E90 320i on 18"/19" Rims?

[GHS]

Just wondering if any E90 320i owners have upgraded to 18"/19" rims? I was originally thinking of going for 18", but after browsing online for some pics, I found the 19" rims to be much nicer instead, in a bit of dilemma now Questions:1) I'm worried about any significant performance drop by fitting 18"/19" rims on the E90 320i (bigger rims usually equals more weight)? Would appreciate if anyone who has done so can comment? 2) What is the suitable offset and rim size for a 18" OR 19' staggered setup?3) For 19" tyres => F: 235/35 R19; R: 265/30 R19 OR F: 225/35 R19; R: 255/30 R19?4) What would be a good price to trade-in my OEM 17" Type 160 rims + RFT CSC2 tyres (about 80% left)?5) Any recommended non-RFT tyres? I'm more for handling/grip rather than mileage/comfort.6a) Rim colour: My car colour is Sparkling Graphite, and I'm thinking of going for a Titanium Asphalt finish with chrome lip like below, I feel that it goes very well with the SG colour:

More Titanium Asphalt finish rims, but on different body colour:

6b) IMHO, SG with black rims + chrome lip looks a bit "messy", I think black rims + chrome lip are more suitable for black or white cars:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z182/ganhs/e90_on_flat_black_r16_2.jpghttp://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z182/ganhs/BlackRims01.jpghttp://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z182/ganhs/BlackRims02.jpghttp://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z182/ganhs/BlackRims04.jpgOpinions needed. Thanks!

 

[TomJB]

I need opinions too!!! Same situation as you... Any gurus? DY? DC? Anyone?

 

[KL2DC]

Best offset imho is ET34 front and ET30 rear

I have ET25 on my rear wheels, it rubs on dips and bumps (lowered on eibach pro-kits) but it looks awesome.

I have 235/35/19s F and 265/30/19 R, I'm thinking of reducing my offsets to fit a 275/30/19 in the rear.

The beauty of Sparkling Graphite is that its a mod friendly color, pretty much anything goes with SG.

 

[KL2DC]

google up privat Netz or Reservs (in forged grey finish), see if they have a local distributor. These look like iforged or DPEs but at a fraction of the price.

 

[danc]

GHS,

If yr ride is a 320, how about going non-staggered? That might help a bit when it comes to tire rotation and helps with the engine you have. Those big wide tires do sap a lot of torque. 19in looks nice, but you have to decide if you can live with the ride and the pick up. As for me I love the std staggered setup. It makes the car handle around long sweepers like a dream :love:

I believe DY went non-staggered as well.
Just my tots.

 

[KL2DC]

You can go non-staggered and compensate with rear spacers...

To be honest, the ride comfort is better with my current 19" and non-RFT setup versus my 18"/RFT and possibly even over my 16"/RFT setups. I remained amazed at how much ride comfort is compromised with the RFTs and the heavy rims BMW supplies the E90 with.

Also, to be honest I thought my car's performance is slightly muted with the big wheels eventhough the unsprung weight is less with the BBS and non RFTs, well I didn't have that much power to begin with...

I have not pushed the car yet so I can't tell you how much extra grip I have over my old 18". I need to go to a 10mm spacer (to a more ideal ET30) to work out the rubbing...

 

[Bimmer910]

Hi GHS & Tom,
I own a 320 as well. Heres my quick take on your situation. Changing your tyres to non-RFTs will be one of the biggest improvements to the overall drive quality. You will certainly appreciate the car a whole lot more.

Whether you choose to go with 18s or 19s is dependant on how much driving you do. If youre like me, (i do at least 100kms a day), then perhaps you shouldnt be looking at 19s. The pot holes on average roads will ruin a pleasant drive. However, if youre more of a cruiser than a driver, then i say, go for it ! 19s would look amazing.

As Danc pointed out, and DavidYong will attest to, going with a non staggered set up offers you the benefit of rotating your tyres every 8-10k kms. Spacers wont help with the drive, but they certainly will add to the stance. KL2DC, 15mms are a good bet no? You must remember that with only 150HP, the 320i wasnt built for a quickie down the track.

Your rims+tyres should fetch 2.5-3k back. DaveY will be able to shed some light on this issue.

CHeers !

 

[GHS]

Thanks to all for your helpful commments.

Not really comfortable with using spacers as I've heard some horror stories about their

unreliability at high speeds. I paid my share of the road tax and highway tolls, so most of the time I like to fully utilize our beloved highways to stretch my Bimmer's legs

Plus, the sight of a car's behind with wide tyres really turns me on!

But yeah I'll have to live with the loss of acceleration and maybe even harsher ride (I'm already on Eibach Pro-Kits now) if I do go with 19" (and 18" to a certain degree as well).

Btw, an offset of ET34 front and ET30 rear => meaning that the rear sticks out more than the front? If I'm not mistaken, the OEM 18" E90 wheels (e.g. style 162) has an offset of ET34 front and ET37 rear. The OEM 19" E90 wheels (e.g. style 199) has an offset of ET37 front and ET39 rear. Any idea why BMW uses such different offsets, especially where the rear offsets are larger than the front? I have another car which I upgraded to 17" (from 15"), initially the tyres were scraping the fenders real bad due to a wrong offset, so I'm extra careful now when it comes to the rim offsets.

Btw, the link below lists all the BMW OEM wheels:
http://zoouz.free.fr/e90_wh.htm

Any recommendations for 18"/19" non-RFT tyres? My budget is about RM600 per piece, I'm more for handling/grip rather than mileage/comfort.

Also, does Klang or Sunway have a good selection & price for E90 rims (replicas & oris)? Any particular shops to recommend?

 

[KL2DC]

This is all very general. For a 9.5 inch rear, ET30 puts it just about fat flush with the rear fender. Its an agressive look. For the coupes (since its a touch narrower), ET33 is optimal. Of course the setup/design of the wheels i.e. fat lip, concave, flush etc also comes into play.

As mentioned, my rear wheels are ET40, I pushed it out to ET25 with my 15mm spacers. There really isn't a problem with spacers as long as they're quality pieces.

 

[danc]

I think it's quite hard to get decent 18 in tires for RM600, let alone 19in. In the past I did use 18in Toyos 225/45/18 and they cost RM700.

 

[GHS]

oops sorry typo.... I meant RM900 per piece (note to self: remember to check posting contents after typing )

 

[David Yong]

In my opinion, for an E90 320i, you should go for 18" the max. However if you prefer look more than performance, then 19". Hopefully Malacca's roads are better than KL roads!

To switch out from RFT to non-RFT is absolutely a right choice. You get better comfort and lower tyres cost. My setup is non-stagerred. I am running all round 235/40/18 (on Michelin Pilot Sport 2, price at RM 950 per piece) and with 15mm spacers at the back. It feel & look good. At least I can do tyres rotation at every 8k to 10k kms.

There are quite a number of shops selling good rims and tyres in Sunway. If you want, drop by the KL and I can meet up with you to bring you around for your shopping of tyres & rims. By the way, my stock rims are 17" (Continental RFT) and I trade-in it RM 2,000 for all.

 

[GHS]

Thanks to all for the advice!

Will take all points into consideration when it's time to change.

 

[Bimmer910]

I think it's quite hard to get decent 18 in tires for RM600, let alone 19in. In the past I did use 18in Toyos 225/45/18 and they cost RM700.

Yeah danc is right. Toyos are around that range, and theres absolutely nothing wrong with em. Meinauto is using Toyos on his 335ci as well.

I personally wouldnt want to spend huge amounts of cash on michelins and contis for several reasons :
1. Road conditions are bad as soon as you get off Highways.
2. I put a lot of mileage on my car, hence changing tyres is an expensive affair.
3. Im not that good a driver to feel a great deal of difference in slight change of tyre thread and compound from one brand to another

GSH, Replicas not such a good idea. The ori BM rims are quite heavy, and reps even heavier. Also most of them come from Taiwan, unlike in Europe and N.America where they get theirs from Italy (the italians are masters at replica rims).

 

[GHS]

I thought Taiwan rims are known to be quite light?

Btw, does anyone know the weight of the style 160 rims on the E90 (per piece)? It would be good for comparison when buying new ones.

 

[David Yong]

Actually, the stock rims with RFT is heavy. Therefore, if you get replicas rims or even original rims without RFT, it will still definitely lighter than stock rims with RFT.

 

[E46Fanatic]

Actually, the stock rims with RFT is heavy. Therefore, if you get replicas rims or even original rims without RFT, it will still definitely lighter than stock rims with RFT.

You are right about the RFT's being heavy.. Meaning if you keep stock rims, and go with non-RFT's you should get better mileage and... performance!!

 

[anaksarawak]

Agree that stock rims and RFT are heavy.. Campared with Taiwan 17" light alloy, the ori 16" BMW rims are 1.1kg heavier each.

Check it out and you be suprised!!

 

[GHS]

So I assume that the weight of the 18"/19" Taiwan light alloys with non-RFTs should not be too much different from my stock 17" + RFTs

 

[TomJB]

I have decided...

Star spoke - style 230 (OEM)

I am on 325i, so I guess it won't pull me back so much...

Good choice?

Tyre advice/recommend? I travel around 100km-150km per day...