E36 Track Car - Square or staggered wheels?

[TroubledSoul]

Interested to find out the ins and outs of this. Is anybody able to advise?

What are the pros and cons of each?

What is the correct size/offset for 17's that won't require any arch work?

[TroubledSoul]

Righto. I'm interested in picking up some of the ex BTCC slicks from eBay, and that would be easier without a staggered setup, but I do wonder whether the M3 has a staggered setup for a reason, i.e. it's better somehow.

[TroubledSoul]

Awesome. I'm going to have to wait and see what size wheels I end up with I guess, unless the BTCC tyres are all the same size, which might dictate rim width.

[TroubledSoul]

I think in the short term then, the best plan is to find a set of non staggered 17's from an E46.

Just need to check up on the right sort of rim width for those BTCC tyres. They do run a very big profile though, so rubbing is a concern.

[TroubledSoul]

Well I haven't bought anymore wheels yet because of other things the car needs, but I've been thinking about this again.

One thing I still don't know, do I need 7.5, 8 or 8.5J all round and also should the wheels have a different offset front to rear to stop the rears being sat too far in? Or would I use spacers? I've never used them before as I've never been keen.

[TroubledSoul]

Have dropped you an email.

[TroubledSoul]

Output Flange said:

A couple of things:

- try and find some light wheels. Lots of BMW ones are very heavy. If you can get some E34 M Systems they'd be ideal.

- don't know what the spec if your car is, but slicks will put more strain on everything. If you're running standard bushes etc then keep an eye on them. Some tracks used to not let you use slicks without a cage. Don't know if that's still the case (because I have a cage).

Planning to put Powerflex black RTABs and lollipops on before it turns a wheel next. Needs new shocks though! No cage as yet, but will be going in that direction eventually. No slicks yet either. The build is at an early stage!

[TroubledSoul]

isleofthorns said:

et40, 8j all around

Sounds like I may need a spacer up front if I run the same offset as the rear.

[TroubledSoul]

McSam said:

Another firm vote for square here. My car is very neutral like this, and can easily be adjusted with geometry and, if you chose, ARBs but I haven't felt the need for that yet.

I've never seen any serious E36 track car on a staggered setup, now I think about it, including lots of ex-race cars.

What size/offset are you running?