Complete wheels Newb

J

jakemk2

Member
Right, as the title says I am a complete wheels newb. I am looking to get something new for my e36 compact. Ideally I don't want a tire any wider than 205 on the wheel. I Don't mind running stretched tires that isn't a problem. I was just wondering how wide would the wheels have to be to run a 205?

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Yeah, that is what mine is running. But I want new wheels, preferably something dished. so I was wondering how wide the wheel would have to be to fit a 205 on there.
 
Tyre width are measured in mm, wheels tend to be refereed to in inches. 205 refers to a tyre width of 205mm. 205mm equals 8.07086614 inches

Standard BMW alloys that run 205 tyres tend to be 6 / 6.5 / 7 inch rims which is why on stock set up the tyres tend to 'balloon' a bit over the edge of the rim. For a daily driver this is a good thing as the rim is protected from curbing, and since tyres are cheaper then rims I know which one I'd rather have scraping the curb (obviously neither, but if something had to give..)

I'd have thought 7 or 8" would be your max - I'm not a fan of stretch - but there's other things to consider such as offset.

Have a play around with Online Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit and put in what you have now and what you're planning on doing.
 
Current wheels if std will be et40something or high 30s and 7j. To run 205s with a bit of stretch you want 9j wheels really, or 8.5s if you cant find 9s. Et10 or close will have pretty much perfect fitment with arch roll and lows, if you want to run a less aggressive fitment then et20 or so (eg e39/e38 wheels) will fit well. E38 16s are a good bet, lots of styles in 16x8 et20.
 
I ran 205/40/17s on my style 66s on my E36, 8j fronts 9j rears, the rears were too stretched for my liking, translated as i'm not cool enough to run that much stretch. Running 205/40/17s all around on my 17x8 et20 mismatched wheels now and it's pretty perfect, et20 offset on a non sport E36 coupe.
 
Offset should be stamped on them somewhere, usually on the back along with all the other measurements. Might be prefixed with a E or ET. If unsure post up a pic of any markings sure they can be deciphered. Any code or serial number, logos or anything else might help identify the manufacturer.
 
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