E46 wheels on an E36?
Discussion
It's only the 18" that I want to go for, not the 19". There's no great master plan - I just want to be able to run a lower profile and drop the ride and it's easier to do with an 18" rather than the standard 17". My reasoning is that this is a cheap and easy way to bigger wheels that will fit - otherwise I can see myself spending £££s trying to hunt for some proper track wheels and the car's not ready for that type of investment yet. Will they really look naff? I can't find any pics of any.
Thanks, I'm tempted just by the price - I think I agree with you on the looks but the ones I'm tempted by are the less-chromey looking ones so fingers crossed they'll look OK.
Anyone know if the fit is a straight swap? I've found various info about offsets but I have more confidence in the forum's knowledge than the internet's!
Anyone know if the fit is a straight swap? I've found various info about offsets but I have more confidence in the forum's knowledge than the internet's!
Having considered this myself I am sure my research showed the rear offset of genuine E46 wheels are wrong and they will not fit straight on.....
I am now also turning my E36 EVO into a track only car and am planning to stick with the std wheels as they are so light and track rubber/slicks are available.... also 330mm discs will fit under a 17in rim.
I am now also turning my E36 EVO into a track only car and am planning to stick with the std wheels as they are so light and track rubber/slicks are available.... also 330mm discs will fit under a 17in rim.
If it's for the track then unsprung weight should be the main priority of rims and looks come way down the list.
Standard 17x7.5 E36 M3 rims won't allow the fitment of my AP 4-pots so I got some new MV2 17x8in replica rims cheap and they weigh less than the originals by a few kilos each.
18in rims will weigh more (tyres may offset that a little) and, from what I have seen, trackday tyres are more expensive in 18" too?
Standard 17x7.5 E36 M3 rims won't allow the fitment of my AP 4-pots so I got some new MV2 17x8in replica rims cheap and they weigh less than the originals by a few kilos each.
18in rims will weigh more (tyres may offset that a little) and, from what I have seen, trackday tyres are more expensive in 18" too?
Edited by Mroad on Friday 4th January 20:20
The only reason to go to 18" is to make use of the better compounds available for various slicks, a tad too far i'd say if you're only tracking the car, also means lots of work to the inner wheel arches as well as outer, believe me it's a nightmare and only worth doing if you plan to race it, if it's just for trackdays then stick to 17" and use 235's all round, ex BTCC slicks can be found easily enough to make 235 all round very viable and fun, the 18" will fit by the way, I know of 2 race cars that use them but i wouldn't bother
Edited by taffyracer on Saturday 5th January 13:39
taffyracer said:
The only reason to go to 18" is to make use of the better compounds available for various slicks, a tad too far i'd say, if it's just for track then stick to 17" and use 235 all round, the 18" will fit by the way, I know of 2 race cars that use them
I've used all sorts of sizes and thought I needed to fit 18" rims to cover the 6 pot APs on my racer. I have used OZ and ACS wheels, but then discovered that Dynamics make a set of 17s that fir over the caliprs. The car drives thebest in this config. Road tyres are RE070 225/40/17 all round. Lovely balance. On track I use crossply Dunlops 25 606-17 front an 240 rear.17 look so much better on the E6 and the car rides lower, benefiting CoG and handling.
In short, don't bother with 18" rims unless you want to bling your car. Performance is better on 17 (albeit Dynamics Rims).
Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff