e36 m3, 18 x 8.5 tyre advice needed !!

[ALS M3]

hi guys

iv just had my 98 m3 lowered on eibach springs (25mm front 15mm rear)and have a spare set of alloys 18 x 8.5j that i want to put on, can anybody tell me if these will go straight on and what size tyres to use.
i have read 235 x 35 all round from an old forum but just want to check if i can go 245 or 40 profile!

also what make tyres you wld use on these 18's and the origional 17's

cheers guys any help wld be appreciated

[clabcon]

the original m3 rears are 245 wide with a 35 profile and 17" radius so should not see a problem in 245/40/18, althought 245/35/18 will be better. What size are you running up front? If its 225 then increasing that to 235 and reducing the rears to 235 will help dial out understeer somewhat.

In terms of rubber, depends on budget but:

Michelin Supersport

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2

Pilot Sport 2/3

On 18" wheels you will pay the price and expected to pay £150+ each corner for tyres that width with decent rubber.

Edited by clabcon on Friday 15th April 01:49

[RedBull]

clabcon said:

the original m3 rears are 245 wide with a 35 profile and 17" radius

Sorry, that's not quite right: the factory tyre size is 245/40 on an 8.5 x 17" rim for the rear, with 225/45 on the front. My M3 came with original wheels and correct tyre sizes and had been lowered on Eibach springs. In order for the factory tyre size to clear the rear arches had been rolled, so I presume yours have too? For an 18" rim to maintain correct rolling diameter you will need ideally 245/35, but 255/35 will be OK and are more readily available.
I have just fitted 8x19 front and 9x19 rear with 225/35/19 and 255/30/19 Pirelli tyres (all bought at an absolute bargain price in the PH classifieds ). These fit perfectly and, although close on the rear, don't rub or foul at all and IMHO look fantastic. I did do a lot of measurements and maths before buying them though.
What you need to be very careful of is the backspacing or offset of the wheels more than the tyre size. The E36 M3 has a decent amount of clearance at the back of the rear factory wheels, so if buying after market wheels then go for a backspacing that will pull them in slightly. Factory backspacing is 41mm front and rear, but you can go higher on the back, say 45 or greater.
As for tyre make, a real budget tyre is inadvisable on an M3. As I said, I have Pirellis but I got the wheel and tyre package for only £800 (2nd hand with 900 miles use and like new), but the package would have been around £1800 new, as just one rear Pirelli in my size is around £280 . I have heard good things about the Falken FK452 as far as cheaper tyres go, otherwise Pirelli, Michelin, Continental are decent choices.

Edited by RedBull on Friday 15th April 16:59

[ALS M3]

Yes think that is right my origional 17's have 245 x 40(on8.5j)rear and 225 x 45(7.5j)front! back to 18's tho im thinking the same 235 x 35 or 40's if you think they will work ok.

will 225 x 40 fit ok tho on an 18 x 8.5j wheel as i have 2 tyres already i was going to put on the front but thought it might be to narrow as the rim itself is 240mm wide !!

the 18's i have used to be on a 318 but im not sure what offset etc they are! all i know is they are 5 stud!
im ready to put them on just want to make sure i get the correct tyre size and if ill need spacers on the front!

can you get a pic up of your 19's redbull ? i read 19's were a big no no on an e36 but id like to see, i think they wld look good. not sure if my arches have been rolled i think there just standard as cars still on 17's!!

cheers guys

[taz devil]

on my e36 m3 cab i have e90 18 M spider spoke which have 225/40 all way round
make sure your inner arches on front fixed right can scrub them when turning

[ALS M3]

are thet 8j or 8.5j ?? and not sure what you mean about inner arches being fixed right!!

[taz devil]

inside your arch there is a black plastic linner to stop water which is a inner wheel arch
if its been off or bumper been off and not put on correct when you turn wheels it will rub and wear the plastic away
think they are 8.5 can only just get fingers between tire and arch on back and thats on normal suspension

[RedBull]

ALS M3 said:

the 18's i have used to be on a 318 but im not sure what offset etc they are! all i know is they are 5 stud!
im ready to put them on just want to make sure i get the correct tyre size and if ill need spacers on the front!

can you get a pic up of your 19's redbull ? i read 19's were a big no no on an e36 but id like to see, i think they wld look good. not sure if my arches have been rolled i think there just standard as cars still on 17's!!

cheers guys

I hadn't bothered with pics as so many on here seem to consider the E36 M3 as rare and special enough that it shouldn't be modified but since you've asked I'll stick a couple on for you to see. I think you'll find 19" are primarily a no-no with the keep it standard brigade as many consider it to be too much, chavvy even. Some say they would be heavier than standard and slow the car down, but I lifted a new rear wheel/tyre in one hand and a factory one in the other - the new ones are definately lighter.
But first, to answer some of your other questions: There is no way of saying what tyres will fit or whether you need spacers without knowing what the offset or backspacing is, as it's that which will determine how they fit, not the width or the diameter. Look at the wheels you have, front and back. If they are genuine BMW then look for a number preceded with "IS", if after market look for "ET". This number will be the offset. The higher the number the further in from the arch the wheel will be. My fronts are 8" wide with ET37 and fit perfectly. My rears are 9" with ET45 and again fit perfectly but only because the arches have been rolled. This means that the inner lip of the rear arches has been bent upwards basically, and without that being done even my 17" factory wheels might have fouled.
I saw loads of wheel packages for the E36 advertising 8" all round and using 235/40 tyres, but I personally did not want to fit narrower rear wheels and tyres than the factory, and also wanted to maintain the staggered set-up that BMW designed. Personal choice, but 235 all round should be OK if you're happy with that.

To make life easier for you, here are a couple of links for sites I used. One will give you comparable rolling diameters for original and new tyre sizes, get as close as you can to original: Diameter calculator
And this will allow you to check front and rear clearances for a wheel comparable to the originals. Remember I said original backspacing is 41 front and rear, and note that a different width will give different clearances with the same backspacing Offset calculator
Be sure to use the tyre size on the diameter calculator, and the wheel size on the offset calculator.
Finally, as requested, a couple of pics to show how my 19" look, no doubt I'll get a flaming for ruining such a nice car
You'll have to excuse the rusty discs - I'd only just washed the car and the discs rust instantly with just a whiff of moisture. One quick spin and they look great again.



You can see the arch clearances in this next pic - you really need to get your sums right here.


Next plan is to get the calipers painted up in gold and the hubs in black satin, just to tidy up behind the new rims.

[Y282]

calipers silver or black imho. you're heading a little too close to boyed up otherwise with those wheels and drop.

falken 452s are the best performance/value balance. get them from camskill.

[RedBull]

Y282 said:

calipers silver or black imho. you're heading a little too close to boyed up otherwise with those wheels and drop.

Fair point, but to be honest I reckon many would consider it to be "boyed up" already, especially with the loud Milltek exhaust system on it. Frankly though, I don't care what others think as I like the look myself, don't know why but I do. Not meant as getting back at you, so please don't take it that way, I realise others won't like my car but it's all down to personal preference. It can be returned to standard easily enough if I ever want to sell, but that's not on the cards as I have come to love it more than I ever expected I would. In my defence though, it's all been done properly - like over £2K for the exhaust alone (Thanks Mr. Previous Owner )

I decided on gold calipers because I think silver would possibly clash with the wheels, and black might be a little too discreet for me. I considered gold to be a very common colour for calipers, both my bikes and my Lambo have gold calipers as original, and I felt anything else (blue, red etc.) would definately look too chavvy, even for me
I managed to get gold foliatec caliper paint at a good price and having used it before I know it to be very good stuff, so that finalised the decision. If it looks wrong, it'll be easy enough to repaint a different colour though.

[Y282]

RedBull said:

Y282 said:

calipers silver or black imho. you're heading a little too close to boyed up otherwise with those wheels and drop.

Fair point, but to be honest I reckon many would consider it to be "boyed up" already, especially with the loud Milltek exhaust system on it. Frankly though, I don't care what others think as I like the look myself, don't know why but I do. Not meant as getting back at you, so please don't take it that way, I realise others won't like my car but it's all down to personal preference. It can be returned to standard easily enough if I ever want to sell, but that's not on the cards as I have come to love it more than I ever expected I would. In my defence though, it's all been done properly - like over £2K for the exhaust alone (Thanks Mr. Previous Owner )

I decided on gold calipers because I think silver would possibly clash with the wheels, and black might be a little too discreet for me. I considered gold to be a very common colour for calipers, both my bikes and my Lambo have gold calipers as original, and I felt anything else (blue, red etc.) would definately look too chavvy, even for me
I managed to get gold foliatec caliper paint at a good price and having used it before I know it to be very good stuff, so that finalised the decision. If it looks wrong, it'll be easy enough to repaint a different colour though.

none taken, main thing is you like the car and care after it

[ALS M3]

sorry for the late reply guys

thanks for all your help, bickering and advice lol. redbull your car looks mint and well looked after, im trying to get mine to that standard just need to get a new back window, headliner and some mint origional wheels incase i ever decide to sell! do you know anybody with some or where to get some from?

the 18's i want to put on have a 45 offset and are 8.5j, think im going to get the tyres on today and try them. not that keen on the lowering springs and the origional 17,s tho i keep hearing the the undertray bottoming out/scraping on bumpy country lanes!!

will try and upload some pics.

[RedBull]

Th wheels you have should be fine, certainly at the rear. Basically, 8.5 with ET45 will be 4mm closer to the shock and 4mm further in from the arch - no problem. Not so sure about the front but should be OK. I have 8" with ET37 and they fit perfectly. Your wheels will give 17mm less inner clearance and 9mm less outer clearance. If necessary you could fit spacers to bring them out, but I guess if they were on another E36 they should be fine as is.

Thanks for your comment about my car. You're right, my M3 is basically mint, or as close as anyone will realistically get. Very rare colour too, so many people have asked me how much the paint job cost I've lost count. Most are amazed to learn that it's factory because it's so different on a BMW and because it looks too good for a 12 year old car. But then I did have to pay £8.5K for it last September, which is the steeper end of the market. Worth every penny though, most of my car mates thought I'd tire of it quickly because I usually have bigger cars, how wrong they were