Need Advice on Whether to Upgrade to OEM Staggared M Rims

[scottsby]

Hey all. I have a 93'325is riding on the original "sport" 15" rims/tires. The tires are 225/55/15. I may buy my friends double-spoke II (ten doubles) with 225/45/17 and 245/40/17.

I know the new rims will look much better than my stock 15" honeycombs.

However, will I suffer a big difference in ride-quality? Will I feel a noticible difference in off-the-line performance with the wider tread and heavier rims? :

Also, I live in NY where there are some bad roads and deal with some (not a lot) of snow.

Thanks for all your advice!!

Scott

[Anfanger]

What are the staggered rim sizes? 17x7.5 and 17x8? 17x7.5 and 17x8.5? Check and make sure the offset is the same... I don't know the M3 offset.

[1995red318i]

there will be a little difference off the line w/17s, but nothing to really worry about w/a325is those rims aren't as heavy as other aftermarket wheels either.
but i think staggering can promote understeer? someone will answer who know more.
also w/staggered you can't rotate tires either. something to think about

[scottsby]

7.5 x 17 and 8.5 x 17.

[Rel44 M3]

Yes, staggering will promote understeer. I don't know how capable the 325i is in breaking the rear tires loose, but I actually prefer having them staggered.

[scottsby]

Thanks for the replies.

Another question: I have the "sport suspension" and do NOT plan on upgrading my springs/shocks. Will this be a problem?

Also, what do you think of the double spoke II rims? Thanks again and have a great weekend all . . . :

[Rel44 M3]

Your OEM sport suspension will be fine.

[Anfanger]

Your ride will become a bit bumpier because of no squishy balloon tires (the fat 'ole stock tires) but it shouldn't be problem, unless you are REALLY REALLY picky. The stock suspension should be fine too, but remember with a staggered setup you can NOT rotate your tires. And yes the double spoke rims look fine . Don't worry and enjoy your weekend.

[Dorameon]

I have the exact setup that you posted but on a 94 325is Sport.

Mine fits fine w/ the stock suspension.

For the ride quality, those double spoke II staggered rims are little heavier, bumpier, more understeer and less gas mileage relatively compared to the stock 15" w/ 225 tires. However, they are sticker to the road than the 15".

Trust me, once you get used to it, you will love it and don't even bother going back to 15" again.

[Ali]

no more tire rotating for you, but on a sports car who rotates tires?

[Dorameon]

Yup, no more tire rotation is one drawback if you're planning to put a lot of mileages on the car. But I am only a daily driver (no auto-X) so it doesn't bother me too much.

[Rel44 M3]

Well, with some of the summer performance tires that you throw on there, you can literally burn them up in roughly 10k miles, especially the rear ones. That's a little bit past the point where you'd rotate the tires anyway (usually around the 8k mile mark). In my case, I just passed 37k miles on the odometer on the original tires (although about 3k-4k were on my winter tires) and at this point they need to be replaced. Maybe I'm not driving her hard enough. Surprisingly, though, looking at the tread, the rears are not that much more worn than the fronts. These are OEM Michelin Pilot Sports, btw.

[Jim[UK]AKA 007]

Those are my favourite M3 rims. They look really sweet.

I'd go for them if the price is good.