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

[Mike B.]

20mm would be the safe bet. I'm also assuming you have E30 hubs.

E30M3 hubs. Thanks for the input.

[akorcovelos]

Interesting. You got those off a board member with a white E30, right?

Basically, you need at least a 10mm spacer just to clear the front struts. So if you want to use your existing hardware, put the 16mm in the front and the 8mm in the rear. Problem is, once you do that you won't have room for anything bigger than a 215/40/16 up front and a 225/40/16 in the rear without heavy fender work. That's still plenty of tire for an E30, but you really won't be using the 8.5" width.

yeah, got it from GaryE30 on e30tech, don't know his user name here. I hope to be putting down around 500HP/TQ so I need to use all 8.5" of wheel. If I run the 8's and 5's up fron for 13 and the 16's in the back would fender rolling fit anything bigger? I'll do what it takes to get as much tire as possible short of ugly fender flairs.

[franco90]

I got one for you guys my Kosei rims are hitting the front brake calipers what size of spacers do I need to fit this problem here is a link to the problem

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=1048886&postcount=36

thanks alot Franco

[ZiMMie]

Jay RS2's or Azenis? this will be going on 14" steelies.
i need something for daily/once in a while autox.

[ZinnoE30]

Ok, i asked your opinion before about tire sizes and I'm still undecided. I have 16x8's with an offset of 33. I'd like to run 225/45/16's as that's the proper size, but whats the lowest offset i can run before hitting the fenders. I need new tires and don't want to limit myself to like 2 brands of tires with a 200 treadwear rating. I came from VW's just recently and we always run the smallest tire possible. :D The 225/45's just look too bulbous to me. What about a 205/50/16 for a more common size?

Pic. Car is on Eibach's/Koni's. it currently has 205/45's on it now, just cause I had them laying around.

[Erik]

195/45 et2 in the rear and et10 in the front. But that's just me. Jay will have something totally different to tell you.

[whiltebeitel]

I picked up a 15 x 7 Borbet B(fat five spoke) with ET35 a few weeks ago. Will I be able to run the wheel either in front or rear without rubbing while I am waiting for spacers to be made up? The tire is a 205-50-R15. If it will fit, will stock wheel bolts be long enough for the +35 offset?

Finally, the other three wheels on the car are 15x7 Borbet C's with ET30. Since I'm machining the spacers myself, what size should I shoot for for equal spacing all the way around? 15mm for the single and 10mm for the other three? Should I be aiming for a final ET20 or something else?

Thanks!

I've run ET35 15x7's with 195/60/15's up front and ET41 in the back with 205/55/15's. I had little if any insides rub up front and some noticeable rub on the inside in the rear. This is after autocrossing and other havy ass-hattery on Bilstein's and IE3's. DD'ing the car, only slight rub on the rear.

(Those tires were on the rims, so I ran 'em)

[M42Technik]

215/40/17 Falken 512 tires, 17x8.5" wheels, ET14 rear, ET17 front.

I have rolled my fenders but not dramatically.

New suspension will be GC 525F/650R rates on revalved Koni's and with camber plates in the front more more suspension travel.

What say you Jay, will they rub? And what foam bump stops should I get with this setup? I want to offset the stiffer rate with a more cushioned ride if possible...

http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=10/CA=3

There is a $68 (total) difference between 205 and 215 profile tires. Is it worth it?

P.S. - No more questions from me for a while after this! :-P

[fast1eddy]

What spacers do i need? 205/50/16 on 16 x 7.5 ET40

[M42Technik]

What spacers do i need? 205/50/16 on 16 x 7.5 ET40

I can answer that one. ET20 is optimal, so 20mm hubcentric spacers. E30 hubs are 57.1mm.

[mikeltang]

What size tires and spacers would I need to run 16x7.5 wheels with et 35? Car is dropped on H&R races.

TIA
Mike

[e30 power]

i need new wheels
i want 16" w/ a masive lip on them i want the wide look

so i was looking at the sportmax 0 offset or 15 offset

any suggestions??

[Rob@UUC]

This is a great thread, many thanks to Jay for helping out E30 owners.

As a little "payback" for how it has helped me, I have compiled a rough spreadsheet of offsets and tire sizes as discussed in this thread:

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/E30_tire_wheel_offset_guide.xls

As the disclaimer inside the spreadsheet says, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither Jay nor myself are responsible for how you use this info and whether it is accurate for the exact wheels and tires you use.

With that out of the way, I'm hoping Jay may have some insight on the "Mission Impossible" tire fitment riddle I am working with right now. The car is a 1988 325is 2-door, about to receive a transplanted S52 and 6-speed and some other goodies. To understate it, as much tire as possible would be a good thing. Part of the plan is to use iX flares and modify the underlying sheetmetal to maximize room.

Wheel choice is the soon-to-be-released D-Force 15x7 et25 wheels with Toyo R888 tires. I am considering the 235/50ZR15 at least at the rear. In addition to being a super lightweight wheel and an excellent streetable track tire (kids, don't try this at home), they make for a very "old school" look with the smaller wheels and chubby sidewall tires.

The R888s are R-compound tires, and their concept of "235" looks like a "250" compared to other tires. In fact, my eyeball estimate is that they are 1" wider than the Dunlop SP Sport W-10 225/45-16 that have on my 325iX.

Toyos published data:

Tire Size 235/50ZR15
Approved Rim width range 6.5-7.5-8.5
Tread width 9.2"

Dimensions:

Overal diameter 24.2"
Overall width 9.6"
Static loaded radius 11.1"

While I think the rear fitment is possible with this tire, front may be an issue. Closest diameter, other than the 225/50-15, is the 195/55R15:

Tire Size 195/55R15
Approved Rim width range 5.5-6.0-7.0
Tread width 7.5"

Dimensions:

Overal diameter 23.3"
Overall width 8.0"
Static loaded radius 10.7"

The full table of all available sizes can be found on Toyo's tech sheet: http://marktg.toyotires.com/file/30029.pdf

So, Jay, what say you? Insanity? 16" a better choice?

- Rob

[akorcovelos]

yeah, got it from GaryE30 on e30tech, don't know his user name here. I hope to be putting down around 500HP/TQ so I need to use all 8.5" of wheel. If I run the 8's and 5's up fron for 13 and the 16's in the back would fender rolling fit anything bigger? I'll do what it takes to get as much tire as possible short of ugly fender flairs.

Still not sure what the best way to handle these rims is, there is no information on the spreadsheet for 16x8.5 et27? I don't mind modifying the fenders, I just need to know what spacing to run for the least fender modding.

[Mystikal]

I am looking at some staggered 17x8 inch front and 17x9 inch rear wheel's. What would the optimal offset be?

Are you looking for easy fitment or Euro-flush style?

Easy:
17x8 ET26 front
17x9 ET26 rear
215/40/17 tires all around, likely no fender rolling necessary.

Flush:
17x8 ET15
17x9 ET15
205/40/17 tires all around, possibly light rear roll.