PLEASE READ BEFORE POST: The ultimate wheel/tire fitment thread.

[Jim@tirerack]

The 245/40R17 on the 17X9 will fit the wheel better. The 225/45R17 will be stretched on the 17X9 but will work.

[waldo619]

The 245/40R17 on the 17X9 will fit the wheel better. The 225/45R17 will be stretched on the 17X9 but will work.

Thanks a lot Jim !

[GuitarDTO]

Ok, so I need some advice in terms of getting an alignment with new wheels. I have my new VMR VB3 CSL wheels, 18x8.5 ET 40 front and 18x9.5 ET 33 Rear. I bought these from modbargains and they assured me these are the correct fitment for my car (2008 335i). I have the wheels in hand now, but I guess I'm concerned about a few things. I was under the impression reading through the interwebz that I HAD to have an alignment after changing wheels. I wanted to do said alignment at the BMW dealership, however both of my local dealers have told me they won't do it for aftermarket wheels. The first dealer said their alignment equipment uses a screw that only OEM wheels can interface to, and he recommended that I take it to the local Goodyear shop. He said they do good alignments. I'm nervous though, I call them and they are like "Yep we can do it no problem, anything that can be adjusted on your car and we'll adjust it".

So I called the 2nd dealer, and the first rep I talked with said the same about not doing it to the aftermarket wheels, but that he thought they could do it by aligning to my OEM wheels then changing to the new wheels and tweaking from there or something. He said I had to talk to my service advisor though, which I did today. She told me they won't touch aftermarket wheels anymore and won't do alignments. She said it's a liability thing or some BS that they've had too many problems with cars with aftermarket wheels so they don't touch them any more.

I then called Modbargains, who I bought the wheels from. They actually said I shouldn't even need an alignment if I didnt change anything on the suspension and was just changing the wheels, but that any alignment shop should be just fine if I wanted to anyways.

Finally the last thing I am concerned with, will putting new wheels potentially void my CPO warranty in any way? I don't even want to ask the BMW dealer this as they seem to think if you so much as wash your car you void something or they can't work on it.

What would y'all do in my case, just have the wheels put on and drive away??? (Was going to have discount tires put tires on and install them)

Thanks!

[BmwAmongJdm]

Does any one know the makers of the rim i have on my bmw. I litterally have only seen one other set like them FYI not my car so don't reply to me about the sale of this car but I have those same rims and can't find a name anywhere please help

[BmwAmongJdm]

Sorry linking didn't work forum newb http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/2816515103.html

[Rideoutboy]

hey Jim, imthinking of running a same tire on a staggered setup, and have read from yours & others suggestions that a potential 235/40/17 is posible but im not seeing any that will accept the 7.5inch rim for the setup i have. I have now OEM contours that are 7.5/8.5 and the only close possibility i see is the 235/45 in multiple brands on your site that will accept the width range im looking for.
do you know of a brand you sell with the 234/40/17 setup capable of a 7.5-8.5in width?
thanks JIM!!

[evrae205]

i'm sure this has been covered a million times but what oem wheels besides the obvious m3s can i use with an e36 m3 brake conversion on my 95 318i?

i'm not a big fan of the m3 wheels styling and want to offset some cost by not having to buy aftermarket wheels right now.
a link to a fitment guide will suffice since i'm havng trouble finding a clear cut answer.

i'd like to stick with 17inch btw.

[Jim@tirerack]

I guess I'm not sure how aftermarket wheels are more expensive than BMW OE wheels but any of the E36 or E46 wheels will fit your car.

[evrae205]

I guess I'm not sure how aftermarket wheels are more expensive than BMW OE wheels but any of the E36 or E46 wheels will fit your car.

junkyard. plan on getting some volks sometime later this year but im primarily concerned with m3 brake clearance.

I've got all the brake hardware sitting on my work bench right nw but no wheels to slap on it for the time being. and just want to get the gear on and the car on the road.

my old azz 318 calipers and rtors are pretty much at the end of the road.


BTW I've bought quite a bit from you guys over the years top notch service

[blas2020]

[Jim@tirerack]

With the M3 brakes you will have to be careful. You will be better with the E46 wheels.

[Jim@tirerack]

With the M3 brakes you will have to be careful. You will be better with the E46 wheels.

[Jim@tirerack]

With the M3 brakes you will have to be careful. You will be better with the E46 wheels.

[Jim@tirerack]

With the M3 brakes you will have to be careful. You will be better with the E46 wheels.

[bmw328convert]

Hey mate,
Been trying to search and search for a difinative answer but i cant seem to get one anywhere.

Im planning on running 17X9 et37 on the rear and 17x8 et27 on the front. Im also running CO's. Will i have to do any guard rolling and what tyres would you reccomend?

[Jim@tirerack]

Yes you will need to roll the fender lips. The offset are low for the 3 Series. You should be around a 40mm offset.

[bmw328convert]

So the rear even though its 2mm off being 40mm et i will need a slight roll? How would i go running a 235/40 tyre? or what kind of camber would i need to be running?
Something around 17x9 et40 or 17x8.5 et43 would work better?

[Jim@tirerack]

With the 9" wide rear wheel even with a 40mm offset I think you are going to need a fender lip roll. With the 37mm I am sure you will need the roll and or more negative camber.

[joshespdx]

I have a 1998 528i with the standard suspension. I have found a nice set of stock wheels off of a 850i for a good price. Will these fit my car properly?

Thanks!

Josh

[Hobbs5313]

Hi Jim,
I have a 2011 328i sedan with stock suspension. I'm interested in getting 17x9" et 35 with spacers with Dunlop Star Spec 255/40/17 tires all around. What would I need to do to the car to make the wheels/tires fit? Thanks.

[Jim@tirerack]

hi joshespdx,

They will fit but you will need a centering ring. We have them at 5.00 each. Just give me a call if I can help.

[Jim@tirerack]

Hi Hobbs5313,

I would say some negative camber and maybe a fender lip roll in the front. The rear should be fine without the spacer. If I can help with the tires let me know.

[Hobbs5313]

Hi Hobbs5313,

I would say some negative camber and maybe a fender lip roll in the front. The rear should be fine without the spacer. If I can help with the tires let me know.

Thanks Jim. I'll order Tue tires through this website as soon as I'm ready. I'm going to give it a shot.

[Cuztom15]

Need some advice: 95 M3. I currently have 4 M forged 17x7.5 rims. Suspension is bilstein shocks (not sure if worn or not) and HR sports which is 1.4in front drop and 1.0in rear drop. Reference pictures.




Tires currently: Rear Kumho Ecsta ASX 245/40/17
Front Michelin Pilot SX 225/45/17

Purpose: Straight line go, don't care about turning, but it is street driven. Mainly looking to upgrade rears right now.

Reason: 600whp hates the ecsta's. Car will never see snow or rain.

Fenders are rolled very little now, I plan on doing a full roll after buying new tires.

Thinking about 275/40 Toyo R888 or Dunlop Direzza 275/40, but I'd like to go as big as possible, max 295, at that point ill just buy slicks.

How big can I go on these rims and then what size would I have to change to, to go bigger? I am also open to raising the car back up to OE sport springs.

[Jim@tirerack]

Are you going to change the wheels? If not I do not see anything bigger fitting. Even the 255/40R17 needs a 17X8.5 wheel.