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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wheels and Tires Forum Sponsored by The Tire Rack > New Wheels - Need Help on Spacers + Tires



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      09-01-2014, 03:19 PM   #1
Zernaff
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New Wheels - Need Help on Spacers + Tires

Hi all,

So, I bought a set of 189s (square) all 18x8. I am coming from the original style 156 wheels that came with the car. So, here are my questions..

1. What size spacers would I need to make the rears look okay? If an LCI (mine is PRE-lci) is 4mm wider on the rear, and the offset of the rear rim would be 3mm different than my 8", what spacer would make my rims/tires appear as 8.5" would on LCI. I hope this makes sense.

2. What size tires should I use? The diameter of my 205/55R16 Bridgestone RFTs is 24.9", and the diameter of the tires I was looking at getting (ditching run flats) is 25.1" - these are Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, 225/40R18. I know this will have an effect on the speedometer, any way around that? Better size?

3. Kind of goes with question 2 - Anyone know how to code the car to the new diameter for correct speedometer? The speed is already high - I searched on here and found it was a normal thing for the speedo to say 60mph when I am really doing ~52.

4. Do spacers have any effect on the life of the tires? (I went for a square set-up mainly because I didn't want to be replacing my tires all the time.)

5. Opinions - Should I paint these? My car is sparkling graphite - Would gunmetal look good? Or, maybe gloss black? Or, should I stick with silver since these wheels aren't the sportiest ones out there.


Thanks in advance for all thoughts/opinions.
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      09-01-2014, 08:02 PM   #2
john16443
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This site is a great resource to see how wheels compare.

http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/156

Using this site for the 156 and 189 style wheels you find they are both ET 34.

Plugging all this information in the calculator at the top of the page yields some great information. Let's dig in and get your answers.

Question 1 - before you mount anything on the 189's, do a trial fit on the front. The inside of the front wheel will be 1/2" closer to your strut. Make sure that gives you some clearance before you do anything else. Same will be true for the rear, but there is typically more space back there.

Also, remember that the outside of your 189's will be sticking out of the fenders an additional 1/2" compared to your 156's. You may not need spacers.

Question 2 - based on the tire sizes you provided, there will be NO change in your indicated speedo setting. Going from 205/55/16 to 225/40/18 shows you'll still read 60 at 60. Question 3 is a moot point. You don't need to do anything. Plug your sizes into the calculator at the top of the page and see for yourself.

Question 4 - Unless you go totally nuts with spacer size, you will not be affecting tire life. I can't imagine that you'll be going much bigger than 15 to 20 mm spacers in the rear. Maybe 12 to 15 mm in the front. Just make sure that when you're done with everything, get an alignment done.

Opinions - wait until you've done what you want and then decide. I'd save my money, but the color is a personal choice only you can decide.
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      09-02-2014, 08:51 AM   #3
Zernaff
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Quote:
Originally Posted by john16443
This site is a great resource to see how wheels compare.

http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/156

Using this site for the 156 and 189 style wheels you find they are both ET 34.

Plugging all this information in the calculator at the top of the page yields some great information. Let's dig in and get your answers.

Question 1 - before you mount anything on the 189's, do a trial fit on the front. The inside of the front wheel will be 1/2" closer to your strut. Make sure that gives you some clearance before you do anything else. Same will be true for the rear, but there is typically more space back there.

Also, remember that the outside of your 189's will be sticking out of the fenders an additional 1/2" compared to your 156's. You may not need spacers.

Question 2 - based on the tire sizes you provided, there will be NO change in your indicated speedo setting. Going from 205/55/16 to 225/40/18 shows you'll still read 60 at 60. Question 3 is a moot point. You don't need to do anything. Plug your sizes into the calculator at the top of the page and see for yourself.

Question 4 - Unless you go totally nuts with spacer size, you will not be affecting tire life. I can't imagine that you'll be going much bigger than 15 to 20 mm spacers in the rear. Maybe 12 to 15 mm in the front. Just make sure that when you're done with everything, get an alignment done.

Opinions - wait until you've done what you want and then decide. I'd save my money, but the color is a personal choice only you can decide.
Thanks a lot! You answered all of my questions.

And, the speedo thing - I was going by the actual diameter of the tires from tire rack. Granted, mine probably show some difference now since 7/32nds is worn away so I don't know if it's worth worrying about.

As for color, I know a guy who can do powder coating for $40/wheel, so it's tempting.

But, thank you.
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      09-02-2014, 10:39 AM   #4
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1. LCI has 8mm/side wider rear track, than pre-lci. If you want to match the rear to equal 8.5 et37 at lci. You would need 11mm spacer, which doesn't exist. 10 and 12mm are available, but you can and should use thicker.

2. You won't need to test anything, recarding the inner clearance. You have plenty of room. Front has around 20mm and rear even more.

3. You have pre-lci so in my opinion both front and rear needs spacers, which have nothing to do with tyre wear.

4. You don't need to code anything infact you cant make the analogue speedo show correct speed. You can code the digital speedo to show true speed, but first you need to code the digital speedo to visible.

5. Use 225/40/18 or 235/40/18 tyres.

6. Don't paint the wheels in my opinion silver looks best with darker colors. Here is nice example, but it's e92 http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...78&postcount=1 This has 18x8 and 8.5 with 12mm front and 20mm rear spacer and i assume it has 225/40/18 and 255/35/18 tyres.

7. The spacer sizes. You can put 10-15mm to front with 225/40/18 without any issues. Rear can use 15-20mm safely. Infact even thicker would fit.

I had 17x8 et20 front and et10 rear with 225/45/17 tyres and had no issues. Basically you would need 14mm front and 24mm rear spacer to be at the same point as mine was http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...9&postcount=30

Here is pre-lci e90 with 18x8 et20 front and rear with 225/40/18 http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...00&postcount=1
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      09-02-2014, 10:45 AM   #5
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The speedometer reads about 3mph high from the factory. Taller tires will make it more accurate. With an 8" wheel 225/40/18 or 235/40/18 will be the best size.
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      09-02-2014, 05:15 PM   #6
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The michelins are slightly taller than the bridgestones currently on the car. So, hopefully that helps my speedometer a little.

And, if 12mm would get me near where LCI cars rear wheels are from the factory (assuming they are staggered), what spacers do most people with 189s on LCI add in the rear? I'd have to add the 12mm (or 11 to be exact) and whatever they are running to get the same look, right?

Thanks.

And, yeah, I think I'll stay with silver. It's a lot of contrast with my color car.
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      09-02-2014, 06:59 PM   #7
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12mm front 25mm rear.
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