wheel experts needed....

[AtoB]

so i am about to pull the trigger on the Velocity Motoring V710 19" Staggered set up for my M. the folks at **********s are telling me this is the correct offsets/setup for my car

19x8.5 ET35 fronts - 245/35/19
19x9.5 ET20 rears - 275/30/19

are these offsets correct?? i want the wheels to sit pretty much as flush to wheel well, but no rubbing.

i know our OEM wheels are:
F 18 x 8 ET42
R 18 x 9 ET30

and the original E46 M3 CSL wheels are:
F 19 x 8.5 ET44
R 19 x 9.5 ET27

any help would be huge!

A

[MMMazing07]

its an aggressive wheel. but yeah those will fit perfectly on our cars.

[GP20]

The set-up will work. But you'll need to lower you M with 19" wheels or it'll have that goofy 4x4 look (the only exceptions I've seen are the M6 reps. The thin lips do the visual trick IMO).

My M with 245/35/19 & 275/30/19 tires with stock suspensions.



With 235/35/19 & 265/30/19 tires & on TCK coilovers.

[Matjo]

Originally Posted by AtoB

so i am about to pull the trigger on the Velocity Motoring V710 19" Staggered set up for my M. the folks at **********s are telling me this is the correct offsets/setup for my car

19x8.5 ET35 fronts - 245/35/19
19x9.5 ET20 rears - 275/30/19

are these offsets correct?? i want the wheels to sit pretty much as flush to wheel well, but no rubbing.

i know our OEM wheels are:
F 18 x 8 ET42
R 18 x 9 ET30

and the original E46 M3 CSL wheels are:
F 19 x 8.5 ET44
R 19 x 9.5 ET27

any help would be huge!

A

Im running:

F: ET32 245/35

B: ET25 285/30

Lowered with H&R Springs, rubbing in front at full-turns, thinking of trying 235s in the front..

[AtoB]

Originally Posted by GP20

The set-up will work. But you'll need to lower you M with 19" wheels or it'll have that goofy 4x4 look (the only exceptions I've seen are the M6 reps. The thin lips do the visual trick IMO).

My M with 245/35/19 & 275/30/19 tires with stock suspensions.



With 235/35/19 & 265/30/19 tires & on TCK coilovers.

why does it need to be lowered? isn't the 19' wheel once tires are mounted the same diameter/size as stock... give or take a few mm??

[GP20]

Originally Posted by AtoB

why does it need to be lowered? isn't the 19' wheel once tires are mounted the same diameter/size as stock... give or take a few mm??

It's not entirely about the actual tire diameters or width of wheel-gaps. For the regular Z4, when people go from stock to 19" rims/tires, wheel gaps actually decrease slightly yet a drop is often still needed for the car to look better. It's really just a visual trick that fools your eyes into seeing larger wheel gaps & seeing the 4x4 look. Except for the Z4M, when you go from stock to 245/35/19, you're also actually increasing the wheel gaps by another 16mm or about 6.3/10 of an inch.

The only reason to go with 19" wheels over 18" wheels is for the looks. There's no other advantage.

- worse ride comfort
- worse gas mileage
- worse handling; car feels heavier & less nimble when you turn
- rims bend more easily
- tires are more expensive

And not saying looks alone aren't a legitimate reason to get 19" wheels. They are. And obviously a lot of people have done it. But going with 19" wheels and then not properly lowering the car thus making the car look like it's lifted just contradicts the whole purpose.

[GP20]

Different style of wheels will also make a difference in optical illusions. Mesh style wheels tend to be worse when it comes to emphasizing wheel gaps compared to simple 5 spoke wheels. Deep dish wheels are the worst.

Here's an example of the optical illusions. Both M's have 19" wheels. Which ones look better to your eyes?

[wrh3]

I have used this wheel offset calculator in the past:

http://marksink.com/tire_wheel_offset/offset.html

[Z FORE]

AtoB
I am thinking of the same thing for my non-M roadster, but I am considering 18" wheels. Why did you decide to go with 19's? Which color wheel are you going to get?

[AtoB]

Originally Posted by Z FORE

AtoB
I am thinking of the same thing for my non-M roadster, but I am considering 18" wheels. Why did you decide to go with 19's? Which color wheel are you going to get?

i have 18's now... love the look of the 19" CSLs.. going with silver. i think the other finishes, black, hyper black, etc... would'nt contrast enough with the silver-gray.

[AtoB]

Originally Posted by GP20

Different style of wheels will also make a difference in optical illusions. Mesh style wheels tend to be worse when it comes to emphasizing wheel gaps compared to simple 5 spoke wheels. Deep dish wheels are the worst.

Here's an example of the optical illusions. Both M's have 19" wheels. Which ones look better to your eyes?

ok, now i'm am getting confused...
i agree the photo above with the BBS wheels and no lowering looks odd, and the M6 wheels look fine. but here is my question then: i have seen a number of M's here with the CSL 19s and they look great, are all those cars lowered??? or do the CSL's tend to look fine with out lowering. it looks like the BBS wheels in the photo have a lip, is that causing the illusion? i haven't seen any M cars with CSLs/or CSL reps that have the 4X4. effect they can't all be lowered can they??? HELP!!! i do not want to lower the car any... you guys are talking me out of new wheels!!

[wrh3]

Here is my car on ZCP wheels, I think they look fine without but with looks better.

Without coilovers:



With coilovers:

[Hawkeye]

I love that look Bill. Very nice choice :tup:

GP20, I actually think the one on the left looks 100x better.

[AtoB]

see, now i think it looks good either way...funny, looking at a profile shot of my car i totally see the gap... but it doesn't bother me in real life... just in the photo. so if this is the same amount of gap i can expect with the 19s... i'm okay... just out of curiosity... what do coil covers run$$??

[wrh3]

You don't have to get coilovers, a lot of owners have been happy just replacing their springs.

[AtoB]

Originally Posted by wrh3

You don't have to get coilovers, a lot of owners have been happy just replacing their springs.

what does replacing springs run?$?
i just can't imagine drive around boston with the car any lower... it's bad enough as it is..
A

[wrh3]

If you live in an area where the roads/hazards make lowering your car any more risky, don't worry about it. Stock height looks better than a damaged Z4

[AtoB]

Originally Posted by wrh3

If you live in an area where the roads/hazards make lowering your car any more risky, don't worry about it. Stock height looks better than a damaged Z4

boston road are a total disaster.... i scraped my lip driving home on the highway the other night ... there was a dip in the pavement that pretty much bottomed the car out. looks like painting the spoiler is going to become an annual spring event.

[Dammmittt]

Originally Posted by AtoB

boston road are a total disaster....

X2...stay as far from Kenmore square as possible...I go through Riverway just to avoid it.

[MMMazing07]

GP20 your car makes me want to go out and drop 3k on a hardtop now!!!

[GP20]

Originally Posted by AtoB

ok, now i'm am getting confused...
i agree the photo above with the BBS wheels and no lowering looks odd, and the M6 wheels look fine. but here is my question then: i have seen a number of M's here with the CSL 19s and they look great, are all those cars lowered??? or do the CSL's tend to look fine with out lowering. it looks like the BBS wheels in the photo have a lip, is that causing the illusion? i haven't seen any M cars with CSLs/or CSL reps that have the 4X4. effect they can't all be lowered can they??? HELP!!! i do not want to lower the car any... you guys are talking me out of new wheels!!

Yeah like I said deep dish wheels like my RGR's are the worst when it comes to showing wheel gaps.

Another thing is, I think with the coupes, the roof/trunk lines also help draw attentions away from the wheel gaps.

You can always just get the wheels and then decide at that time if you like the look with stock suspensions. If it doesn't bother you, then it's good. If it does, you can get a set of H&R springs (springs plus install should cost you around $500).

[GP20]

Originally Posted by MMMazing07

GP20 your car makes me want to go out and drop 3k on a hardtop now!!!

Non-sense paying $3k for a hardtop. I'll sell you mine for $2800 shipped.