E24 M6 Wheel Fittment Dilemma

[MattM]

Hi All:

I recently bought a 1988 Canadian-spec M6 that currently sports some pretty hideous aftermarket wheels. My plan to put new tires on the spare stock metrics got scrapped when I priced a set at Coker Tire.

Last week on Craigslist I found a set of five perfect 16x8s with a 23mm offset for $300 that the seller said were spares from a bunch of junked 5-Series. Yesterday I took the wheels to my local tire store to swap out but before doing so mounted a bare wheel on a front hub to check the fit. The inside of the wheel was just a whisker away from rubbing on the strut and, figuring with the tire it would stick out another 1/2", it was obvious that they - the fronts anyway - wouldn't remotely fit.

So here's my question: Can I buy a set of spacers that will allow these beautiful and inexpensive wheels to fit? If so, should I buy spacers from Bimmerworld? What width? 10mm or 12mm? Bigger (yikes)? Should I forget it and put the wheels back on Craigslist and try again?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Matt Merritt
Burbank, CA

[98M3_4]

1. I'd put em back on CL and get wheels that are made for your fitment. Using spacers just adds one more variable and opportunity for wheel shimmy, etc. to develop. Some have no problems whatsoever, some do.

2. If you must use them, you should consider the tire size to be used and try to accurately measure how much clearance you'll need. 10mm, 15mm, more?

just my 2 cents