My New (to me) 325i

[Buc]

Had a 328i for like a week and a half, but had to give it back due to some craziness. Now I have this. I don't have my own pics yet, so this is all from the ebay page where I got it. I'm thinking about swapping out the rims for some deep dish black with silver lips, installing HID's, and possibly lowering it. What do yall think?

[GunnerNell]

Good lookin' car, but why you r u modding it if you had to give it back??

[Buc]

Sorry, those are pics of the 325. I had to give the 328 back because he didn't have a title.

*Edited original post for clarity.

[nathancarter]

Not too bad. Silver is a good color on these cars. What's the mileage, and did it come with any service records?

Looks like it already has HIDs: factory bi-Xenon headlights. Look at the globe-shaped projector lenses. So, unless you mean HID foglights, I don't think you need to do anything with the headlights.

The wheels are pretty silly. At the very least, look for some OEM Style 119s (my favorite OEM), 68s, 137s, or something.

It does sit a bit high, which is strange since it has the sport package steering wheel and seats. Maybe the wheels and tires are the wrong size, which exaggerates the gap between the tire and fender. Can't quite tell from the pic.

What part of Tampa are you from? I can't really help much with the styling, but can give a hand with mechanical problems or maintenance.

[Buc]

It has 83.5k miles, and I think it does have service records though I haven't actually looked at them yet.

I don't know much about HID's, just that the voltage determines the color. The headlights right now are a very pure white, whereas I prefer blue. Does this mean all I have to do is replace the bulbs?

Hadn't seen the 119's before, but I just looked them up and they do look good. My 328 had 68's which I really liked, but I think the 119's might look better on this car.

I'll have to get back to you on the exact tire size, but the rims are 18's. It is up there, but I thought it just seemed that way because I've been driving a lowered car for the past five years. If it can be lowered a decent amount just by changing the size of the tires that would be great, because I'm really not trying to dump a bunch of money into it. I live in Citrus Park and would be greatful for any help with the maintenance.

ETA: Also, when I had the '99 328i I bought a set of locking lugs. Do you know if they're compatable with an '03 325i?

[TJ710]

Car looks good. Not too big of a fan of those wheels. What shift knob is that?

[Buc]

It's a MOMO shift knob. And right now I'm most likely getting these wheels:

[Buc]

Maybe the wheels and tires are the wrong size, which exaggerates the gap between the tire and fender. Can't quite tell from the pic.

Don't know about the wheels other than they're 18's. From what I can tell from looking around, the rims are supposed to be staggered with 18x8.5 in front and 18x9.5 in the back and the recommended tire size is 225-40-18. Those tires are 245-40-18. Would that cause it to sit high?

[Smilez]

it will sit the same, but i suggest you drop it right of way.

[nathancarter]

Maybe the wheels and tires are the wrong size, which exaggerates the gap between the tire and fender. Can't quite tell from the pic.

Don't know about the wheels other than they're 18's. From what I can tell from looking around, the rims are supposed to be staggered with 18x8.5 in front and 18x9.5 in the back and the recommended tire size is 225-40-18. Those tires are 245-40-18. Would that cause it to sit high?

To my understanding, the 325i sedan would not have had a staggered setup from the factory, even with the sport package - it would have had 17"x8 (or 17"x8.5??) all the way around. The 330i sedan with sport package would have had staggered 17"s with optional staggered 18".

I think - and I'm not a tire expert here, so bear with me - that the sidewall is slightly too tall on those tires, which makes it sit very slightly higher off the ground, but also closes the gap a bit.

Taken from Tire Rack:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=46

In your tire size, the first number is the tire width, the second number is the ratio of tire width to tire sidewall height, and the third number is of course the wheel size.
225-40-18 tires are 225mm wide, with a sidewall height of 225*0.4=90mm.
245-40-18 tires are 245mm wide, with a sidewall height of 245*0.4=98mm.
The difference isn't really huge, but will affect your speedometer a tiny bit. The cosmetic difference is close to imperceptible IMO.

Also note that, technically, "ride height" is measured vertically from the fender to the bottom edge of the rim, NOT the from the ground to the bottom of the side skirt. Just a semantics thing, but it comes up.


Anyway. If you're swapping wheels around, just make sure you get wheels that fit properly: diameter, width, and offset. Then make sure that the tires you buy have the correct overall diameter (sidewall height + wheel diameter + sidewall height). Then think about what you want to accomplish with your suspension: cosmetics only, light track use, daily driver, being able to go up the driveway, etc. If it's "slammed" too low, you'll turn a lot of heads... not only due to the looks, but also due to the loud scraping every time you drive over a speed bump.

Even with my stock sport suspension, I *still* have to take it easy on that speed bump in the parking lot of Crazy Buffet on Dale Mabry...have you seen that thing, it's like the Great Wall of Chinese Buffets.

[pureco99]

I've been looking for those wheels for a while. ARe they 18's? they are the same kind I had in my 318. PM me if you are interested in selling them.

[danewilson77]

Me likey....alot

[bms72586]

the first "mod" i would do is to get some floor mats. i hate not having some. thats just me tho

[eee4666]

Just skimming through the posts....

You have factory xenons so all you need is 6K (white with a hint of blue) or 8K (a more noticeable blue) bulbs. Keep looking for wheels. It's your car, but there are MANY alternatives that look 100 times better. Hell, look into OEM ZHP wheels. Look into clears (get rid of the amber all around from your turn signals)...

My advise is look at as many E46's as you can before making a decision, either here or on fanatics. Research, look up, and KNOW what you're buying before you do. There's nothing worse than buying somthing and having to go back and do it again, just do it right the first time (TRUST ME). If it means saving for a little longer, do it. Do you even know if those wheels will for the car?

[Buc]

Better? I was kind of planning on keeping a stock look anyways. I had originally planned on grabbing another set of OEM style 68's, but I think they looked far better on my black sedan than they would on my silver one. And yeah, I'm not gonna rush into spending a thousand dollars (with tires) on anything without making sure I like it.

I have a friend who can get me the hook up on some HID's, so I'm gonna go 10k.

And to bms, it has floor mats, they took them out for the pics so that you could see how clean the carpet is.

To my understanding, the 325i sedan would not have had a staggered setup from the factory, even with the sport package - it would have had 17"x8 (or 17"x8.5??) all the way around. The 330i sedan with sport package would have had staggered 17"s with optional staggered 18".

Most of the rim sites I've found suggest staggered. I think TireRack doesn't. Would the fact that I'm looking for 18's have anything to do with it?