The Official WHEEL FITMENT Thread

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

Here is a nice little chart of what and how wheels and tires will fit on our cars. Just remember, to me, it gets pretty complicated, and the subject of wheel fitment can get very delicate as the means of discussion will become mostly cosmetic.

OFFSETS
How to use this chart:
Width, Offsets that will fit: [B]<Lowest that will fit> Decent fitment <Highest that will fit>

x6.0" Offsets that will fit: <ET-40>ET10-ET35<ET40> Optimal: ET30;

x6.5" Offsets that will fit: <ET-35>ET10-ET35<ET45> Optimal: ET27; Flush: ET05

x7.0" Offsets that will fit: <ET-30>ET15-ET35<ET45> Optimal: ET27; Flush: ET05

x7.5" Offsets that will fit: <ET-25>ET10-ET30<ET40> Optimal: ET23; Flush: ET00

x8.0" Offsets that will fit: <ET-20>ET10-ET25<ET35> Optimal: ET18; Flush: ET00

x8.5" Offsets that will fit: <ET-15>ET00-ET20<ET30> Optimal: ET15; Flush: ET-05

x9.0" Offsets that will fit: <ET-10>ET00-ET15<ET25> Optimal: ET10; Flush: ET-05

Generally, you want to try stick within five millimeters of the Optimal offset.
The FLUSH offset recommendation is fueled by nothing more than a matter of opinion and you may disagree. My opinion of a "flush" fitment would be, the rim of the wheel, the lip, is PERFECTLY FLUSH with the fender, meaning if you lay a long, flat object against the fender, it should touch both the fender and wheel.

About the first set of ET in brackets:
You can wean between the first ET and the average ET, but you may have to do some fender rolling, or an extreme tire fitment, something involved.

About the second set of ET in brackets:
You can go between the average ET and the last ET, but you will have to use spacers to push the wheel out to prevent the wheel from striking the shock/strut.

================================================== ==============================================

TIRES
This is nothing more than a chart of recommended tire sizes. The sizes will go from narrowest to widest. Sizes in bold are most common.

14"
205/55, 215/55, 195/60, 205/60, 195/65, 205/65, 215/60

15"
205/50, 215/50, 225/50 195/55, 205/55, 215/55, 225/55

16"
195/40, 205/40, 215/40, 195/45, 205/45, 215/45, 225/45, 195/50, 205/50, 215/50, 225/50, 195/55

17"
205/40, 215/40, 225/40, 235/40, 195/45, 205/45

This junk was off the top of my head and I recommend discussion before going out and using this as a reference. Feel free to post and request any changes, additions, or omittance.

[E30_pilot]

Great Thread!!

Good timing too..as after the m50 swap...
im be gettin some baller rims lol..

[Erick]

Stretch haters beware.

[VAPORBLADE]

No 18's?

[dmoney(AB)]

i dont really understand the offset part, which applies to front and rear?

[e30frosh]

Stretch haters beware.

Ditto...

[browntown]

I don't get it. Shouldn't "decent fit" fall between the lowest and highest numbers?

[browntown]

how about something along the lines of (numbers aren't right, just illustrating):
Width -- Target offset +/- 3mm (after spacers, and assuming not overly wide tires)
6.5" wheel - et 30
7" wheel - et25
7.5" wheel - et20
8" wheel - et14
8.5" wheel - et7

[mck]

what about 18" wheels, what does ET stand for

[Borat]

Maybe mention that the offset you can get away with depends on the rim dia, eg 17x7 can have a higher numerical offset than 15x7 (assuming you have caliper clearance)

also, think you have a typo, under 15" tyres ou have 225/55, shouldn't it be 225/50?

[Van Westervelt]

225/40r17 tires are pretty much nonexistant. If you know of any PM me. Good thread though.

[kowalski]

http://www.tiretrends.com/tire_info.php3?detailID=4575

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

i dont really understand the offset part, which applies to front and rear?

On our cars it doesn't really matter, non ix at least. You can swap the front wheels for the rear all day long. But generally, you can just get a spacer that is 3-5mm thick for the rear when it comes to fender fitment. Because, what are the chances of a wheel manufacturer making a wheel with a slightly different offset just for the rears of an E30? When someone runs a staggered setup, they get different width wheels, usually; not different offset wheels of the same width.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

what about 18" wheels, what does ET stand for

The chart is for how wide of a wheel you're getting, offsets generally are universal unless you get down to the nitty gritty about caliper clearance, which is different among wheel brands.

Just look at the tires for the smaller wheels and follow the trend.

ET is the letter indicator before the offset on a wheel. Usually when you look on the wheel somewhere, whether it is the backside of the face, frontside of the face, or a sticker on the backside lip, it will always have (unless removed by consumer) the four digits, ET##. The number is measured in millimeters. Offset is merely the distance from the centerline of the wheel to the face of the mounting surface of the wheel that contacts the hub.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

Maybe mention that the offset you can get away with depends on the rim dia, eg 17x7 can have a higher numerical offset than 15x7 (assuming you have caliper clearance)

also, think you have a typo, under 15" tyres ou have 225/55, shouldn't it be 225/50?

fixed