DR Steelies + Flares = Need help

[A_Whelan]

Hello,

I am piecing together a project for my 1989 325i. I just purchased an M50, a few new parts, and I would like to work out what I am going to do for suspension, tires and wheels.

I am going for a meaty tire look, maybe with a bit of stretch, but there isn't anywhere around here that pulls fenders and I think flares would look great! I would like to have something that looks like this


(More pictures here http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=12244)

I am looking to get flares from EuroStop USA http://dtmfiberwerkz.com/access/rivet-style-fender-flares-p-343.html
which would give me an extra 2 inches of space. I am just going to bolt them on instead of doing body work.

As for suspension I am going to use Blisten and H&R sports to lower the car. I don't wait to deal with coilovers because I won't be adjusting that much and I can't drive a really low car due some of the roads around here.

I'm unsure if I want to go with 9 x 15 or 10 x 15. If I do 9's I'll do it for all four wheels then get a spacer in the back to push them out to fit flush with the front. What would I need for backspacing on the wheels and what ET? I'm having a hard time with this chart


Second scenario is 10 x 15 in the rear (no spacers) and 9 x 15 in the front.

So I have a few questions about this that answers seem to vary a bit from car to car and enthusiast to enthusiast:

1. Will I be able to get away with 9's all around and fill my arch and either go flush or poke with flares on? (Flares are an extra 2 inches)

2. Will the fact that the tire is lug centric be a problem for getting tires put on or balancing or anything of the sort?

3. With a fender flare will I need camber plates to make this look good / fit in either the 10 x 15 or 9 x 15 case.

4. Will this hurt my car in unnecessary ways on long drives? (1000 mile road trips, minimal weight)

Thanks a lot for the help, looking forward to get this build going!

Cheers,
Aaron

[A_Whelan]

Oh and 195 50 15 for tires on the 9's, would that work?

[ak-]

I am going for a meaty tire look, maybe with a bit of stretch,

As for suspension I am going to use Blisten and H&R sports to lower the car. I don't wait to deal with coilovers because I won't be adjusting that much and I can't drive a really low car due some of the roads around here.

Oh and 195 50 15 for tires on the 9's, would that work?

These don't make sense much.

195/50 on a 9'' is hella backwards if you want a "meaty tire" look. It's more than a bit of stretch as well.

And for your suspension, Sports are going to destroy the look you are going for. Your solution is in your gripe for coilovers. Coilovers doesn't mean you have to be riding low 24/7. That's half the beauty of it.. you can adjust it to where you want.

I can guesstimate the offsets you will want/need for the flares, but I'd rather have someone else more knowledgeable chime in when dealing with flares.

[A_Whelan]

Thanks for the fast response. I typed meaty, not thinking that stretched and meaty are two different things. I was trying to say I wanted stretched and to have that with a bit of poke. I didn't realize that tire was more than a bit of stretch either.

I am reading a lot of tire stuff but none of it is sinking in, that's why I want someone who is a wheel guru to lend a hand. Thanks again for the response ak.

Edit* Forgot to add this about coilovers. I have limited time with regards to access to tools like a welder and a lot of tools so coil overs might not be doable. The time will be spent getting the M50 in the car and I thought I could just use blistens and H&R. Would they really not work at all? I assume coilovers are better to make minor adjustments to make the fitment perfect?

[xwill112x]

195 50's on a 16x9 with a low offset will give you some nice euro poke n stretch.. i dont think you will need flares but your fenders will need to be pulled and rolled.

[CHIF8008]

usually you cut the fenders for flairs... pulling and rolling is key in your case

ya 195's on 9 is hella streach

[A_Whelan]

I am in eastern Canada, on a small island in the capital city which has a population of 100,000 and it's very hard, if not impossible to find someone to stretch and pull fenders. And if I did find someone it would cost my unborn children and my left nut because that's the way a lot of body shops are around here, but I might have a look just to see.

I was trying to eliminate the need to have to pull and roll to avoid possibly having to repaint, getting a black fenders on a lachssibler body and match it with black shadowline trim all around. If it comes down to pulling and rolling to get the best look I might have to change my idea. Thanks for the post though, looking for that nice balance.

[A_Whelan]

usually you cut the fenders for flairs... pulling and rolling is key in your case

ya 195's on 9 is hella streach

Yeah I would cut out around it, knock it back a bit and then mount the flare to give added room. I can't see this being harder than rolling and pulling either myself or paying a lot of money... would it?

[CHIF8008]

cutting and installing flairs is not that hard. just wanna be even on both sides

[bzboardz]

Ireland Engineering and BMP makes some flares you might want to look at also

[S&E30]

195/50 on 15x9 isn't that crazy of a stretch, at least not to me. I have 15x9 +0 on the rear of my car and it's a bit sunk.

Honestly, from what you're saying I can't see this working out for you. 195/50 is an undersized tire and can really only be pulled off when the car is really low, IMO. Also rolling fenders isn't that hard to do either, it just requires some patience, a heat gun and your choice of tool for rolling the fender.

Another thing is DRW doesn't make a DOT 15x9 wheel. It's either 8" or 10" and you can only order in .5" increments for backspacing.

[A_Whelan]

I will take a look into those BZ Boardz, thank you.

I was afraid that suspension setup wouldn't go low enough, I'm just not sure I can go very low around these shitty streets. Regardless of my setup I would need a skid plate but going low with coil overs might kill it although I could adjust after.

And the fact they don't make 9" is terrible news. I was hoping to use DRW for their look, very basic. Maybe a 10 in rear and 8 up front with proper spacing and I'll make a homemade fender roller. I'll have to look at coil overs and decided about those.

Would there be anything I could do with stock fenders to make it poke with H&R + Blistens and some camber or are those options all shit?

Thanks for the reply

[A_Whelan]

Just found this picture, not sure if it's 10" all around but damn it's nice


And this one is on staggered 10" rear 8" front.



Would fenders with a 10" rear, 8" front with spacers and drop hats help out the suspension situation without having to do coil overs? I think the stagger wheels plus a rake would look nice as well.

[A_Whelan]

Ok I did a bit more research on pulling/rolling and I can do that no problem, I already have a heat gun here and I can build a roller.

If I roll the fender flat without pulling what would the biggest tire be with and without camber?

If I pull the finder I guess the size varies on the pull?

Thanks for the help, sorry if it's a lot of questions.

[S&E30]

Second car is mine. Fenders are rolled all around and a very slight pull in the rear so the poke wouldn't look all ugly.

But the thing is both my car and the other one you posted are really low and if you're not that low it's just not going to look right. Stretched tires and non-low cars just don't look good. That's just me though, maybe you'll like the way it comes out, idk.