im looking into getting an e61 and I am currently an e38 owner. I would like to know if I would be able to put m-pars from my e38 on the e61. couldn't find the answer on the forums. thank you in advance.
Will they fit? Yes. Will they look good? No.
CURRENT:
Racecar: '81 e21 320i Group2. GT28 @ 25psi, MS2, e28 M5 suspension/brakes underneath, forged, cammed, 400bhp, 2190lbs, etc, etc...
Daily: '95 e34 540/6. DUDMD tuned, vogtland/koni, Schnitzers, other minor touches.
Project: '94 525iT. S50 swapped, supercharger in the works, manual swapped, Airlift supsension, Mpars, Brembo's, clean machine.
New daily: e60 530i sport package. Stock.
I believe all USA e61s are X-Drive and have a different offset. I can't answer your exact question, but this may be a consideration you need to address to get the correct answer. I'd also suggest cross-posting in the wheels/tires section.
You'll need spacers to make them work on the e61. The Xdrive uses higher offset wheels (like ET35+), whereas the M Pars are around ET 20/22, I think.
Spacers won’t work. They reduce offset. The M Pars are lower offset than stock.
Wow. Duh.
#brainfart
I don't know what the average offset is for e61 wheels...but I do know e38 MPARS (13mm front & 25mm rear) have been mounted to e63 coupe, e53 X5, and my f06 650i GC.
My f06 came with staggered 20" Style 356 wheels (33mm front & 44am rear). I needed a winter wheel/tire set up and couldn't find anything before the snow was going to fly. I had a set of e38 MPARS sitting in my she'd since 2012...so I wondered would they.
I looked up a good wheel & tire calculator ( www.willtheyfit.com ) and ran the old wheels/tires to get a baseline... then the front wheels/tires & the rear wheels/tires for the winter tire size I would mount on the MPars.
Come to find out they wouldn't rub suspension parts or fendors...and wouldn't poke out too far (which the front 13mm offset shocked me). The biggest hurdle left was would they fit over the huge f06 brake calipers (especially the front). A tset fit proved that they did.
So...my 2013 f06 that uses wheels with a much higher offset (33mm front/44mm rear) are successfully mounted with e38 staggered MPars and 245/45/18 (f) & 255/45/18 (r) Michelin X-Ice xi3 winter tires.
Do your homework...make sure the wheels fit over your brakes, don't rub, and don't poke out to far...and that the tires are within correct rolling circumference to keep the odometer & speedometer within spec and that you don't screw up traction control/ABS systems etc.
The MPars where used for function...not their looks. I needed 18 wheels to mount with snow tires...come to find out they worked I'm my case...and they were already bought & paid for.
Some other examples of MPars used on BMW models past the e38 production:
{E63 645Ci w/E38 MPars}
{e53 X5 3.0 w/e38 MPars}
{F06 650ix GC w/e38 MPars}
Last edited by Qsilver7; 03-06-2019 at 08:51 AM.
I run 232s from an E71 on my E61 for summers with 15mm spacers up front, wrapped in 255/40R19s. The rear had to be rolled a bit to clear and prevent rubbing, front fitment is rub free and about as pushed out as you can get it without rubbing. Below are some notes comparing to my specs to the E38 M Pars 18x8 ET13 - 18x9.5 ET25 (mind you this is only looking at outside wheel position not taking tire specs into account.
18x8 ET13 vs 19x9 ET33 (ET48 + the 15mm spacer) - E38 M pars will have 7mm more poke
19x9.5 ET25 vs 19x9 ET18 - E38 M pars will have 1mm more poke
The E39 M pars end up being outside of what I would usually suggest for the xDrive E61.
-James
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