5 lug

[gacntryboy36]

i have a 90 ragtop 325i and want to swap the 4 lug hub for 5 lug hub....any advise is appreciated....

[Artful Dodger]

Evaluate why you want 5lug.

[mtech325]

If you want 5 lug for nice looking wheels, then just stick with adapters and make it easy.

If you're looking to put bigger brakes on the car, 5 lug is a viable option, however there are 4 lug big brake kits as well which may let you keep your existing wheel/tire setup (assuming they clear).

That being said, 5 lug certainly looks cool, but all the various parts add up quickly. As of right now, there are 3 ways to go about proper 5 lug:

1. e30 m3 parts (hard to find and pricey, keeps all the stock geometry though, marginally larger brake upgrade)

2. e36 5 lug (easier to come by, nice brake upgrade using off the shelf parts, but usually requires high offset wheels and can screw up the caster angle up front if not done correctly)

3. sleeve conversion to fit e36 hub to e30 4 lug spindle (keeps stock geometry, but widens front track, does allow for off the shelf e36 brake parts though)

As you can see there's a few ways to go about it. Once you figure out your needs then you can figure out a plan of attack. I Hope this helps.

--Joey

[gacntryboy36]

Thank you, that helps alot.....

[Artful Dodger]

Thank you, that helps alot.....

not sure if that is sarcasm.

If you want to know more, PM me. we could meet up sometime. I work in Marietta GA and live in Powder Springs. You could take a look at my car and I can tell you about all the stuff I had to do to make the E36 M3 5 lug work on my car.

[Jb325is]

I work with this guy ^ and have a sleeve kit with e46 m3 brakes on my car, so you could compare/contrast the two

[PeteD]

I did the e36 set-up on my car. I would need a compelling reason to do it again. The second post, "evaluate why you want it" is good advice. It's a lot of work, and if you buy most of the parts new it gets expensive quickly.

I would not cheap out on buying used control arms, or bearings etc. If you are buying the trailing arms from a crashed car, make sure they are not bent or cracked.

You should also have a VERY nice set of 5 lug wheels to justify the scope of the project. The proper offset is something I am not familiar with. I have et 20 with 8 inch. I MAY be able to not rub with a smaller tire, but I like a lot of rubber and I don't like rubbing - it's not fun. I plan on trying the e36 offset in a few weeks.