zero 1160 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 Wanting to fit spacers to the rear of an e36 coupe, but want to know if they are legal first. Will they void insurance? Rear tyres are rubbing inner guard - alternately can the inner guard be hammered back a few mm? Rears are 255/40/17 on 17 x 8.5 offset 50 msport wheels. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rubix 434 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 Yes, Illegal without cert. Only some types are certifiable (Generally ones that bolt to hub and then wheels bolt to spacer are legal, simple discs are not) 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sweetm3 180 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) Under 15mm disk ok with cert Over 15mm bolt to hub and cert I run 10mm spacers up front with cert Edited November 27, 2015 by sweetm3 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 Is a cert expensive, and does it effect insurance? Is it possible to hammer the inner guard back a few mm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30-323ti 66 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 ^what he said^ and they need to be hub-centric to the hub & the wheel.Rogue, Turner H&R do good quality spacers. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3568 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 get some better offset wheels? 50 is just wrong for e36... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sweetm3 180 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 Is a cert expensive, and does it effect insurance? Is it possible to hammer the inner guard back a few mm? Cost approx $400 The rest ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2122 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 Thanks for that Ron. Zero/Nathan, when you say inner gaurd, do you mean on the inboard side of the car eg the wheel tubs, or do you mean the outboard side of the wheel, eg inside of the fender? i assume its the former, but would have thought it would hit the shock well before it hit the body 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 Thanks for that Ron. Zero/Nathan, when you say inner gaurd, do you mean on the inboard side of the car eg the wheel tubs, or do you mean the outboard side of the wheel, eg inside of the fender? i assume its the former, but would have thought it would hit the shock well before it hit the body Inboard side of the car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted November 27, 2015 I will be rolling the guards anyway, but sounds like its best to change the wheels. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted November 28, 2015 http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=245&aspect=40&diameter=17&wheelwidth=8.5&offset=41&width2=255&aspect2=40&diameter2=17&wheelwidth2=8.5&offset2=50#content This site does a rather good job of explaining the outcomes of wheel width & offset, doesn't take tyre width vs. wheel width on board though. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted November 29, 2015 Ok, so today we took the wheels off the back of my mates e36. The wheels are style 68's http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/68 The rubbing was pretty easy to spot; It probably looks worse in the pictures, but does need to be sorted. Can this area be 'persuaded' to move inwards a few mms? Also, the car has a very small amount of extra camber (guessing half a degree) on the rear - if that is removed will that possibly solve the problem? The good news is its not hitting the shock - I can easily fit my hand between the tyre and the shock. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4015 Report post Posted November 29, 2015 I run 255 tyres on an 8.5 rim and they fit perfectly and look great. 255 is however about the maximum you should run on an 8.5" wheel. I did have the guards rolled. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3568 Report post Posted November 29, 2015 michael used to run style 68s on his e36 coupe 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted December 1, 2015 (edited) Well, I think we have a solution. We swapped the style 68 wheels (17 x 8.5 et50 255/40/17 rears) with the style 18 wheels (17 x 8.5 et41 245/40/17 rears) from my wifes e46. This seemed to solve the inner tyre rubbing, but outer guards will still need rolling (was going to do this anyway). The fronts on the style 68 and style 18 are identical (17 x 7.5 et41 225/45/17) so no problems there. Weirdly, the style 68s on the rear of my wifes car are now incredibly close to the inner part of the car - can only just fit my pinky through the gap? These wheels were stock on the sport e46 (albeit with 245's instead of 255's) yet seem a very tight fit. Her car is a non sport - is there something else different with the non sports that make the rear wheels so close? Style 68s; http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/68 Style 18s; http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/18 Edited December 1, 2015 by zero Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LemonHunter 583 Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Sort out your camber and spacing at the same time :banghead: 6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Sort out your camber and spacing at the same time :banghead: 11325426_846561805433125_558081031_n.jpg Thats awesome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1039 Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Can this area be 'persuaded' to move inwards a few mms? From an engineering perspective no, because that is part of the chassis rail and not simply sheet metal, you can see the part that sways underneath the damaged stone protection. If you damage your chassis rail, you'll have bigger problems that a warrant. Sorry to sound a downer, but as per your photo that is what you're dealing with. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted December 2, 2015 From an engineering perspective no, because that is part of the chassis rail and not simply sheet metal, you can see the part that sways underneath the damaged stone protection. If you damage your chassis rail, you'll have bigger problems that a warrant. Sorry to sound a downer, but as per your photo that is what you're dealing with. Thank you so much for answering this question for me. It took two pages, but finally we got the answer. Any thoughts on why the style 68's seem so tight on the rear of a non sport e46? Was there other differences between the sport and non sport that cause this, or was bmw just pushing things to the limit on rear wheel/tyre width on the m sports? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2373 Report post Posted December 3, 2015 i fit style 68s to my old non-sport E46 and there was plenty of room on stock suspension. Silly question probably, but are they genuine wheels and havent been machined or something? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted December 3, 2015 i fit style 68s to my old non-sport E46 and there was plenty of room on stock suspension. Silly question probably, but are they genuine wheels and havent been machined or something? There are no silly questions. Yea, they are genuine wheels, and haven't been machined. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3568 Report post Posted December 3, 2015 what kind of suspension are you running in your wifes red e46? maybe they have been replaced at some stage? style 68 rears should have no problem on that car, msport or not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1160 Report post Posted December 4, 2015 what kind of suspension are you running in your wifes red e46? maybe they have been replaced at some stage? style 68 rears should have no problem on that car, msport or not. Its just stock as far as I know. I will pull the wheels off on Sunday and have a closer look. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
