Smallest size wheels on an E46 330i Sport

[ghibbett]

Possibly a rather strange question, but what is the smallest size wheels I could fit on a 2005 E46 330i Sport (4 door)?

[Scott330ci]

17" Due to brake size

[ghibbett]

What about wheel width?
Also, what would be the recommended tyre sizes on 17's?

Cheers

[JimexPL]

225 45 17s.

The style 103s from a Z4 wouldn't look out of place.

[teen_cerbera]

Why do you need to know this? Just out of Curi?

[ghibbett]

@ JimexPL - this would be the fronts? And what about the rears?

@teen Cerbera - viewing a 330i this weekend with a view to taking it to Austria (where I am moving too). In Austria there is a legal requirement for winter tyres for 5 months of the year, therefore I reckon it's easier to buy some extra wheels, get them winter tyred-up, and just swap wheels between seasons.

Cheers

[Shropshiremike]

ghibbett said:

Possibly a rather strange question, but what is the smallest size wheels I could fit on a 2005 E46 330i Sport (4 door)?

There is a 16" wheel that will fit but it's a non OE wheel. It's one of the compomotives but I forget which design.

I should qualify this and say it was fitted to an E36 that had the 330 conversion

[Super Veloce]

ghibbett said:

@ JimexPL - this would be the fronts? And what about the rears?

@teen Cerbera - viewing a 330i this weekend with a view to taking it to Austria (where I am moving too). In Austria there is a legal requirement for winter tyres for 5 months of the year, therefore I reckon it's easier to buy some extra wheels, get them winter tyred-up, and just swap wheels between seasons.

Cheers

Have you contacted a BMW dealer in Austria, or a Tyre place who will provide a second set option... (they have the same rules in BG)

Second wheels make sense

[ghibbett]

No Haven't contacted a local dealer (yet) - I'm not to keen on paying Austrian prices!!

Looks like I may have found some 17's from a friend anyway.

Also, had a browse on blackcircles for winter tyres and came up blank. I'm assuming it is possible to buy them in the UK?

Cheers

[JimexPL]

225 45 17s are fine all round unless you by a set of staggered 17s and then you'll probably need 245 40s for the rear.
It's what I ran on my E46, and Z4s which have essentially the same running gear have them as standard fitment to the 3.0i.

Looking on ebay, 4 hours left on these - 150426598741 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-Z4-Wheels_W0QQitemZ15042...

[330J]

Bugger, I've just bought a set of 16's to use while my MV's are refurbed - looks like they will have to wait a little longer

Looks like I'm off to the classifieds again!

[dhutch]

Epic thread revival. But as there is talk about "some after market 16's fitting" would 16inch steel wheels fit over the brakes of a 330?


Daniel

[Sushifiend]

dhutch said:

Epic thread revival. But as there is talk about "some after market 16's fitting" would 16inch steel wheels fit over the brakes of a 330?


Daniel

I bought a set of wheels for my 330 when I was living in Germany, during the epic winter of 2010. I was after a cheap set of steel wheels to fit winter tyres on, and the guy at the place only had those up to 16". He tried them and they wouldn't fit over the front brakes, so we had to go with 17" alloys instead. I bought a set by Borbet (very common alloy brand for winters in Deutschland) and actually the car looks pretty good on them!

[dhutch]

Sushifiend said:

I bought a set of wheels for my 330 when I was living in Germany, during the epic winter of 2010. I was after a cheap set of steel wheels to fit winter tyres on, and the guy at the place only had those up to 16". He tried them and they wouldn't fit over the front brakes, so we had to go with 17" alloys. I bought a set by Borbet (very common alloy brand for winters in Deutschland) and actually the car looks pretty good on them!

Sounds like no-dice on 16's then. Let the hunt for cheap second hand 17's begin!


Cheers

Daniel

[Smuler]

I ran winters on my 18s, when I had a E46.
Was great grip etc. I used Hankook icept.
Might be worth a price check as I paid around the same as a nice set of 158, 17s and 4 Hankook 17s for my 335i which summers on 19s, so in this case a need to change.

[dhutch]

Smuler said:

I ran winters on my 18s, when I had a E46.
Was great grip etc. I used Hankook icept.
Might be worth a price check as I paid around the same as a nice set of 158, 17s and 4 Hankook 17s for my 335i which summers on 19s, so in this case a need to change.

Yeah well that's other way, but by the time you spend £40 on getting thefour changed over, and £40 back again, and MV1's are worth what they are.... And the staggered larger rears...


Top job on the 135i BTW!


Daniel

[McSam]

Why don't you just jack up a front corner, take the wheel off, and measure from the centre of the hub to the outer face of the caliper? If the wheels you're looking at have an internal radius less than your measurement plus a few mm for good sense, they aren't going to fit.

[dhutch]

Its going to be more complicated that though isn't it, because the inside of wheels normally taper, and I am going to buy via ebay, etc.



Daniel