ASK ALL WHEEL/TIRE FITMENT QUESTIONS HERE - The Official Wheel/Tire Fitment Thread

[mops]

great thread, read through whole 25 pages of it.

I still run bottlecaps for now. and turbo is going in shortly. I got nolethane busches all round and koni adjustables are on the way. as for springs my friend is working on some deal for me. now wheels and tires.

I'm ok to roll the fenders, but would prefer not to (i have replaced all the underseal in both rear wheel arches so i'd like to avoid cracking paint, etc).

What would be the best wheel/tire combo for handling ? I'm planning on bigger brakes eventually, so i dont think 15' wheel will do, i'm leaning towards 16 or 17. suspension will be sport, slightly lowered (maybe 1'), spring rates comparable to H&R sports or slightly more. I'll like to retain comfort (that why i want to avoid 17" wheel), but i still want good response/minimum sway and great handling. can this be achieved with 16 " wheel ? 205/50/16 ?or 225/45/16 would fit without rolling fenders ?

what wheel gemoetry would i require for that width and ET?

is it better (performance wise) to stretch the tyre (for more response) ?

would 17" wheel suit me better ?

I got e36 steering arms, and i have some unwanted camber on the front that i'll have to fix somehow. maybe 2-3 degrees, i have to measure to be accurate... you can tell by looking at it. rear has some chamber aswell... is that normal ? i got no bods, just replaced busches (front and back) with urethane ones.

thanks...

P.S. toe angle... what's normall for e30 ? i get great in turn handling with about 1* toe out... front is so stable in turn the rear is sirst to break away... when i allign them to zero toe, almost alwaus understeer... note that my tires right now are really cheap...

[Mystikal]

great thread, read through whole 25 pages of it.

I still run bottlecaps for now. and turbo is going in shortly. I got nolethane busches all round and koni adjustables are on the way. as for springs my friend is working on some deal for me. now wheels and tires.

I'm ok to roll the fenders, but would prefer not to (i have replaced all the underseal in both rear wheel arches so i'd like to avoid cracking paint, etc).

What would be the best wheel/tire combo for handling ? I'm planning on bigger brakes eventually, so i dont think 15' wheel will do, i'm leaning towards 16 or 17. suspension will be sport, slightly lowered (maybe 1'), spring rates comparable to H&R sports or slightly more. I'll like to retain comfort (that why i want to avoid 17" wheel), but i still want good response/minimum sway and great handling. can this be achieved with 16 " wheel ? 205/50/16 ?or 225/45/16 would fit without rolling fenders ?

what wheel gemoetry would i require for that width and ET?

is it better (performance wise) to stretch the tyre (for more response) ?

would 17" wheel suit me better ?

I got e36 steering arms, and i have some unwanted camber on the front that i'll have to fix somehow. maybe 2-3 degrees, i have to measure to be accurate... you can tell by looking at it. rear has some chamber aswell... is that normal ? i got no bods, just replaced busches (front and back) with urethane ones.

thanks...

P.S. toe angle... what's normall for e30 ? i get great in turn handling with about 1* toe out... front is so stable in turn the rear is sirst to break away... when i allign them to zero toe, almost alwaus understeer... note that my tires right now are really cheap...

Whoa.

225/45/16 will fit without rolling at the perfect offset and wheel width. 7" ET25 is a good target, I ran that exact setup and it was badass...I seriously miss that particular wheel/tire setup. Excellent handling with the perfect sidewall height for street driving in my opinion. That said, the best feeling available would be a 215/45/16 Falken RT-615. Absolutely awesome tire, and a good size for an E30 chassis.

Stretching (to a certain degree) is great for steering response and transitional stability; going too far can have negative results. Something like a 205 on a 7.5" rim or 225 on an 8" rim can be great, but going much past for hard driving that isn't recommended by me.

I'd only suggest 17" wheels to people who either a) like the look or b) need really wide tires to get power down. This is because 17" tires offer more flexibility in >225 widths.

Camber is normal. I don't have my service manual for referrence but it's a lot less than the 2-3 negative you mentioned.

Toe should be very slightly in both front and rear. Exact specs depend on your driving conditions (daily? auto-x? track?), but for most street-oriented applications no toe out is really advisable.

Jay

[mikeltang]

Jay,
I'm really liking a set of wheels, and the sizes they come in that I'm looking to buy are in 17x7 ET40, 17x8 ET35, or 17x9 ET35, what would I be looking at to make these work on an m42 with IE3s and Koni SAs?
Thanks,
Mike

[rennegade]

Hi,
I am about to purchase a set of BBS RS's they have extended lips on them making the fronts 8" while the rears will 9". I am just wondering about the tire size? I would like it to have that stretched look so would 205/50/16s do?
Any help appreciated
Thanks Luke

[osoquicke30]

i looked 4 post up and found most of my answers. had been a while since i read the thread. i guess my only question is about offset how do i get the tire to stick out a little? and is that really bad for the handeling of the car?

thanx...

ok so i did what you said and found some wheels in my bolt pattern they are 16x7 and i have a choise of offset 20 or 40 also i have a 17x7 with a offset choise of 25 or 40. they are all 4x100. now i would like to fill the wheel well and have a small amount of the tire to extend past the fenders. how should i do this. i understand that the lower the offset the farther out the wheel will be. my question is can i run 17's with a 25 offset without fender rolling or do i have to run 16's? now i assume that my car has a offset of 33 (using the info in the first post) (89 325 vert) so how will the lower offset of 25 effect the fit? i will be running a mild to aggressive suspension setup if this matters. i have been trying to learn more about wheels and tires but i need a little help here.

thanx...phlip


peace!!!

[rennegade]

bump

[mops]

Whoa.

225/45/16 will fit without rolling at the perfect offset and wheel width. 7" ET25 is a good target, I ran that exact setup and it was badass...I seriously miss that particular wheel/tire setup. Excellent handling with the perfect sidewall height for street driving in my opinion. That said, the best feeling available would be a 215/45/16 Falken RT-615. Absolutely awesome tire, and a good size for an E30 chassis.

Stretching (to a certain degree) is great for steering response and transitional stability; going too far can have negative results. Something like a 205 on a 7.5" rim or 225 on an 8" rim can be great, but going much past for hard driving that isn't recommended by me.

I'd only suggest 17" wheels to people who either a) like the look or b) need really wide tires to get power down. This is because 17" tires offer more flexibility in >225 widths.

Camber is normal. I don't have my service manual for referrence but it's a lot less than the 2-3 negative you mentioned.

Toe should be very slightly in both front and rear. Exact specs depend on your driving conditions (daily? auto-x? track?), but for most street-oriented applications no toe out is really advisable.

Jay

Thanks for comprehensive reply.
so it is 16x7", ET25 that I'm looking for.
aswell i'll see what's locally available in 225/45/16, I'll compare prices with
205/50/16... i'll see whether that's any cheaper.

setup is aimed as performance street machine. no plans to autoX or race or drag. storming the streets/mountain twisting, (where road surface is not track quality, but not bad either) at amazing pace is the goal. maintaining a civilized comfort is secondary objective.

Yeah, I'll check out my camber issues. i gto e36 control arms fitted on the front, these appear to give bit more negative camber than factory intended (been told these are direct replacements). On the rear, as I said, it's all stock, besuides nolethane subframe and trailing bushings (non adjustable ones). rear camber is not only slight, but i intend to lower the car by 1" or maybe 1.25".... i think for front's i'll just fabricate custom shock tower plates.

Much appreciate the advice.
Thanks.

[Mystikal]

Jay,
I'm really liking a set of wheels, and the sizes they come in that I'm looking to buy are in 17x7 ET40, 17x8 ET35, or 17x9 ET35, what would I be looking at to make these work on an m42 with IE3s and Koni SAs?
Thanks,
Mike

Well you have 3 different options, all of which are completely up to your decision.

17x7 ET40 - 15mm spacers all around, 215/40/17 tires. No rubbing issues to worry about, nice simple setup.

17x8 ET35 - 15mm spacers all around, 215/40/17 tires. You will need to roll the fenders, but it will look very aggressive.

17x9 ET35 - 20mm spacers all around, 205/40/17 (for easiest fitment. You can go nuts with the tire width if you choose) tires. You will need to roll the fenders A LOT, basically pull them. But that will have a very "Euro" poking look, which some love.

I'd personally go with the 17x8s, as it is a nice balance. It would look awesome and perform great.

Jay

[Mystikal]

Hi,
I am about to purchase a set of BBS RS's they have extended lips on them making the fronts 8" while the rears will 9". I am just wondering about the tire size? I would like it to have that stretched look so would 205/50/16s do?
Any help appreciated
Thanks Luke

If they started with the E30 common 16x7 ET25 RS', you're looking at final offsets of ET13 front and ET0 rear. You will want undersized tires to get these on the car, something like 205/40/16 (or 205/45/16) front and 215/40/16 rear with rolled/pulled fenders. This is a very aggressive setup, the rears will be quite a bit outside of the fenders (lots of poke).

Jay

[Mystikal]

i looked 4 post up and found most of my answers. had been a while since i read the thread. i guess my only question is about offset how do i get the tire to stick out a little? and is that really bad for the handeling of the car?

thanx...

ok so i did what you said and found some wheels in my bolt pattern they are 16x7 and i have a choise of offset 20 or 40 also i have a 17x7 with a offset choise of 25 or 40. they are all 4x100. now i would like to fill the wheel well and have a small amount of the tire to extend past the fenders. how should i do this. i understand that the lower the offset the farther out the wheel will be. my question is can i run 17's with a 25 offset without fender rolling or do i have to run 16's? now i assume that my car has a offset of 33 (using the info in the first post) (89 325 vert) so how will the lower offset of 25 effect the fit? i will be running a mild to aggressive suspension setup if this matters. i have been trying to learn more about wheels and tires but i need a little help here.

thanx...phlip


peace!!!

Having the tire come right to the edge of the fender (rolled or not) won't hurt handling. It's when you go beyond that that the steering geometry gets ugly.

Either the 16x7 ET20 or the 17x7 ET25 will work great and fill the wheelwells fine. If you want a really beefy look run 225/45/16 or 215/40/17 tires, respectively.

Jay

[moatilliatta]

I planed on getting some steelies this winter 15x8. anybody have pictures and listed tire sizes of them on an e30? just wondering what a 205 would look like or 225. Looking at Nokian WR, Bridgstone Potenza G 009 or hankook w300 to get. Any suggestions? Need a really gripy tire but wonderful in the snow and rain. Dont get a bunch of snow. but i don't want to get stuck in it when we do.

[viali8]

fitment

I am currently looking at some wheels for sale. The owner says that the wheels are..

15x6.25 ET 32

i am not sure if he meant 15x6.5 ET32 or not.

Therefore would a either of these sizes fit a 89 325i. Thanks

[rennegade]

If they started with the E30 common 16x7 ET25 RS', you're looking at final offsets of ET13 front and ET0 rear. You will want undersized tires to get these on the car, something like 205/40/16 (or 205/45/16) front and 215/40/16 rear with rolled/pulled fenders. This is a very aggressive setup, the rears will be quite a bit outside of the fenders (lots of poke).

Jay

Ok, well I have found out that they have actually been redrilled as they were 4x114 before if that changes anything. And the rears are actually 9.5" wide. Another question though, would it be better to pull or roll the fenders? pulling would look better but doesnt it stress the paint and cause it to crack etc?
thanks Luke

[Mystikal]

I planed on getting some steelies this winter 15x8. anybody have pictures and listed tire sizes of them on an e30? just wondering what a 205 would look like or 225. Looking at Nokian WR, Bridgstone Potenza G 009 or hankook w300 to get. Any suggestions? Need a really gripy tire but wonderful in the snow and rain. Dont get a bunch of snow. but i don't want to get stuck in it when we do.

Get 205's if it's for winter use. The WR is a good all-around tire, the G009 isn't that great in the winter, and the W300 is a really messed up tire (it's amazing on ice, but horrible in the snow).

Wonderful snow/rain: Goodyear GW3, Bridgestone LM-25, Dunlop M3, Nokian WR, Viking Snowtech.

Jay

[Mystikal]

I am currently looking at some wheels for sale. The owner says that the wheels are..

15x6.25 ET 32

i am not sure if he meant 15x6.5 ET32 or not.

Therefore would a either of these sizes fit a 89 325i. Thanks

Yeah, it would be to the nearest half an inch. Either 15x6 or 15x6.5 ET32 will bolt right up without issue.

Jay