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e30 rims advice


cpandrewschmidt

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Hi all,

I have a 1991 325i convertible, it's lowered pretty far on the crappy JOM coil overs. (they work for me, just a weekend cruiser)  This spring I'm looking to upgrade my stock rims from 14" basket weaves to some aftermarket 15 or 16 inch rims.  I was looking into the STR basket weave type rims you see on ebay.  I don't need anything fancy for this car, I just want to upgrade looks a bit.  R3v has just too much info. and too many combinations to figure anything out.  

Curious to what you other e30 guys like on your lowered cars for sizes / offsets.  I really don't want to mess with spacers and fender rolling so was hoping to see what you all thought works well.

Thanks, Andrew   

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ea459d8416df9a0535644522e1e657bd.jpg

They are heavy, the 17" set I had required 10mm spacers+some caliper grinding to fit. I hate my life and I regret every day of my existence because of it.

I sold them for many reasons. The main reason was that I hate my life, other reasons include the fact that they are heavy, a 9 year old flicked a booger at me, and I had a genuine fear that with continual hard driving that they would disintegrate, cascading me off of one of the many treacherous cliffs of the New Berlin coastline and into a very death-like state.

In all honesty, for someone that doesnt drive their car hard, they are perfectly fine. Just check for cracks after any hard pothole hits and during semi-annual tire rotations.

They are also heavy.

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whats your budget? has a lot to do with rim selection.

sizes? really no reason to go wider than 7.5" for an everyday car. 15x7, 15x7.5, or 16x7.5 are good options.

some of my top favorites for those size: all of these fit without spacers or fender modifications.

e30 Euroweaves (15x7 et 24)

Ronal LS (15x7.5 et 25)

Ronal Turbo (15x7 et ??)

Borbet type C or type A (16x7.5 et30)

Azev type A (16x7.5 et20)

Any BBS weave style rim. RX, RZ, RS, RA (come in 15x7 to 16x7.5 sizes)

If you must pickup a set from ebay, the RS replicas look nice. with a size like 15" or 16" i wouldnt be too worried about bending as you still have a lot of tire. make sure its somewhere around et20 or et25 and stay away from anything 9" wide.

as snap said, spacers work but are annoying. they get stuck to the hub, have to come off if you run winter/summer wheel setups, need longer lugs, blah blah blah better to avoid them.

 

 

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Here are some pics of the car.  Not the best, but best I found on my phone.  This will give you sense of the ride height.  Front is too low, I'm going to raise about 3/8" in the spring.  I don't track or do anything aggressive with the car.  Just cruise around on nice days.  I just want a classic rim like the one pictured with a little lip to it.  Not looking to spend a lot as this isn't my daily driver and the car itself isn't worth BBS rims ;)   I was looking at the ESM's online.  

These seem OK too on craigslist.  They are 16x8" et25 on 205/45 tires https://rockford.craigslist.org/wto/5392345103.html  prices seems about right.  I was under the impression they wouldn't fit without rubbing?  I can't figure out all this offset stuff. 

 

 

exterior 2.jpg

exterior.jpg

Front.jpg

rim.jpg

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54 minutes ago, Snap said:

I am assuming you have found the great wheel and tire fitment thread on r3v, thats your one stop shop on what combos fit.

Hi Snap,

I asked on there but haven't heard.  I'm sure people are sick of responding to the same questions.  Guess my question is will the craigslist ones I posted fit without rubbing or spacers?  16x8" et25 on 205/45  If those don't fit then I'll probably stick to a 16"x 7" or 7.5" rim if that's what people are recommending for just general street driving on a 16" rim

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2 hours ago, Earl said:

Those will fit without any issues. 

IIRC, my girlfriend has those exact specs on her e30 with 195/40's. 

 

to me if you have to choose a specific, undersized tire which has worse performance than stock sizes to make a wheel fit, than the wheel doesn't fit.  performance here being grip, ride quality, and wheel protection. 195/40 = destroyed wheel if you hit a pothole. i think wheels should look good and i definitely like plus-sized stuff, but tires are just as important. earl, i'm not arguing this toward you, just the OP, so you can ignore me, and continue on with your stance-stance revolution.

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8 hours ago, straight6pwr said:

to me if you have to choose a specific, undersized tire which has worse performance than stock sizes to make a wheel fit, than the wheel doesn't fit.  performance here being grip, ride quality, and wheel protection. 195/40 = destroyed wheel if you hit a pothole. i think wheels should look good and i definitely like plus-sized stuff, but tires are just as important. earl, i'm not arguing this toward you, just the OP, so you can ignore me, and continue on with your stance-stance revolution.

Thanks, yes I'd agree 195/40 would be pushing the limit of what I'd feel comfortable with.  I do like a little stretch in a tire, not a ton.  I think  205/45 tires should be a good compromise to still have some "meat on the bone"

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well, didn't get that guy to a price I liked so moving on from the Craigslist rims.  Didn't love the white on them so unless the price was too good to be true I'm looking new.  Two other wheels I like have the following sizes:

15x8" et20 would like to run with a 205/50 R15 tire   or

15x8" et25 would run same size tire.  I like this wheel better but can't confirm anywhere if the offset would work.  

Any help is again greatly appreciated!  

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Thanks Andy.  I like 15"s  think they fit the car just right.  205/55 looks like a good amount of sidewall too without being too big.  You look lowered, are you?

Yeah, it's the width of the rim I'm looking at (8") and then the different offsets that I don't really understand what that all means and what the limits are of what can or can't fit.  Thats what i need help with.  

For those who dont see above this is what I'm trying to figure out if they fit, two choices I like: 

15x8" et20 with a 205/50 R15 tire or

15x8" et25 same size tire 

  

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Fwiw I'm limited to a 15x7 wheel with a 205/50/15 Toyo in my race series with the e30. Offset in most rwd wheels in this size is +25. You can get a bit wider track with +15 wheel but it's a bit less common size in a 15x7. Some folks run spacers to get down to around +15 and the wider track width.

Ideally I'd like a 15x8 wheel with +20 offset and 225 tires but such is racing. Trade off of course would be the added weight.

The daily e30 has the stock 14x7 weaves and 195/60/14 in the summer and 185/70/14 snows. Went for cheap and functional.

Tire rack website has good illustrations of offset to help you understand the principles.

Given your two choices in the 15x8 wheels and the tire size the +20 offset would be the better choice, but other folks with more wheel/stance experience may have other insights.

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On 2/17/2016 at 0:04 PM, cpandrewschmidt said:

That looks good HipMF.  Size rim, tire, offset?  Any fender rolling or spacers? 

more pics here, but no specifics on the wheel size of offset =)

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=295505

On 2/17/2016 at 2:14 PM, cpandrewschmidt said:

I can't figure out all this offset stuff.

 

On 2/17/2016 at 4:53 PM, Snap said:

I am assuming you have found the great wheel and tire fitment thread on r3v, thats your one stop shop on what combos fit.

If you haven't, look here. (link?)

3 hours ago, cpandrewschmidt said:

I like this wheel better but can't confirm anywhere if the offset would work.

 

1 hour ago, cpandrewschmidt said:

...the different offsets that I don't really understand what that all means and what the limits are of what can or can't fit.  Thats what i need help with.

Google it. The offset is a measurement between the center of the wheel, width-wise, and the wheel mounting surface, in millimeters. Lower = more poke, higher = more sunk. Check out the fitment thread(s) on r3v and pick whatever floats your dingy.

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2 hours ago, HipMF said:

more pics here, but no specifics on the wheel size of offset =)

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=295505

 

If you haven't, look here. (link?)

 

Google it. The offset is a measurement between the center of the wheel, width-wise, and the wheel mounting surface, in millimeters. Lower = more poke, higher = more sunk. Check out the fitment thread(s) on r3v and pick whatever floats your dingy.

ok, thanks guys for putting up with me, starting to get it.  So higher number = more sunk.  So, wouldnt the 15x8" et25 with the 205/50 R15 tire fit under the fender better than the et 20 with the same size tire?  More sunk into the car should have less chance of rubbing, correct? (but now i have to worry about clearing the caliper or strut?)  I would think pushing the rim out towards the exterior of the fender with a lower offset would lead to rubbing?  Is 5mm really enough difference that'll look stupid too sunk in the fender?  

Just seems like there's never a set answer on certain combinations.  Ugh......might just have to buy and try.  Seems rolling the fender is easier than caliper mods if they dont fit.  leaning towards the 15x8" et25.

 

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caliper clearance? thats a whole different ballgame and has more to do with rim style than offset. you shouldn't be running into any caliper clearance issues with any of the sizes or offsets that have been discussed here.

15x8 et25 won't fit, you will be hitting the front strut.

15x8 et20 won't hit the front strut, and should be fine with the fender with a 205/50 tire.

as i said before, going wider than 7.5 inches is pointless (unless you have a specific wheel in mind, which it seems you dont), it just causes problems and 205 tires fit fine on a 7 or 7.5" wheel.

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