BMW 3 Series tire size

Original tire sizes for the BMW 3 Series, model years 1984 through 2024. Trim levels and wheel packages change the size within the same year, so confirm on the door-jamb sticker before ordering.

Check this first

Front and rear Different sizes Staggered. Buy a pair per axle and never mix sizes across one.

Wheel sizes 14", 15", 17", 18" or 19" The wheel package decides which one your car has.

Tire sizes listed 8 In 24 model years more than one size was fitted, depending on trim.

Check before you order. The surest answer is the tires on the car right now: the size is molded into the sidewall. The placard inside the driver's door tells you what the factory fitted, which can differ from what a previous owner put on. Our guide on reading a tire size shows exactly where to look.

• 2024
• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 1991
• 1990
• 1989
• 1988
• 1987
• 1986
• 1985
• 1984

Size by year and trim

Tire size by model year

Show the remaining 15 model years

Model year	Tire size	Trim or package	From, per tire
2012 BMW 3 Series	225/45R18, 225/40R19, 255/35R19	Sport line front, M Sport 19 in front or M Sport rear	$77	Prices
2011 BMW 3 Series	225/45R17, 235/45R17	17 in or Sport 17 in	$69	Prices
2010 BMW 3 Series	225/45R17, 235/45R17	17 in or Sport 17 in	$69	Prices
2009 BMW 3 Series	225/45R17, 235/45R17	17 in or Sport 17 in	$69	Prices
2008 BMW 3 Series	225/45R17, 235/45R17	17 in or Sport 17 in	$69	Prices
2007 BMW 3 Series	225/45R17, 235/45R17	17 in or Sport 17 in	$69	Prices
2006 BMW 3 Series	225/45R17, 235/45R17	17 in or Sport 17 in	$69	Prices
1991 BMW 3 Series	205/55R15, 195/65R14	325is 15 in, 318i, 325e/325es or 325i 14 in	$80	Prices
1990 BMW 3 Series	205/55R15, 195/65R14	325is 15 in, 318i, 325e/325es or 325i 14 in	$80	Prices
1989 BMW 3 Series	205/55R15, 195/65R14	325is 15 in, 318i, 325e/325es or 325i 14 in	$80	Prices
1988 BMW 3 Series	205/55R15, 195/65R14	325is 15 in, 318i, 325e/325es or 325i 14 in	$80	Prices
1987 BMW 3 Series	205/55R15, 195/65R14	325is 15 in, 318i, 325e/325es or 325i 14 in	$80	Prices
1986 BMW 3 Series	195/65R14	318i, 325e/325es or 325i 14 in	$80	Prices
1985 BMW 3 Series	195/65R14	318i, 325e/325es or 325i 14 in	$80	Prices
1984 BMW 3 Series	195/65R14	318i, 325e/325es or 325i 14 in	$80	Prices

What BMW approves

BMW-approved tires carry a star on the sidewall.

The star means BMW signed off on that exact tire for that car. Many BMWs also leave the factory on run-flats, marked RSC or with the maker's own code such as ZP or MOE, and BMW's own advice is not to mix run-flat and standard tires on the same car.

Brands that carry the approval

Written on the sidewall as: Pirelli P Zero (★), Continental PremiumContact 6 (★).

The drawing carries the sizes we list for this car, so you know what you are looking for. The placard on the car is still the final word, and it is the only place that gives the cold pressures: the number molded into the sidewall is the maximum the tire can hold, not what your car wants.

What those tires cost

Buying wheels at the same time?

A staggered car is the one case where new wheels and new tires usually happen together, because a bent or corroded rear rim is what sends most people shopping in the first place. Four numbers have to match before the size does any good.

Bolt pattern

Number of studs and the circle they sit on, written as 5x114.3. It is not adjustable; adapters are a compromise.

Offset

How far the mounting face sits from the centre line. Wrong offset rubs the strut or the fender, even in the right size.

Centre bore

The hole in the middle must sit on the hub, not on the bolts. A hub-centric ring fills a bore that is too large.

Load rating

Each wheel must carry its share of the loaded car. This is what gets missed on trucks and on anything towing.

Wheels at WheelHero

Wheels and complete wheel and tire packages, mounted and balanced.

About the BMW 3 Series

The 3 Series is BMW's compact sport sedan and the car most rivals in the class are measured against. Tire buyers land here more often than on most model pages, because BMW has fitted run-flat tires as standard equipment on US cars since the mid-2000s and deleted the spare tire to go with them. Fitments also vary a lot by trim, and M Sport and Sport Line cars use different widths front and rear.

Launched in 1975. Launched in 1975, the 3 Series replaced the 02 Series as BMW's entry model, a two-door sedan with a straight-six option that set the template for the rear-drive compact sport sedan.

How to tell the model years apart

Wheel and tire sizes follow the generation, not the badge, so identifying yours matters before you order.

What the press said

No car has been more decorated by the American motoring press: Car and Driver put the 3 Series on its 10Best list 22 times between 1992 and 2014, the longest run any car has managed. The E90 was praised for its chassis and its turbocharged six but criticized for run-flat ride quality and iDrive. The F30 drew the sharpest criticism of the modern era, with reviewers complaining that electric steering and comfort-biased tuning had dulled the car, and the G20 was widely seen as a recovery. Current reviews praise the ride and handling balance and the interior, and complain about steering feel, the size of the grilles and how much is left on the options list.

Interior fit and finish is excellent, as is the 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

Car and Driver, 2026

Model year

Model year	Units sold in the US
2014	141,632
2015	140,609
2016	72,290
2017	59,449
2018	44,578
2019	47,827
2020	39,290
2021	49,458
2022	30,400
2023	33,816
2024	31,329
2025	32,782

US volume fell sharply after 2015, partly because the coupe and convertible were split off as the 4 Series and partly because buyers moved to the X3; annual sales have run around 30,000 to 50,000 since 2016 against roughly 140,000 in 2014 and 2015.

Was it a success?

A commercial and critical success over five decades, though US volume is now a fraction of what it was. Values on the F30 generation have fallen a long way, which makes a well-kept 340i one of the better performance bargains around, with the caveat that deferred maintenance on these cars gets expensive fast. Reliability is acceptable rather than Japanese, and cooling system, oil leak and electronics repairs are the usual reasons an owner sells.

Did you know?

• Car and Driver named the 3 Series to its 10Best list 22 times, from 1992 through 2014, the longest-running entry in the award's history.
• The 3 Series has been built well outside Germany, including at Rosslyn in South Africa for decades and at San Luis Potosi in Mexico since 2019.
• The 335i of 2007 introduced BMW's first turbocharged gasoline engine in a mainstream 3 Series, the twin-turbo N54 straight-six, after years of the company insisting naturally aspirated sixes were better.

Tire options on the BMW 3 Series

Almost every US 3 Series since 2006 left the factory on run-flat tires with no spare, which is the single most important thing to know before shopping: a non-run-flat replacement will ride better and cost less but leaves you without any way to limp home. Base cars are square, usually 225/45R17 on the E90 or 225/45R18 on the G20, while Sport Line and M Sport cars are staggered, pairing a 225/45R18 front with a 255/40R18 rear or 225/40R19 with 255/35R19 on the F30. Factory tires have come from Bridgestone, Pirelli, Continental and Michelin, in both all-season and summer form depending on whether the car was ordered with the cold weather package. Staggered setups cannot be rotated front to rear, so rear tires wear out first and are often replaced in pairs. The usual winter solution is a square set of 17- or 18-inch wheels with non-run-flat winter tires, which is cheaper and much more comfortable than winter run-flats.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, caranddriver.com, goodcarbadcar.net.

BMW 3 Series tires: common questions

What size tires does a BMW 3 Series take?

The most common original size is 195/65R14. Other model years and trims use different sizes, so check the list on this page and confirm against the sticker inside your driver's door.

Can I fit a different size on my BMW 3 Series?

You can, within limits: the overall diameter should stay within about 3 percent of the original, and the load index and speed rating must meet or exceed the door placard. Anything further changes your speedometer reading and can rub at full lock.

Where is the tire size on a BMW 3 Series?

Open the driver's door and look at the white and yellow placard on the door jamb or the B-pillar. The same size is also molded into the sidewall of the tires currently on the car, unless someone changed them.

What size tires does a 2024 BMW 3 Series take?

The 2024 BMW 3 Series came from the factory on 225/45R18 and 255/40R18. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.

What size tires does a 2023 BMW 3 Series take?

The 2023 BMW 3 Series came from the factory on 225/45R18 and 255/40R18. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.

What size tires does a 2022 BMW 3 Series take?

The 2022 BMW 3 Series came from the factory on 225/45R18 and 255/40R18. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.