Quote:
Originally Posted by jphughan
Cool! These will definitely be the wheels I buy as part of my next round of mods. A few quick questions though. This would be the first time I've bought aftermarket wheels and I'm searching for answers as much as I can (learning a lot too!), but I still haven't found certain answers. Apologies if these questions are rudimentary/constantly asked:
1. I would be running these with Vorshlag camber plates and -2.5 to -3 camber in the front and probably -2 in the back, otherwise completely stock. Of the sizes above listed as "M3 Fitment", what is the largest wheel that would fit in the front and rear wheel wells, and do the camber plates and settings change the answer to this question? I know that fit will also depend on tire size, but for example will some of your wheel sizes not fit in the front or back no matter what tire is used?
2. Looking at acceptable wheel sizes for various tire sizes, it seems that tires that fit a 9.5" wheel also tend to fit a 10.5" wheel, and tires that fit a 10.5" wheel also tend to fit an 11" wheel. What should I take into consideration when deciding which wheel size to use with a given tire size if more than one wheel size will fit the tire and the car's wheel well? I'm assuming it's not aesthetics or widening the vehicle track since the indicated offsets suggest that wider wheels add most of their width on the inside, which would actually narrow the vehicle track.
3. Your website results page for the E9x M3 wheels has a glitch. The 11" wheel's offset is listed on the summary page as ET27, but when you click to that wheel it's listed as ET25, which is what's posted here as well. Page I'm referring to: http://www.apexraceparts.com/3-Serie...2-M3_c_33.html |
1. The largest wheel you can fit on the front directly without your camber plates would be the 18x10" ET25, and you can fit a 265/35/18 or 275/35/18 on that wheel. This would be paired up with the 18x11" ET25 in the rear, in which you can fit the 285/35/18 or 295/30/18 tire onto. The camber plates do not change the fitment of the wheels, however they do help with running wider tires on the front wheels and with tire wear during track use.
All of the wide wheels we offer work with the e9x M3 platform in the rear, you just have to make sure you are getting the correct tire sizes. The front of the car can take up to the 18x10.5" ET25, but that is not something normally recommended as you would need to do some modifications for it to work such as removing fender liner and possibly a small spacer so that the wheel and tire clears the strut.
2. Though tires can fit onto multiple width wheels, the sidewall would be different depending on the width of the wheel, thus changing the characteristics of the tire and how it responds to the car. For example, if you put a 275/35/18 on a 18x9.5" ET22 wheel, the tire's sidewalls will bulge since it is oversized slightly and would cause a little sidewall flex. Move that tires to the 18x10" ET25 and it would have the correct sidewall support, and should be relatively straight & stiff, thus would respond as it should. If you go and put that same tire on the 18x11" ET25 wheel, the tire sidewall would then be slightly stretched as the tires are a bit undersized and can make the car a bit twitchy.
Wheel and tire size choice would solely be dependent on what you are looking to gain from the wheels and tires. If you are simply looking to put the widest rear wheel and tire on your M3, you can get the 18x10" ET25 and 18x11" ET25 staggered setup to run a 295 or in some cases the 305 width tire in the rear with some fender work. If you are tracking the car and looking to neutralize the car from understeering, you may want to go with the 18x10" ET25 squared with a 275/35/18 tire all around.
3. Thank you for pointing this out, we will have that fixed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jphughan
^ Awesome, thanks so much David! I'm definitely looking for a squared setup -- I didn't realize the front could handle a 10" wheel with 275 tires and no modifications and still not rub, that's fantastic! That makes me wonder why so many people seem to run 265/35/18 all around at the track, though, since the cost difference doesn't seem very much and the number of tire choices between the two sizes seems to be fairly similar as well -- would the added size and weight of the 275s upfront negatively affect the steering feel, perhaps?
Thanks again, I think a set of these along with camber plates is definitely going to be my next mod!  |
Depending on the tire you choose, tires that are extreme performance or R-compound tires in 275/35/18 may slightly rub on the plastic of the fender liner. This rubbing is very negligible and is not a problem at all, as it is only slightly touching the plastics of the fender liner, and some people would only experience the rub under hard cornering for very short periods of time.
For staggered setups, some people run 18x9.5" ET22 and 18x10.5" ET27, in which the 265/35/18 would have better sidewall support for the front. For squared setups, plenty of people run 275/35/18 on the 18x10" ET25 wheels as opposed to the 265/35/18.