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[NikB316]

I am looking into buying a set of wheels & tires and came across a good deal on preowned ones which are from an E46 M3:

Volk TE37 18x9.5 +35
PSS 265/35/18

I have the option to purchase the wheels alone as well. Looking for some input on the pros and cons of this particular size and if I should consider just getting the wheels and going with bigger tires in the rear, smaller in the front? I haven't read too much on this offset. What is the big difference between these and say +22/+20 which are common on 18" TE37?

Car is driven over 2k miles a month as a daily and will see some track days (track newbie) but my primary concern is daily use. No suspension mods - just ZCP & Brembo BBK.

Thanks!

[JCS]

Don't do it unless u want ur rear wheels to sit about 2" further in than OEM ZCP wheels. Or u can always run spacers/adapters that 1.5" thick (30-35mm). Even if u were to run a fatter tire, u would still need at least a 20mm spacer. And u probably don't wanna go any wider than a 285 on a 9.5" wheel.

Btw, this is just MY opinion

[M3SQRD]

You'll need to use at least 10-12 mm spacers (probably thicker on the R) to run a square 9.5et35 wheel setup on an e9x M3. FYI, this is the wheel width/offset BimmerWorld used on their GS class e92 M3 racecars (now competing in club racing, 25 hrs of Thubderhill, etc. with one of them; yes, they used spacers to run these wheels on their racecars).

With your SC a 265/35 tire sounds like it's a bit narrow for the R so I'm not sure a 265 square setup is ideal for you. I don't have a SC and I'm running a 265/285 tire setup on 9.5" F and 10" R wheel widths - with a SC I'd run this or a 265/295 setup (or even a 305 on the R with a 11" et33 wheel).

A 9.5" wide R wheel limits the max tire width you can run - 275, maybe 285 for some tire manufacturers.

These wheels should clear your Brembo BBK. Are you running their 380/380 6/4-piston BBK?

[NikB316]

JCS & M3SQRD

Thank you both VERY much for your input. There's only so much information I could find but nothing beats getting specific information for my circumstance.

I think I will be going with a 265/285 (or 295) setup as recommended with 9.5"F & 10.5"R. Offsets of +22 F & +20 R seem ideal to run without the use of spacers but please correct me if I'm wrong!

I'd rather spend the extra $ and get the proper setup - especially since I am in the process of upgrading the blower as well

[NikB316]

Sorry one question I should have asked:

If I were to go with the original wheels mentioned, run spacers (+35) and go with 285 on the back and 265 on the front - would there be any benefit or negative to do doing this compared to running 285 and 265 on 10.5 (+20) & 9.5 (+22) ? I'm assuming the offset won't matter with spacers but really trying to see if the 10.5" width would benefit me granted both scenarios would have 285s on the rear.

Thank you!

[slicer]

I would not put anything wider than 275mm on a 9.5" wheel. A wider tire will not have good support. I would also not even consider the et35 wheel as it's too far off the correct offset for an M3. Especially considering that Volk makes their wheels with some of the best M3 offsets (no spacers required). There are plenty of used Volk wheels available on this forum. Keep your eyes on the wheel/tire for-sale section.

[JCS]

Yes, spacers can and will always get u to where u need to be (fender fitment wise). The only difference is that, the 285 rubber will just look bubbled on a 9.5 wheel. Yes, u shouldnt run a 285 on a 9.5, but them American cars run 295s all day on 9" wide wheels.

And if u decide to run the 9.5 +35 and want the same fender fitment as the 10.5 +22, u would need a 25mm spacer (finish offset 9.5 +10)

GL

[M3PO]

Don't buy these. Go with the second option you posted.

[Powerbeast]

10mm spacer and you'll be fine.