I just closed a deal for some staggered 17" Style 68 wheels....

[Watch Carefully]

A fellow a few towns over was selling them on eBay--balanced with some tired but possibly useful-for-a-summer rubber on them.
The price was too good to pass up, so I plan to use them as summer wheels, with grippy tires, while retaining the all-weather tires on stock 7.5x16 wheels for off-season.

Has anyone swapped out 16" stock wheels for these?
Offset is believed to be 41 front, 50 rear. Should I have any concerns about these fitting my '97 2.8 Roadster? Might I need spacers in the rear?

[zellamay]

Look up your stock wheels here, add any changes you might like (like having the tires a little further out) and compare.: http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/

[Llama]

I have them, and they look great. To keep things close to stock offset, you need 10MM spacers on the back, and therefore 10mm longer studs to bolt them up. You'll wind up with 1 or 2 mm wider offset than the stock 17 inch wheels, but in 15 years with these wheels, there has never been a problem for me.

[Watch Carefully]

I have them, and they look great. To keep things close to stock offset, you need 10MM spacers on the back, and therefore 10mm longer studs to bolt them up. You'll wind up with 1 or 2 mm wider offset than the stock 17 inch wheels, but in 15 years with these wheels, there has never been a problem for me.

Fantastic, I'll check out options for spacers and lug bolts. I know ECS has them up to 30mm.
I'll be glad to fill out the flares a bit and have a slightly more aggressive stance. The stock wheels are visually anæmic to me.
Cheers!

- - - Updated - - -

Look up your stock wheels here, add any changes you might like (like having the tires a little further out) and compare.: http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/

I appreciate the link!

[Watch Carefully]

Getting there, bit-by-bit...



The front wheels and rubber are great: correct offset and plenty of tread life.

The rears will likely need spacers (@Llama - if 10mm spacers push the wheels only a couple mm outboard, I may go with 20mm or wider spacers, in order to fill out the fender flares more to my liking, and ensure no interference with inboard suspension bits).
Also, rear rubber is quite worn--I'll need a pair of Continentals back there.

As my hobbies are self-funding, it looks like I need to sell a vintage wristwatch to obtain a few hundred bucks for spacers, lug bolts and sneakers...unless someone wants to buy my '74 450SL!
Thanks for the advice, chaps.
Brad

[Terry F.]

Anything from '57?

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[Watch Carefully]

Anything from '57?

Not presently, though I have at least one Russian Cal. 2809 chronometer from 1959, and sold a couple 1958/1959 high-grade Bulovas last year.
Feel free to e-mail me if you're looking for something in particular.
Cheers,
Brad

[Llama]

Found the exact H&R Spacer box and part number I used for the spacers. They are marked 20MM, which I think is the total width, meaning 10mm per side. I was (and I guess technically still am) autocrossing in the Stock categories, so it was important to me to get the offset as close to stock as possible. As i recall, these spacers push the rear wheels out an extra 2mm over stock, but that's as close to stock as I can get with these wheels. I've never had a problem with inspection.

Here's a photo of the label:
spacers_part_number.jpg

[magnetchief]

Getting there, bit-by-bit...



The front wheels and rubber are great: correct offset and plenty of tread life.

The rears will likely need spacers (@Llama - if 10mm spacers push the wheels only a couple mm outboard, I may go with 20mm or wider spacers, in order to fill out the fender flares more to my liking, and ensure no interference with inboard suspension bits).
Also, rear rubber is quite worn--I'll need a pair of Continentals back there.

As my hobbies are self-funding, it looks like I need to sell a vintage wristwatch to obtain a few hundred bucks for spacers, lug bolts and sneakers...unless someone wants to buy my '74 450SL!
Thanks for the advice, chaps.
Brad

What sort of watch?
I collect 60/70 era bulovas.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Terry F.]

Buyers everywhere! An old gold Omega from 57 would catch my eye. Not being a vintage guy, I can easily be burned by frankenwatches, so I don't go there. But I'd love something from my birthyear although I haven't shopped with any vigor.

[Watch Carefully]

What sort of watch?
I collect 60/70 era bulovas.

Here are the ones I sold last year:
http://forums.timezone.com/index.php...=7263422&rid=0

I also have a top-grade 1967 Ambassador I could offer. It has not been worn in months and I'd rather have new tires. :



Feel free to PM/e-mail me.
Brad

- - - Updated - - -

Found the exact H&R Spacer box and part number I used for the spacers. They are marked 20MM, which I think is the total width, meaning 10mm per side. I was (and I guess technically still am) autocrossing in the Stock categories, so it was important to me to get the offset as close to stock as possible. As i recall, these spacers push the rear wheels out an extra 2mm over stock, but that's as close to stock as I can get with these wheels. I've never had a problem with inspection.

Here's a photo of the label:
spacers_part_number.jpg

Many thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

Buyers everywhere! An old gold Omega from 57 would catch my eye. Not being a vintage guy, I can easily be burned by frankenwatches, so I don't go there. But I'd love something from my birthyear although I haven't shopped with any vigor.

I hear ya...there are a lot of put-together jobbies out there and it's hard to know the history of any watch well enough to be sure.
I've been collecting, buying, selling and researching watches for 20+ years, including writing articles for the main US-based watch publications.

I cannot think of anything I have from 1957, but RADO came out with some cool automatic watches in 2007 to commemorate the 1957 inception of their brand in Japan:



They also offered Chronometer-certified versions. I owned the black dial on steel bracelet version for a while. Quite a solid and stylish vintage-inspired watch.

[Terry F.]

I don't know if you remember a Terry F. over on Tz but I have 13k posts over there. Hardly post any more.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

[Watch Carefully]

Now that you mention it, the name did seem familiar!
I bailed out on the TZPF years ago and started to frequent the Omega Forum instead. Now, I really only post to the Vintage Forum and use the SC.
Since the early 2000s I have been a moderator at EquationofTime.com--I run the Rado Forum there and am active on the main forum, though participation has dropped off.
It used to be a small, tight-knit community, but lots of folks have seen watches become less important in their lives...or they have focussed on specific brands and a general-topic forum isn't satisfying for them.
Cheers,
Brad

I don't know if you remember a Terry F. over on Tz but I have 13k posts over there. Hardly post any more.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

[magnetchief]

Here are the ones I sold last year:
http://forums.timezone.com/index.php...=7263422&rid=0

I also have a top-grade 1967 Ambassador I could offer. It has not been worn in months and I'd rather have new tires. :



Feel free to PM/e-mail me.
Brad

- - - Updated - - -


Many thanks!

- - - Updated - - -



I hear ya...there are a lot of put-together jobbies out there and it's hard to know the history of any watch well enough to be sure.
I've been collecting, buying, selling and researching watches for 20+ years, including writing articles for the main US-based watch publications.

I cannot think of anything I have from 1957, but RADO came out with some cool automatic watches in 2007 to commemorate the 1957 inception of their brand in Japan:



They also offered Chronometer-certified versions. I owned the black dial on steel bracelet version for a while. Quite a solid and stylish vintage-inspired watch.

That's a nice watch. I do like those 30 jewel movements.
I have a couple of the 23 Jewel Bulovas.

But, not something I would really be interested.
Trying to stick to unusual tuning fork movements.

Have you tried selling on

Www.watchtalkforums.info.

They have a pretty good Bulova following / section.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Terry F.]

Now that you mention it, the name did seem familiar!
I bailed out on the TZPF years ago and started to frequent the Omega Forum instead. Now, I really only post to the Vintage Forum and use the SC.
Since the early 2000s I have been a moderator at EquationofTime.com--I run the Rado Forum there and am active on the main forum, though participation has dropped off.
It used to be a small, tight-knit community, but lots of folks have seen watches become less important in their lives...or they have focussed on specific brands and a general-topic forum isn't satisfying for them.
Cheers,
Brad

EOT. This is all so funny. Brandon and I follow each other on FB and I was an EOT-er waaaay back. :-)

[Watch Carefully]

I just installed the Style 68s with 20mm spacers on the rear.
The flared fender shape is nicely accentuated, and the car looks much more aggressive.
Time to take my teenage non-driving daughter out for a top-down spin. Maybe I'll teach her a little about driving manual trannies today.


Thanks to all forum members for the advice given on this project.

BEFORE:




AFTER:

[eribbs]

Adding to this thread, as I used it as a reference when looking at wheel and spacer options.. I just went with the staggered style 68s and 20mm ECS spacers in the rear.. i love the new look! the tires seem to sit at just the right spot now.

Running 245/40R17 rear and 235/45R17 front Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

IMG_8783.jpgIMG_8782.jpgIMG_8785.jpg
IMG_8787.jpgIMG_8779.jpg

[amancuso]

Adding to this thread, as I used it as a reference when looking at wheel and spacer options.. I just went with the staggered style 68s and 20mm ECS spacers in the rear.. i love the new look! the tires seem to sit at just the right spot now.

Running 245/40R17 rear and 235/45R17 front Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

IMG_8783.jpgIMG_8782.jpgIMG_8785.jpg
IMG_8787.jpgIMG_8779.jpg

Pics of interior? Looks like you have a "british traditional".

[eribbs]

Pics of interior? Looks like you have a "british traditional".

Yep that is correct! 1999 british traditional
IMG_8794.jpg

[amancuso]

Sweet. Love that model.