Getting new Wheels 17 or 18"

[CapeKo]

My 16" chrome rims are peeling and have to go.
What will look better 17 or 18"
Edit: no more chrome

[Quailane]

Since you are into chrome, I'm sure you would prefer 18's.

[NHbmw325I]

It depends on your driving style also. I mean I would probably go with 17"s, sometimes I regret getting 18"s. 17"s tend to be lighter also, and tires are cheaper.

[sam316i]

BIG wide 17s i say.http://http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/9642/dsc00725xh1.th.jpg (http://img229.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00725xh1.jpg)

[e36bmdub]

i wish i woulda gotten 19's instead of 18's if that answers ur question lol

[Biochemlab]

I think e36's look a little wierd with anything bigger than 18... and even think 18's are a little too big.

I agree, big wide 17's!!

[blumpie]

If your not going to lower it, then I would say get another set of 16's, but definitely don't go larger than 17.

Personally, even on a lowered car, I like the 17's. I have been tempted to go 18, but the cost it just too prohibitive for a 14 year old car.

[FreewheelBurner]

17's if you don't have an M body kit

[jr1966]

17s would yield the best balance of looks, performance, weight, cost.

[e36bmdub]

How are 18's too big, i think they are the perfect size, all i can say is they ride alot smoother than my 16" sports!

someone tell me if these look too big!

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q117/weezy_wee/n1421910088_30008054_807.jpg
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q117/weezy_wee/Picture060.jpg
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q117/weezy_wee/Picture059.jpg


And what does having an ///M bodykit have anythign to do with what size rims ur gonan get?

[strogg]

i vote 17" cuz they're a lot more practical, like the above poster said, 17" are cheaper, lighter, etc etc. the only thing i disagree on are the looks. i'd rather have the look of 18's; they just look better. any bigger and it'll be weird. so 17 for practicality, 18 for more show. either way, i'm sure you won't regret it.

[CapeKo]

Thanks everybody, got a set of 17" comming.
Now to get rid of my old set
Tires are good, hate to waste them, rims look awfull

[pwlorraine]

I chose 17"s over the stock 15". The ride is fine. Roads in upstate NY have a fair amount of frost heave and ride can get jarring if you don't have enough rubber. If roads are in very good shape where you are, you could go with 18". I don't think they look better but you might not get too rough a ride or risk bending them.

Peter

[e36bmdub]

did u order a set of lowering springs too? might wanna install the springs and rims at the same time so it doesnt look like ur going off roading anymore..lol

btw what kind of rims did u get?

[OptionlessM]

16" if you plan on heavy tracking
17" for tire prices, but still looking good
18" sheer looks, and not too worried about tires.

[FreewheelBurner]

How are 18's too big, i think they are the perfect size, all i can say is they ride alot smoother than my 16" sports!

someone tell me if these look too big!

And what does having an ///M bodykit have anythign to do with what size rims ur gonan get?

Okay i will go ahead an say it, they are in fact too big for your car. You sit way high off the ground even if you are lowered. The M kit gives the car a slight lower appearance, which will compensate for having bigger wheels.

Also the smoother ride is all in your head so you can justify buying those wheels. Because in reality even switching from 16's to 17's makes a pretty decent effect on ride quality.

[RomasBurg328iCA]

18" LOOK best IMO... if you want it dumped more aggressively tho... then 17" would be the way to go... but many ppl tell me that 18s reduce performance or just feel worse than 17"s (havnt experienced it myself)... but as far as looks, go 18s... also its not just the size, but the design... many rims with deep lips or polished lips can look smaller than rims with spokes that reach all the way out to the edge...

Me? I plan on getting 17s and about a 2" drop... but yea... gluck and post pics with ur choice...

EDIT: haha didnt see that u orderd them already... (newb mistake)

[e36bmdub]

Okay i will go ahead an say it, they are in fact too big for your car. You sit way high off the ground even if you are lowered. The M kit gives the car a slight lower appearance, which will compensate for having bigger wheels.

Also the smoother ride is all in your head so you can justify buying those wheels. Because in reality even switching from 16's to 17's makes a pretty decent effect on ride quality.


yea ur right even tho my 18's weigh less then my factory 16's, so u can just keep rolling on ur stock 17's becuase thats all u have to back yourself up with...next ur gonna tell me im gonna be an m3 poser for getting an m3 bumper...buts only gonna be so i can mount my intercooler..anything else u wanna make urself look dumb bout?

[Ziggy819]

I didn't think i'd like my 17's but i've come to love them! I don't have to worry about rubbing, tires are a tad cheaper, not much lol. I would have liked to have more of a stagger, but other than that love them, nice wide 17's :D

[benn2k]

19s staggered

[Colombianpapi96]

pic of my car with 17" staggered http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Colombianpapi969/DSC06181.jpg

[elias11]

My car has 17s that are staggered. 245s on the back, 235s on the front. But I would love to get 18s, they look soo much better but tires are so expensive.

If you dont want to waste those tires man, go out and enjoy em :P you probably wont be able to sell em, so you might as well light em up!
+1 on your wheel choice ... lets see pics

[weenstan]

17 is best.

[Don B]

Go for what you prefer. If you're concerned about performance and ride then go for 17's..the E36 wasn't sold with anything larger than 17's so that says something.

I've got 18's and bought them coz they look better imo. Also, tyres for 18 inch wheels won't be more expensive than tyres for a 17 inch staggered setup.

[kuyote]

I have some 18's with 245 tires, had a hell of a time getting them to stop rubbing. Had the fenders rolled, and pulled out a little, still rubs on a big bump.

[MJFX328]

17s for wider tires.

18s for looks.

Buy some 17" stockers and save $

[CapeKo]

The new 17" wheels I decided on
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r263/capeko/bmw3-1.jpg

[MJFX328]

You need a drop worse than a crackhead lookin for a fix

[e36bmdub]

You need a drop worse than a crackhead lookin for a fix


:rofl:

[MParallel]

I went from 18" to 17". I think 18" do look the best from a proportion standpoint, but the (OEM) wheels I wanted only come in 17".
And after all BMW didn't choose 17" for no reason, so...

Doesn't look bad anyways.

[e36bmdub]

yea now they have like 20's haha

[BryDog]

17's will handle much better than 18's.

[e36bmdub]

18's will get ur more women than 17's

[crisko]

How wide can the tires be without running into problems?

[e36bmdub]

i have 245's with sport package and i have no problem, some e36's do tho, especially when lowered, i say the widest tire thats the safest is 235's

[wrestlingcanuck]

18's will get ur more women than 17's
:shifty

[e36bmdub]

wat r u grinin about its true...lol

[zx7rhitch]

yea ur right even tho my 18's weigh less then my factory 16's, so u can just keep rolling on ur stock 17's becuase thats all u have to back yourself up with...next ur gonna tell me im gonna be an m3 poser for getting an m3 bumper...buts only gonna be so i can mount my intercooler..anything else u wanna make urself look dumb bout?

You have a serious problem.You make your self dumb no need to help you with it.You are a constant problem to this forum do you every add anything useful?

[MParallel]

Official BMW tyre sizes for the staggered setup are 225/45-17 and 245/40-17 on M Tech suspension.

Of course if you want to seriously slam it...or mount very wide wheels...