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[bigbadwolf]

Im in the market for new wheels. I currently have the stock 18" wheels. I really don't care that much about looks Im more into performance... in a previous thread some people recommended dinan over hre for quality reasons the only problem with that is I just found out that I needed spacers for the dinan's but I do not for the hre's (monoblok)

So what's the deal with spacers? a lot of people hate them... wasn't sure what sort of affect they had...

It doesn't have to be hre or dinan.. im just looking for the best performing wheel.

[MrHarris]

BBS > HRE > Dinan IMO...

[ben@tirerack]

I try to avoid spacers when I can, just because it is one extra thing to deal with, you need to have longer lug bolts, which if you go on the race track means a little more stress on the lugbolts.

With that said, I have run spacers without issues in the past myself, and many people do. If you are using a spacer to get back to a correct offset on a wheel that would not otherwise work on the car, it is usually not a big deal.

Some people use spacers to take a wheel that already fits and push it out further. This gives an aggressive look, but can change steering behavior a bit if it is taken too far. This phenomenon has contributed to some of the negative opinions on spacers.

So all else being equal: no-spacer > spacer, but a correctly used spacer does not have to be a dealbreaker for the wheel you prefer.

[SV Concepts III]

I agree with Ben, if you are in the market for new wheels, you should be looking for a wheel that has the proper offset to fit correctly without spacers. Unless you find a one of a kind wheel that you cannot find in the correct offset, I see no reason to settle for an incorrect offset range. The nice thing about HREs is that they are custom made to order per application so the offset will be customized for your car so you will not need spacers to make them flush with the fender.

This goes for just about any of the custom forged wheels including DPE, Klassen, VIP Modular etc...

[tom @ eas]

There's nothing wrong with spacers in the sizes that are offered for most BMWs, but they are typically used for additional clearance from coilovers/BBK or to bring the wheels flush with the fenders for a more aggressive look.

Since you are at the crossroads on wheels, you can instead choose your ideal offsets/tire choice to achieve this flush look.

Since you are local, feel free to stop by and see what we have in person - we can discuss this in detail.