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[Squawks]

Hello, folks - I saw the other thread that was posted regarding specifically whether some 19" rims were able to fitted onto a 325i non-sport...apparently the answer was yes (with a little speculation about the wideness).

However, I then stumbled over another thread that had a post where somebody mentioned that without the sport package, big wheels (i.e. 18", which I hope to get on my future 325i non-sport) won't look so good because the car has to be lowered/tuned with the sport suspension in order for the car to look proper! Is this true?

I'm planning on acquiring the 325i (I felt no need for the extra power on the 330i) and furthermore, I'm not a hard-charger sporty type so I opted out from the sport package in hopes to give my 325i the most comfortable ride. This car will be my roadtrip buddy.

Or am I making some naive mistakes/assumptions here? Thanks in advance for any advice!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, in the case of curiosity, that I hope to upgrade to 18" wheels because the 16" stock wheels on the 325i non-sport are torrid! Even upgrading with the SP with its 17" wheels are still not satisfactory...or at least that's what I feel.

[Mark]

well its a matter of personal taste. I personally think cars with big wheels but not lowered look rediculous.. sort of like a rappers SUV, big wheels and big height.

As a general rule I follow is: the bigger the wheel, the lower the car must go.


But your taste will varry.


Here are some samples tho:


E90 with 19" wheels and apparently NO LOWERING.



E90 with 19" wheels and apparently NO LOWERING.



E90 with 19" wheels WITH LOWERING.



E90 with 19" wheels WITH LOWERING.


make your own judgement and see what will fit you best. Its really difficult to tell from pics, so wait till you get your car and see it in person and try to make a judgement from there

[Squawks]

Thanks a lot, Mark!

Yes, you're right - it's pretty hard to tell from those pictures! Wow, those wheels didn't even appear 19" to me from those pics! The E90 wheel wells just looks huge.

Would it be alright if one was to skimp from the lowering and instead used thicker tires to offset the gap between the wheels/tires and the top of the wheel well?

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Squawks

Thanks a lot, Mark!

Yes, you're right - it's pretty hard to tell from those pictures! Wow, those wheels didn't even appear 19" to me from those pics! The E90 wheel wells just looks huge.

Would it be alright if one was to skimp from the lowering and instead used thicker tires to offset the gap between the wheels/tires and the top of the wheel well?

nooooo its not good to change the overall diameter of the wheel/tire from the original spec. And to do what your suggesting would need ALOT of tire.. This will mess up your speedometer, mess up the handling, and slow down the cars acceleration.

[Squawks]

Mark, as you can tell from my posts, I am rather amateurish when it comes to the topic of wheels. Thanks again for your info - I'll be heading out to do some more research on all of this wheel argot.

[AClarke]

Hey Sqawks,

Are you looking at aftermarket options or a larger wheel from BMW??

[Squawks]

AClarke, I have not yet completely decided on that yet. I personally think ordering BMW wheels from the dealer is pretty pricey when compared to to certain aftermarket dealers but then again, I really do admire several of BMW's designs. Of course, I wouldn't doubt that there are already aftermarket groups making replicas. Most of the wheel shops sell wheels for cheap but even so, I haven't added the costs of wrapping them with run-flat rubber --- how much do run-flats covering 18x8 wheels cost, anyways?

[luprang]

Hey Mark those pics look great - and it proves that the bigger the wheel the lower the car needs to be. I also am in search of rims. Im curious do you reccomend BMW rims or aftermarket dealers. Also whats the best way to lower the car like in the pictures above?

[Mark]

Originally Posted by luprang

Hey Mark those pics look great - and it proves that the bigger the wheel the lower the car needs to be. I also am in search of rims. Im curious do you reccomend BMW rims or aftermarket dealers. Also whats the best way to lower the car like in the pictures above?

can't really recomend one over the other, its a personal preference if you want BMW or aftermarket wheels. As for lowerering the car, there are alot of different options, here is a summary of a few:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=613

[seh]

Originally Posted by MarkE90M3

As a general rule I follow is: the bigger the wheel, the lower the car must go.

Do you mean the car must be lower to look right aesthetically?

I've been confused by this bigger wheel/lowered suspension idea lately. I ran some numbers while considering the 19" wheels I'm interested in buying. Here's a comparison between the 330i's Sport Package wheels/tires and the 19" wheel/tire setup suggested by the third-party manufacturer :

330i Sport Package

Front: 225/40R18

Sidewall Height: 3.5433"
Total Diameter: 25.0866"

Rear: 255/35R18

Sidewall Height: 3.5138"
Total Diameter: 25.0276"

Proposed 19" Wheels

Front: 225/35R19

Sidewall Height: 3.1004"
Total Diameter: 25.2008"

Rear: 255/30R19

Sidewall Height: 3.0118"
Total Diameter: 25.0236"

Look at the total diameters. The 19" wheels actually yield a lower center point in the rear and a higher midpoint in the front, but we're talking about a 0.5% difference.

I agree that the Arctic car in your first example looks higher than the second. But does the first one look higher than a normal E90 would with stock 18" wheels and tires? Not knowing the tire specifics, but following the numbers above, shouldn't the car be sitting at about the same height as it would be on the stock 18" Style 162 wheels and tires?

And while I have your attention, do you know the details of how much and by what means the black car was lowered?

[Mark]

Your on the right track. No matter how big or small you go with the wheels, the total diameter of the wheel + tire should be almost perfect (within 0.5% as you mentioned)... thats why when you get a larger wheel you must get a tire with a smaller aspect ratio.

Now as for your question, yes techincally the car with 16" wheels is sitting at the same height as one with 19" if they both have the same suspension, but from an aesthetics point of view, the car with the 19" wheel will look like it is taller. But its a different story when comparing the arctic car with the black one, the arctic car looks higher then the black car because it is higher.


As for that black car, it has coilovers which offer a variable range of lowering so its very difficult to tell how much it was lowered, but if I had to guess I would say they are KW coilovers at their lowest settings (2.3" lower in the front 2.1" lower in the rear)

[luprang]

mark are the coilovers better than the eibach kits? b/c i have someone who offered me a set of coilvers for around 1200?

[Mark]

Originally Posted by luprang

mark are the coilovers better than the eibach kits? b/c i have someone who offered me a set of coilvers for around 1200?

well, best I can tell you is to search, its a very long answer and it depends on what you want out of the car, its hard for someone else to make that decision for you. Its like me telling you that a ferrari is better or a minivan is better for you.. only you can decide that

[luprang]

haha i see- well A) which one is cheaper and B) I just want the car lowered I dont need high performance or what not. In your opinion which rims would look the best. I kinda like the 18's BMW 162's but i dont really know? help plz?

[Mark]

welp:

a) springs are cheaper then springs+shocks or coilovers

b) if you just want the car lowered and dont care about performance/ride, etc.. then I would go for the springs alone. You options right now seem to be H&R springs or Eibach springs.

Which you choose will depend on how low you want to go, but generally Eibach are more comfortable then H&R.


As for wheels, everyone has their own taste man, your on your own with that one I personally like BBS wheels, or 5 spoke wheels. I do think the 168s are by far the best OEM wheel ever made, I love em !

[luprang]

thanks but 2 things - how much would it cost to not only buy the H&R springs but also to have them installed. Also u said the 168' are the best OEM wheel? I cant find these anywhere

[adrian_g]

Squawks,
Thank you for opening this topic. I am in the same situation as far as deciding if 18 or 19 inch wheels will look on a 325i non-sport. I have no intentions on lowering the car. I also want the car to have a sporty look without compromising ride comfort (or my factory warranty for that matter). I will definitely be on the lookout for pics or suggestions.Thanks again,

[06alpine325icm]

if your going to do a wheel with a lip go 19s... otherwise i think 18s are fine al long as wheel goes all the way out to the tire.. i might go 18s