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[emederos]

Hey All,

As you can read I'm new to the forum. I've been trying to wrap my head around getting some new shoes for the whip; but, really I get lost in all the associated jargon.

I'm reading about milimeters, offsets, fender rolls, tire stretches, etc. and I just feel like saying

Is there a noob guide you guys could point me towards where I could learn a little more about the whole world of wheels/tires for the bimmer. Thanks

[deluxe 247]

If you have any specific questions im sure i could answer them.

[VMRWheels]

Looking at wheel and tire info seems daunting at first, but after you understand it you won't even have to think twice really. Wheel specs will comprise of the wheel diameter, width, and offset. The offset of the wheels is basically the spacing between the centerline of the wheel and the backpad/mounting surface, in millimeters.



For instance:
19x8.5 ET35 - 19" in diameter x 8.5" in width with an offset of +35mm
19x9.5 ET33 - 19" in diameter x 9.5" in width with an offset of +33mm

Tire specs are the tire's width, profile/aspect ratio (percentage of the width), and diameter.

For instance:
235/35/19 - 235mm wide / 35% of the width / 19" in diameter
265/30/19 - 265mm wide / 30% of the width / 19" in diameter

Different cars require different diameter, width, and offsets. In general you want to keep the same overall diameter of your wheel and tire combo as your stocks. Wheels/tires have specified recommended width ranges, so ideally you would choose a wheel and tire combo that both fits, and is the right "size" for your car. The wheel specs I posted above will work without any issues on an E92. The diameter, width, and offset of the wheels will fit under the fenders, and the tire sizing will fit on the wheels as well without causing any issues.

Other tire sizes will fit on the wheels too, for instance a 245/35/19 and 275/30/19, however those sizes may require you to roll the fenders. This is literally taking a fender rolling tool (some people use a baseball bat though - I would not recommend this method), and rolling the inner fender lips flat to give you more clearance. Tire stretching is where you run tires too narrow for the wheels, to give you additional clearance.



No tire manufacturer will recommend doing this though, and some feel that it is unsafe. We don't recommend it either, however it's pretty common in the modified car scene these days.

One last quick tip to you is that while there are a large number of tires all available in sizing for your car, not all tires are comparable in size. What I mean by that is, even though you compare two tires of the same size (lets say Hankook Ventus V12 vs. Bridgestone Potenza RE-11), they will fit differently on the wheel. The Hankooks run somewhat narrow, while the Bridgestones run fat. So while tire shopping, you may want to verify that the tires you are buying aren't going to cause you any sort of clearance issues. If you stick to recommended specs you should be fine with most/all brands, but if your clearance is very limited it's pretty crucial to do your homework.

[emederos]

Thanks for the info that was really helpful!

[VMRWheels]

You're welcome.

Now that you have a better idea, you can kind of look at other people's setups and get a feel for what it took to run something similar.

[mrbillytalent]

Sticky this thread. That write up is phenomenal. It took me years to learn all that crap from lurking other threads.

[deluxe 247]

Originally Posted by mrbillytalent

Sticky this thread. That write up is phenomenal. It took me years to learn all that crap from lurking other threads.

+1, post deserves a sticky

[tiltmode43]

Great post VMR!

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by mrbillytalent

Sticky this thread. That write up is phenomenal. It took me years to learn all that crap from lurking other threads.

Originally Posted by deluxe 247

+1, post deserves a sticky

Originally Posted by tiltmode43

Great post VMR!

You guys are too kind!

[edirtaynine]

that explanation post should be a mandatory read by every new person in this forum.

[VMRWheels]

Haha not everyone needs the extra guidance though. Hopefully people will stumble upon this thread though and find my post helpful.

[rvsnk77]

This was awesome! Looking to upgrade and this was exactly what I was looking for.