Need Advice

[zenetti 0]

As Zenetti points out 17's with your current tyres would be better than 18's for the width go 7.5 - this is a mild stretch and will look okay and handle well assuming they are good tyres.

The staggered set up works with the right wheel/ tyre and geometry set up and makes a noticeable improvement in handling but the whole package has to be designed to work.

Having progressively converted my 328 to M3 geometry I have now converted to a staggered set up and teh results are great.

In response to Zenetti- the match between 225/45 and 245 /40 is within 1.5% going to a 255 goes the same anmount out the other way but the tyre does not fit the 8.5 rim as well as the 245 - 255 fits better on a 9

As for offset yes offset on rear of E46 is difefrent from front so E46 M3 wheels will only fit an E46 M3 properly not a stock E46 or any E36

excellent - you learn something new every day!!

328imobbin - if a staggered fitment is supposedly 'worse' why would BMW spec them from factory on the M series cars? Being performance oriented vehicles one would suspect that the BMW technicians would have a fair idea of how to make the car 'work'. I have also noticed that the new HSV VE's (no comparison I know) are coming out factory staggered fit too. I am sure if you look at the majority of 'performance' vehicles they will run staggered fit wheels.

[steve R 0]

excellent - you learn something new every day!!

328imobbin - if a staggered fitment is supposedly 'worse' why would BMW spec them from factory on the M series cars? Being performance oriented vehicles one would suspect that the BMW technicians would have a fair idea of how to make the car 'work'. I have also noticed that the new HSV VE's (no comparison I know) are coming out factory staggered fit too. I am sure if you look at the majority of 'performance' vehicles they will run staggered fit wheels.

as i said, no experience..just asking the question as i have read alot about staggered set ups been worse. mainly on american forums.

[zenetti 0]

sorry mate didn't mean to come across in a negative way

[hybrid 1039]

8 is a stretch for 235's

Im running 225's on 18x8.5 on the e30 no worries. (mild stretch) which os what I recommend for people with gaurd rubbing issues.

naturally an 8.5 inch wide rim holds a 235 (nuskool tire) or a 225 (old man) tire

[hybrid 1039]

by nuskool tires I mean the likes of Yokohama, Falkin, Dunlop derezza etc which are better fitted to the new looks vs performance people are after. By old man tires I mean the like of Conti, Pirelli etc. They are wider and balloon more on the rim.

A 225 Conti which fits an 8.5 inch rim naturally is different to a Dunlop Derezza (with a naturally shampher tire wall) which fits an 8.5 inch rim naturally at 235. I run 8.5 @ 225 Dunlop Derezza on BBS LM wheels there is only a 5mm stretch each side hence the mild stretch. If you look into the recommended tire guide for these newer types of tires they are still in tolorance from the manufactures guides of the wheels beading.

The Oldman tire is more suited to non-lowered cars with wider rims as they never had snug guard fits in mind when they were designed. hence the term 'oldman'.

The Nuskool tire is suited to the lowered vehicle better and 'performance' driving (im not talking sacked out with cut springs rubbish btw)

I have personally had to deal with both cars with both types of tires. Because I’m running very narrow tolerances I need tires that perform while having a slight stretch, Nuskool tires do this very well. I run 30 / 35 profiles on the 330 at 45psi. This doesnt make the car hard as nails either.

[jimbo01 0]

Remember that if you go for different sizes front to back, that this makes rotating your tyres fron the back impossible. If you have wads of cash - cool. If not you may want to think about keeping the fronts and back the same so they can be rotated to give you better tyre life.

I found out this is why my 740 has 245/35/20's all round, rather than a more appropiate staggered fitment. I checked out tyre prices yesterday and was "staggered" at the cost of replacing the cheap as dirt tyres "Nexten 2000" with something better - the guy spent so much on the rims he had to ge the cheapest he could for the tyres, and kept them the same size so they could be rotated. Crasy thing is if he had gone to a reputable tyre place, not some magturbocheaptyres warehouse, for the $4000 he spend he could have have staggered rims and top Yokohama tyres.

[international 0]

Remember that if you go for different sizes front to back, that this makes rotating your tyres fron the back impossible. If you have wads of cash - cool. If not you may want to think about keeping the fronts and back the same so they can be rotated to give you better tyre life.

I found out this is why my 740 has 245/35/20's all round, rather than a more appropiate staggered fitment. I checked out tyre prices yesterday and was "staggered" at the cost of replacing the cheap as dirt tyres "Nexten 2000" with something better - the guy spent so much on the rims he had to ge the cheapest he could for the tyres, and kept them the same size so they could be rotated. Crasy thing is if he had gone to a reputable tyre place, not some magturbocheaptyres warehouse, for the $4000 he spend he could have have staggered rims and top Yokohama tyres.

Take is a very good point...note take...

[madandy 0]

I'm interested in the suspension geometry mods you've made to your E36 to gain some M3 handling advantages!

Looking at wheel/tyre combos at the moment I'm very glad I searched & found the link between susprenion geometry & staggered wheels. Please ellaborate if you will.

Andy