Maxilite 16x7 Style 5 repros on 325i - Possible?

[cyckl]

I'm looking to replace my 14" bottlecaps with something a little more aggressive and the 16" basketweaves that Maxilite sells look like a pretty good option. Is anyone familiar with fitment issues? It's a much wider rim, and I'd probably be running 225/45R16 if I could, but would it rub? I really want to avoid rolling the arches but if I have to, then I have to

The rims in question: https://shop-us.maxilite-wheels.com/X-Spoke-Style-7x16

Stock bottlecaps are ET35 and these are ET25.

Opinions?

[Panici]

Should not have any issues. The Euroweaves (which are factory spec in europe) are:

Bolt Pattern: 4x100
Width: 7"
Diameter: 15"
Offset: ET +24

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/e30-technical-forums/suspension-unsprung/wheels-tires/355263-basketweaves-a-visual-comparison-14-is-15-ix-15-euro-style-5

[mtech325]

In terms of tires, a 205/50r16 is probably a better choice for the 16x7, plus has more available options. The 225/45 is more ideal for a 7.5 or 8 inch wide wheel.

[reelizmpro]

There's no problem running them. They reproduced these wheels for the E30 and other 4x100 cars of the era. In addition to what mtech325 posted, 205/50 should be more common (cheaper) than 225/45. Last I checked only a couple manufacturers still make 225/45/16 these days and they are pricey.

[cyckl]

Yes, but the E30 M3 has wider wheel wells than the stock 325i, no? Perhaps I can run thinner tires in the front and keep the fatter ones on the back—I just really want to avoid rubbing

[cyckl]

Oh, I see what you're getting at with the 15" baskets basically being the exact same spec—so outside of tire choice it should be a perfect drop-in?

[digger]

there is an interesting test on tire rack YT iirc. it shows that wide tires are no better than narrower tires if the wheel is not wide enough to support. i.e. don't run wide tyres on narrow wheels relatively speaking. for this reason id run 205 on 7" id reserve 225 for minimum 8". even for 7.5" i'm contemplating 205 instead of 215

[onesecond]

there is an interesting test on tire rack YT iirc. it shows that wide tires are no better than narrower tires if the wheel is not wide enough to support. i.e. don't run wide tyres on narrow wheels relatively speaking. for this reason id run 205 on 7" id reserve 225 for minimum 8". even for 7.5" i'm contemplating 205 instead of 215

I was just watching that, super interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MDq23scaWw

[Tzantushka]

I was also considering the 16” basket weaves from Maxilite, mainly for the improved choice of tire options. But found little information on other people running them.

If you have a look at this post:

https://e30-talk.com/topic/207084-maxilite-16-zoll-kreuzspeichen/

There is a post from MasonSan that has some pics on a red vert and info (in German). There’s also a YouTube video buried in there as well.

IMHO while the 16”s are nice, they look a bit big on a pre-facelift car with the chrome bumpers. Might suit a facelift car which looks a bit more modern. But that’s just a personal opinion.

[cyckl]

There's one that I saw on Reddit—its an early model running 16x8 ET28 with 205/50R16 tires.

(Unrelated, are there any good mobile apps besides Tapatalk for this board?)

[Tzantushka]

Before deciding on 15"s - and before discovering the German forum posts - I tried to visualise how the car would look with different '...factory looking...' wheel options.

Ended up doing a quick and reasonably accurate photo-chop.









While I love the color of the Nogaro basketweaves, the darker color makes appear them appear smaller than they are.

As the car has stock springs and is a pre-facelift (with the different wheel arch heights) 16" just didn't quite look right.

Perhaps a perfect combo would be the 16"s in Nogaro silver :)

[cyckl]

Very nice—I should probably recreate the same thing on my red late model coupe. I was starting to feel like maybe 15" is a better option but now I'm back on the 16" train after seeing these :)

[Panici]

FWIW I like 15" wheels on my car for the ride comfort.
Only way I would consider larger is if I had a super expensive suspension setup which smoothed out the ride to make up for thinner tires.


As an aside: Last week I changed my E36 from the 17" winters to 15" summers and the difference in comfort was drastic!

[cyckl]

Just did a basic render to see how it would look on my late model and I like it!

[DEV0 E30]

I've been eyeing the maxilite too as an additional set. A 16x8 squared setup with 225/45 is what tickles my fancy.

I have a set of wheels in nearly the same spec, and have limited storage space so I'm trying to cut back on wheel whoring tendencies.