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Thread: Wide Wheel Fitment

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    '85 Bronzit 745i

    Wide Wheel Fitment

    Ok, I know at least some of you have tried to stuff big rubber in the rear of an E23. With the build starting to turn into something, and theoretical power levels being....big, I want (need) to get a 295 or 305 in the back. While I'm currently searching the forums pretty extensively, most results are turning up various "Stance" applications with ultra-stretched tires.

    Hoping someone can shed some light on proper wheel specs to make the dream a reality. 17 or 18" and 9.5-10" wide. If you've made them fit, I'd love to know the diameter, width, offset, and any extra work you had to do. Budget BMW wheel recommendations would also be stellar!
    Last edited by Nomadicvar; 09-25-2018 at 12:46 PM.

  2. #2
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    '84 733i, 01 X5 00 750iL
    I have 18x9.5 E38 wheels (ET24) on the back of my e23 w/ 265/35/18s and no wheel spacers. This just barely rubs the inner wheel house. I am installing 5mm spacers this week which should cure that. There is not a lot more room for a tire w/o rolling the wheel lip.
    Last edited by BONDOSPECIAL; 09-25-2018 at 09:44 PM.
    Steve H.

  3. #3
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    Good info. The stance folks must get away with 10-11" wheels without rolling the arches because of the tiny tires they stretch into oblivion. I think I'm starting with a set of M Parallels with a 275/35 to play it safe and I'll measure and proceed accordingly. Thanks!

  4. #4
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    275 is definitely going to hit the inner wheel house without a spacer. Watch for rub marks on your test drives

  5. #5
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    Thank you for the heads up. I'll be sure to get some spacers on hand before test fitting. Think a pair of 5mm and 10mm should do the trick? Without having the car in front of me, it's hard to know for sure what I'm working with.

  6. #6
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    I tried hub centric 12mm spacers (10mm won't fit - 10mm is thick enough you need a hubcentric spacer with its own hub register on it to center the wheel. And you need at least a 12mm hubcentric spacer to clear the 12mm tall rear hub register. I tried fitting hubcentric 10mm and they would not sit flat against the rotor.) 12mm hubcentric spacers stuck the et24 18x9.5 rear wheels w/ 265 tires out so far it hit the outer wheel lip so badly I couldn't leave my driveway safely. If a 5mm spacer doesn't give you enough room (I think you are still going to hit inboard) you are going to have to roll/stretch the wheel lip. A 265 on a 9.5 width starts to stretch the sidewall just enough to help with clearance.
    Last edited by BONDOSPECIAL; 09-26-2018 at 12:54 PM.
    Steve H.

  7. #7
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    If you end up wanting to try a 12mm hub centric spacer for yourself, I can ship you mine for mockup along with a longer set of wheel studs to match, if you pay shipping both ways. I can't use them and don't forsee needing them any time soon.
    Steve H.

  8. #8
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    2010 BMW 3 Series
    Thanks for sharing this info. Looking to upgrade my E23 as well.

  9. #9
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    Gilbert, Arizona
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    1987 BMW 735i
    For what it's worth I had a 19x9 et18 with 275/35 on the rears that I was test fitting and did not see any problems with them rubbing against the fender lip or struts.

    willtheyfit.com is a great resource to test measurements for different offsets, diameters, etc. It'll configure how much forward or back the face of the wheel sits, ride height, fender gap etc. Not meant as an end all, be all answer however it's an awesome additional resource.

  10. #10
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    chapter11 did you drive on those? I test fit some offsets that looked like there was plenty of room outboard, but when i drove on them hit pretty badly. The trailing arm rear suspension on these cars does not have any camber gain as the suspension compresses which does not help trying to tuck wide tires. I tried up to 20mm wheel spacers w/ the ET24 wheels and 265s and thought wow, there is still room to the fender lip, this is gonna work, but once I started moving realized that was a problem.
    Last edited by BONDOSPECIAL; 09-26-2018 at 01:58 PM.
    Steve H.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by BONDOSPECIAL View Post
    chapter11 did you drive on those? I test fit some offsets that looked like there was plenty of room outboard, but when i drove on them hit pretty badly. The trailing arm rear suspension on these cars does not have any camber gain as the suspension compresses which does not help trying to tuck wide tires. I tried up to 20mm wheel spacers w/ the ET24 wheels and 265s and thought wow, there is still room to the fender lip, this is gonna work, but once I started moving realized that was a problem.
    That's good information! I did not drive on them as once I fit them I decided 19" was far too much wheel and I wasn't going to be happy with the end result. I wonder if there's an upgrade or modification out there to correct the trailing arm's mechanics.

  12. #12
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    You'd need a multi-link rear suspension to have a variable camber curve. Would require a total redesign of the rear suspension on this car. The E39 M5 I came from before I got back into E23's had a multilink rear suspension. However E36's still had trailing arms, and that platform seems to be well regarded for track performance, so the trailing arm setup must work okay.
    Last edited by BONDOSPECIAL; 09-26-2018 at 03:24 PM.
    Steve H.

  13. #13
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    Alright, it sounds like the set of M Parallels I have lined up will be coming with a set of 15mm hubcentric spacers, putting the rears at et10. If looking at willtheyfit, that seems like a great setup but we'll just have to see how it all lines up on the car.

  14. #14
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    Let us know how the test drive goes. I hit badly on the left rear wheel lip with 12mm spacers. I made it about 10 feet out of my driveway w/ horrible sounds. Each car is a little different when they are this old. Maybe your subframe will be centered a little better than mine. Because who knows what the history of some of these cars is and whether they ever had minor accident damage that was repaired or not.
    Last edited by BONDOSPECIAL; 09-27-2018 at 01:59 PM.
    Steve H.

  15. #15
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    Wheel fitment and such will absolutely be included in the build thread, but unfortunately I won't be getting around to that test drive for a couple more months. Still have to fit the gs6-53bz, get the driveshaft all doctored up, make a new gear ring for the flywheel (to make the trans play nice with the rest), and finish balancing everything. We're still a good ways out.

  16. #16
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    An update on my style 37 9.5" rear wheel experience. I just drove a 9 hour trip with 5mm spacers on the rear. When I put 150 lbs in the trunk during my trip, this was enough to cause the left rear 265/35/18 tire to start hitting on the outer wheel lip, which started slicing the sidewall. Luckily not enough to halt my progress but I am glad these tires were due for replacement. I took the 5mm spacers off and am now running no spacers, and I replaced the rear tires w/ new 265's. I hammered the inner wheel house on one side where the tire was rubbing. I do not see any rubbing currently. The offset of these wheels actually seems correct w/ no spacers.
    Steve H.

  17. #17
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    Awesome update! I'm very excited to hear it, and will have to pay extra close attention to the centering of everything. With luck, the 275's will work out.

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