Need wheel schooling

[kroberts]

I haven't grasped all the subtle nuances of wheel fitment yet. I have seen pix of beautifully lowered E30s with wheels that are very "lippy". They look great. My M3 had stock basketweaves on it when I bought it. It had been slightly lowered with a set of H&R springs. I got a set of Schnitzers and would like to run them when I finally finish the car. I forgot to roll my fenders before I had the car painted and I'm not going to risk dicking up the paint now. They are 8 by 16(labeled 8Jx16 H2) and are ET35. Actual width is 9 inches. I have a set of 15mm spacers to acheive ET20. I know that, technically this will work. My concern is nailing my tire to the fender lip if I happen to hit a bump while turning.

I really like these Schnitzers but I dont want to screw up my paint or bend my fender. I would rather be more conservative with my wheel choice and save myself the pain of screwing up a new paint job.

Any recommendations or comments would really be appreciated.

kr

[PiercedE30]

205/50/16 will stretch real nice, have the same rolling diameter as OEM, and there are quite a few decent tire choices.

[robtech]

205/50/16 will stretch real nice, have the same rolling diameter as OEM, and there are quite a few decent tire choices.

agreed

[Erick]

205/50/16 will stretch real nice, have the same rolling diameter as OEM, and there are quite a few decent tire choices.

Yes but it will bubble up. Doesnt look as nice as a low profile stretch, especially if you're not tucking them.


Thats on a 9" wheel.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you conclude that your 8" wheel is actually a 9"? People usually make the mistake of measuring from the outer ends of the wheel, instead of measuring from inside the lips of the wheel itself. That alone takes away an inch of the measure.

If it says 8x16 and its a 1 or 2 piece wheel... it's still an 8"

- Erick

[whiltebeitel]

he's saying it's 9" from the outer edges.

[SchnellerVert]

Friend of mine has E38 wheels that are 16x8 et 23 on his M3 and it's lowered 1.3" from stock and he has no issues with the car. With an offset of 35 the added extra inch will be dished inwards vs out toward the fender lip.

[kroberts]

Yes, the wheel's extreme width is 9 inches, measured at the outer edges. The car is not so low that the wheels are tucked. It's just lower than stock.

What does "bubble up" mean?

Thanks.