Wheel Fitment Question: Will 16x9.5 ET 38 fit?
- Thread starter ADDvanced
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the bigger question is will the tire that fits on that wheel fit into the wheel well without rubbing. we know that they are NOT going to fit into the front wheel wells as they will rub on the fender lips and the front struts. on the e9, @vince runs a 9" x 17" wheel on the rear, but there is very little clearance. you will probably have to roll the rear fender lips to fit.
the rule of thumb is 7 x 16 fronts (et 11) and 8 x 16 rears (et 24). et 38 is going to be very difficult as its going to push the wheel further. there are ways to increase width, but they are not inexpensive. the first is coilovers to reduce the spring diameter ... the 2nd is fender flares. so what this means is that inexpensive wheels will be very expensive to fit. better off to spend a bit more money and get wheels that will fit. there are aftermarket Alpina style wheels from various sources that will fit with camber plates and rolled fender lips. i would recommend looking into the Coupeking Alpinas - look just like the real Alpinas and are well made ... and half the price of real ones. there are also wheels made by maxilite (i think) sold by places such as Ireland Engineering or other online sources
the rule of thumb is 7 x 16 fronts (et 11) and 8 x 16 rears (et 24). et 38 is going to be very difficult as its going to push the wheel further. there are ways to increase width, but they are not inexpensive. the first is coilovers to reduce the spring diameter ... the 2nd is fender flares. so what this means is that inexpensive wheels will be very expensive to fit. better off to spend a bit more money and get wheels that will fit. there are aftermarket Alpina style wheels from various sources that will fit with camber plates and rolled fender lips. i would recommend looking into the Coupeking Alpinas - look just like the real Alpinas and are well made ... and half the price of real ones. there are also wheels made by maxilite (i think) sold by places such as Ireland Engineering or other online sources
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Definitely not on the front
Thanks! I am planning on slamming this thing so coilovers will definitely be part of this, since the car is sort of trash already I don't have any qualms about rolling the fenders either. Just not sure how much wider they are than the front fenders. I think I'll pick them up and store them until I can see how badly they don't fit
On my ‘74 Bavaria I have 16x8 ET23s with 225/50 tires and 5mm spacers. Up front there’s about 1/4” tire clearance to the strut tube. At the rear there’s more room, but I haven’t measured it. That’s with all stock suspension. I did the research about nine years ago and, from memory, that is the widest you can go with a 16”/50s wheel/tire at the front without contact.
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probably about 3/4" - most coilovers use 2.5" springs and i think stock springs are about 4". if you consider that the typical width is 7", you are trying to stick 1.25" more on each side. the 7" uses et11, the 8" uses et24, a 9" would use about et36 and a 9.5" would use about et40 to 42 to maintain the same center. IMHO this is going to be problematic on the fronts, and coilovers probably won't solve the problem. good luck finding a 16" tire that will fit the 9.5" wheel. looking at 17" wheels, the tire size that fits a 9.5" wheel is 245/40-17 and its a 24.5" diameter - with the correct diameter you are talking about 255/40-17.
take a look at the FAQ - wheels + tires - sizes / options. there is a link in my signature below. if you want an affordable bigger wheel - look at some of the 17" wheels like the style 5 (BBS RC 090), style 42 or the more affordable style 32. pic of the bbs RC 090 below. there are also some newer wheels that might float your boat.
take a look at the FAQ - wheels + tires - sizes / options. there is a link in my signature below. if you want an affordable bigger wheel - look at some of the 17" wheels like the style 5 (BBS RC 090), style 42 or the more affordable style 32. pic of the bbs RC 090 below. there are also some newer wheels that might float your boat.
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I don’t know what you might gain or lose(?) with coilovers. The coilover kits I’ve seen for E9/E3s use modified stock strut tubes. On the stock struts, the lower spring perch and hub/wheel/tire are in fixed positions relative to each other. There’s plenty of vertical clearance between them. So, unless you’re going to donk it, that’s not the issue with wider wheels and tires.
Forgive the rust and dust:
No measurements, but some great visuals of coilovers, etc. by @JamesE30:
A few shots of some parts in my garage.
Haven't posted here in a while but thought I’d share a couple of pictures I took. More pics and sporadic e9 updates occasionally on my instagram @brennraum_ for anyone interested.
e9coupe.com
Donk:
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All BMW wheel styles | BmwStyleWheels.com
All BMW Wheels style including technical data & pictures
www.bmwstylewheels.com
Great page but is not showing all OE rims BMW used in their cars.