BBS E88s and fitting

[Singh911]

I'm about to order a set of E88s for my mk1 996 gt3.

Ive read the various threads but still have some questions about it.

1 what is meant by rolling the arches - major job? or something a competent body shop could do easily?
2 if anyone has had this done at a garage around west London or surrounding areas into surrey please let me know
3 I've been advised by Gert that 8,5x18 ET40 and 11x18 ET63 are the ones to go for - and will not need any arches rolled etc. i'd be grateful for any experience with this
4 tyre choice - we are very limited with the 225/40 and 285/30 - is there a way to go for slightly different sizes and order the appropriate sized wheels to get more rubber choice. I really like the Michelin 4S I have on another car which Porsche bolted on for me. But not available in 18s.

Apparently around 6 weeks+ lead time and expensive!

Thanks!

[Cheburator mk2]

Singh911 said:

I'm about to order a set of E88s for my mk1 996 gt3.

Ive read the various threads but still have some questions about it.

1 what is meant by rolling the arches - major job? or something a competent body shop could do easily?
2 if anyone has had this done at a garage around west London or surrounding areas into surrey please let me know
3 I've been advised by Gert that 8,5x18 ET40 and 11x18 ET63 are the ones to go for - and will not need any arches rolled etc. i'd be grateful for any experience with this
4 tyre choice - we are very limited with the 225/40 and 285/30 - is there a way to go for slightly different sizes and order the appropriate sized wheels to get more rubber choice. I really like the Michelin 4S I have on another car which Porsche bolted on for me. But not available in 18s.

Apparently around 6 weeks+ lead time and expensive!

Thanks!

I have a mk1 CS with LMs - fronts are 9x18 ET50 and the rears are 11x18 ET56. I use 235/40/19 and 295/30/18 Yoko AO48s for track days. No need to roll the arches. The wheels are flush with the bodywork.

[Olas]

Go to www.willtheyfit.com to compare sizes then go to your car armed with a tape measure.

It’s no more complicated then asking ‘will the thing fit in the hole?’

[Dammit]

Cheburator mk2 said:

I have a mk1 CS with LMs - fronts are 9x18 ET50 and the rears are 11x18 ET56. I use 235/40/19 and 295/30/18 Yoko AO48s for track days. No need to roll the arches. The wheels are flush with the bodywork.

I have almost the same wheels - had to have the gold centres so I bought the 8.5" fronts rather than the 9" (as the latter are only available in silver).
LM265-GL-SLD-EK 8,5X18/5/130/56 fronts and LM277-GL-SLD-EK 11X18/5/130/56 rears. I've got a pair of the OEM 5mm spacers to bring the fronts to an ET of 51 (what's a single mm between friends) and the rears I am hoping should just fit.

However, the GT3 has the arches rolled from the factory - which the Carrera did not - so my understanding is that I'll need to get the arches rolled in order that these wheels don't rub.

[Cheburator mk2]

I think you are right about the GT cars having rolled arches. I run quite a lot of camber - -3 degrees upfront and -2deg15mins at the back and the wheels just clear the arches. If they weren’t rolled, the wheels would have definitely rubbed

[Benja_Exige]

I’ve ordered the same wheels from Gert in the same sizes he recommended to you. Gold centres,...obviously!

BBS are slooooow in fulfilling the order though so I hope you’re patient.

Also I was advised (by Slippydiff) to anodise the outers and paint the barrels so that’s all lined up for when they eventually turn up. It’s ok to take them apart for this and then reassemble if they’ve not had tyres fitted.

[Singh911]

Can i ask how long you have been waiting please? I'm after the gold too.

Will you do the anodising yourself? - using what products please?

Cheers

[Benja_Exige]

Singh911 said:

Can i ask how long you have been waiting please? I'm after the gold too.

Will you do the anodising yourself? - using what products please?

Cheers

I ordered them last Autumn! Gert has been great to deal with, we're just waiting for BBS.

I've found someone to do the anodising, it is an electrolytic process so they will be going to a professional. They will end up with a bit more of satin rim and lose some polish but I figure that's better than them getting pitted and tarnished too quick. I'll update this thread with details of the process when the wheels eventually show up.

[Dammit]

I ordered (and paid for) mine in September, was told by BBS that they had to be made in Japan (where all their forged wheels are made) then shipped to Europe, finished, and then shipped to me. I had an update this month "BBS have recognised the order", which doesn't suggest that they'll be with me imminently. As I mentioned, these are LM's not E88's though.

[Dammit]

Had a call about these today - delivery in June apparently.

[Singh911]

So nigh on 9 months?! Better get my order in now then!

[Dammit]

It's a surprisingly long time. I've asked if we can change to 9" fronts at ET50, on the basis of if you don't ask, you don't get, but I don't expect it to work.

[Benja_Exige]

Wow I hope I don’t have to wait that long!

At Xmas time I was told mid-Jan shipment,..we’re obviously now at the end of Jan :-(

[Dammit]

I was told end of Jan in September, but that doesn't appear to have been very accurate.

As long as I have the wheels for summer I don't really mind.

[Singh911]

Dammit said:

It's a surprisingly long time. I've asked if we can change to 9" fronts at ET50, on the basis of if you don't ask, you don't get, but I don't expect it to work.

Would you be able to fit 9s on to a mk1 996gt3? I want gold as well - and given that they're being made to order, surely they can accomodate that?

[Dammit]

Mines an early C2, so I'll be getting the arches rolled, but once that's done I'd hope that it'd be ok.

[Slippydiff]

Re delivery times. E88's are manufactured in Germany, whilst there can be a wait, it's not normally that bad.
The LM's however are made solely by BBS Japan, they're currently quoting four months for deliveries.

[Dammit]

I was told when I ordered that all forged wheels were made in Japan, struck me as odd at the time given that BBS is a German company but I just assumed that it was an oddity that maybe motorsport had thrown up.

Could well be that this information was wrong and that E88's will fly out of the German warehouse whilst I continue to wait for my LM's!

Henry, did you used to be able to get the gold fronts in 9"?

[Singh911]

E88s ordered to day - will report back when delivered.
I like the idea of anodising - anybody know of somewhere reliable in west London?

cheers

[ontheloop]

Having owned a set of E88’s that I recently sold the centres are not forged but machined from billet.