[Steve1155]

Any idea if a set of Apex Ec7's in 1 series fitments would fit the M235i? Tires are PSS in 225F and 255R btw.

[gmicah]

Originally Posted by Steve1155

Any idea if a set of Apex Ec7's in 1 series fitments would fit the M235i? Tires are PSS in 225F and 255R btw.

I had contacted Apex several weeks ago with the same question, coincidentally, I just received a reply from David today:

We were finally able to test fit our EC-7 wheels on a M235i and have learned that you are indeed able to fit the 1-series wheels in 18x8.5" ET45 and 18x9.5" ET58 with 235/40/18 and 265/35/18 street tires. The tires we tested were the Nitto NT05, which is a bit meatier than a regular street tire, but not too extreme. We would be weary of extreme performance tires such as the Hankook RS3 or Dunlop DZII though, and would then recommend to downsize to a 255/35/18. There is some contact on the rear with the tire and the dust boot of the rear strut, which can be remedied by removing the dust boot altogether, or trimming it for the wider tires. This is the compromise that you'd have to make in order for the wheels and tires to be much wider than OEM if you are seeking to go with that wide of a tire in the rear. The fronts are very tight and does not have much clearance for anything wider, so we can't imagine fitting any wider wheel or tire up front unfortunately. The rears are also at it's limit, but at least we're able to fit a 265/35/18 which isn't too bad.

Thanks again to David at Apex for the info!

[Steve1155]

Awesome! Easy swap if I decide to go that route. Thx.

[bernstem]

That is good information to have. The Apex wheels look nice as well.

[bimmer Don]

Nice I won't have to sell my ec 7s when I turn my 135i lease in for a m235i

[rich8566]

What's the best track setup in an 18 inch wheel? Is a square setup the way to go for track duty?

[Ramos]

Originally Posted by rich8566

What's the best track setup in an 18 inch wheel? Is a square setup the way to go for track duty?

This

Also will apex be introducing wheels specific to the 2er?

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Originally Posted by rich8566

What's the best track setup in an 18 inch wheel? Is a square setup the way to go for track duty?

The 2 series specific squared track setup is 18x8.5" ET45, although a staggered 18x8.5" ET45 Front and 18x9.5" ET58 rear is an even easier fit, due to 2 series specific rear offset. For a squared 18x8.5" ET45 wheels, the recommended tire sizes would be 235/40/18 in stock form, but 245/35/18 is our preferred front tire size on the 2 series if the car has camber plates. This is because 225/40 and 245/35 are the same height, so you get width without the sidewall height compromise which can result in contacting the suspension or fender liner. The square setup will be beneficial for track use due to its more neutralized feel. It will also allow you to rotate your tires to maximize their life span. Some owners don't feel the understeer of the newer BMW's and prefer to stick to the staggered setup to maintain the feel of the stock car and avoid any unwanted oversteer caused by a square setup.

Below is a fitment test of an 18x8.5" ET45 EC-7 with a 235/40/18 Nitto NT-05 Extreme summer tire. The NT-05 runs narrow for it's overall physical size in comparison to other extreme summer tires, and especially r-compounds.



In the below photos you can see the strut tube clearance at the ET45 offset. It's a very tight fit, but it was designed to keep the 235 tire inside the fender properly on 100% stock cars. Note: this tire has a bead protector, which is what's closest to the strut. Tire shapes vary, so tires without a bead protector will have more clearance, as rim to strut clearance is another 5+ millimeters.



Below are some photos (at stock ride height) of M235i's running 18x8.5" ET45 with 235/40/18 NT-05 tires. You can see how much meatier and taller 235/40/18 tires run than a 245/35/18.





Below are images of the recommended staggered setup of 18x8.5" ET45 and 18x9.5" ET58. Here you can see that the 9.5" ET58 allows a 265/35/18 extreme summer tire to fit cleanly in the rear. The switch from 18x8" ET52 to 18x9.5" ET58 only pushes the wheel out 13mm, but 25mm of it moves in-board. This allows a 265 (and in some cases with careful attention a 275) tire to fit, as 2/3 of the added with is moved inward.

Originally Posted by Ramos

This

Also will apex be introducing wheels specific to the 2er?

Since the 2-series was tested and used the same fitment as the 1-series fitment as shown above, these wheels are 2-series specific as well.