Zero Nero All Seasons. I had them before my current set and had too many quality control issues with them; (2) of the (4) tires were defective. Really.
Plus, they weren't very good handling-wise compared to my current set.

I now have Continental ExtremeContact DWS's and have no regrets switching. This is a truly excellent tire, and price-wise it is inline with the rest. On Tire Rack, they are the highest rated all season in its category (forgot which category though).



What I would do if I was in your shoes is just bite the bullet and get new tires for your existing wheels. It's the cheapest option, and gives you time to decide what you truly want to do and save up for it. Since you need tires now, that shouldn't force you to jump the gun and buy something that you may end up regretting. If you like your 135's, I would just put tires on them.

[goofiefoot]

Option one. Keep the wheels. Buy new tires. Style 135 and the ZHP go hand in hand.

Any thoughts on the tires I listed (this applies across the options)?

Option 2.

Thoughts on the moda MD11 as an option?

1 or 2. Please delete 3

Haha. Tell me how you really feel!

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I really don't have an opinion on the tires. I'm a summer-tire guy. Don't know much about all seasons. My last set of tires were about $600. Falken FK452. Treadwear 300. The original owner had them. I replaced them again with the same tire. I liked them.

[danewilson77]

The AVIDENVIGOR is a great all season.

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