Questions about wheel/tire fitment
 

I was originally hoping to find a set of 18's, but I'm now considering a set of Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2's 17x8 et38. How well would they fit the CM? I found a set of used ones here locally that I've been thinking about buying and having powder coated.

Update:
So I think I figured out that the stock 17's are 17x7 which means that I would need new tires for sure. If I'm going to need new tires, maybe I should just go straight to 18's. Here is my CM after installing my CarbonMINI carbon fiber door handles to match my CarbonMINI mirrors (I know - it needs a bath badly). Any thoughts on the wheels would be welcomed!

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/...I/264e829d.jpg

I just ran into another option. These wheels/tires off of a 2003 BMW 745 series. They're 18's with 245/40/R18 tires and only a couple thousand miles on the tires. I would probably powder coat them. The only problem is that I don't know what the offset or width of them is. Any chance anyone here would know?

I went and calc'd the size differences and it looks like they're nearly identical to the stock 205/55/R17's.

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/...I/80169642.jpg

I have a set of mini 18's turbo fans with tires cheap

My thoughts on the wheels are that the stock 17" ones are hard to beat for ride quality and nice looks - especially in black or anthracite. That having been said, and to get to your second question about the BMW wheels, I would plastidip them rather than take on the added expense of black powder coating. Plastidip is wonderful and reversible if you ever want to sell them or return them to stock.

Yeah, I found out a little more about the BMW wheels - they're 18x8's made by BBS. Unfortunately I can't figure out what the offset on them is. I'm strongly considering pulling the trigger. The plasti-dip is a good idea - try 'em out for a season and if I like them a lot, I can have the powder coated in the offseason.

The offset will be cast into the wheel somewhere, probably on the backside somewhere. Here is a link that shows you what to look for, scroll down to the second from the last post... http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1424710

It seems I find out a little more every day :) They have a 24mm offset. So, that makes them 18 x 8 et24 with 245/40-R18 tires. Is that going to be a problem?

They will stick out close to 1/2" past the fender. For an 8" wide wheel I wouldn't want to go less than a 35 offset.

Ok - thanks motogreg...what a huge bummer!!!

Well, I found another potential set. BMW X3 18x8 with a 46 offset but the tires are 235/50-R18's. Since the 235 is stretched a bit to hit the 8" wide wheel, that'll bring the sidewalls down a bit, but they'd still be a little tall. Any thoughts on the combo/fitment?
Thanks again!
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/...I/0f4a8160.jpg

I like those way better than the other BMW wheels you posted earlier. These would look great on the CM. :thumbsup:

The tires are a bit taller than stock, here are the specs...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...Greg/photo.png

Thanks, MotoGreg! I wish there was a calculator out there that accounted for the wheel size, too - I know the difference will be really minor stretching the tire a tiny bit, but it would be cool to know.

What do you think about the offset? Only 4mm less than stock (46 vs 50) but the 8 inch wheel will come out 1/2 inch, right? That would make it about 15mm more than stock if I calc'd it right.

Here is the stock MINI 18x7.5+52 compared to your BMW 18x8+46. The inner clearance (inside edge of wheel to suspension clearance) has no change at all. The outer edge of the wheel will move outward (closer to the fender) 12mm more than the stock wheel, which is more than safe (mine move out 23 vs stock and some people go even more than that).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...eg/photo-1.png

That is really cool! I guess I was comparing to stock 17's (17x7et50) so it is good to know they'll fit nicely. I'd like them out a little further, but they should look solid.

Closed the deal!
 

Well, I closed the deal on the BMW X3 18x8 et46 with 235/50-R18's (I'll have them early next week). I may start by trying to plasti-dip them before going straight to powder coating. I'm excited to see how they look!

Does anyone know if the MINI center caps will fit the BMW wheels? And will I need hub rings?

On the R60 MINI adopted the BMW centerbore and bolt pattern, but they still use the small centercaps from the other MINIs. So no hub rings needed, but also no MINI center caps.

I'm using these...

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/4PCS-M-Power-...6Lw~~60_12.JPG

But I'm going to replace them with something else. I also considered these from different BMW tuners...

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/4-X-BMW-AC-SC...NLGug~~_12.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/4X-68MM-GLOSS...tjw~~60_12.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/4-X-BMW-HARTG...5ILk!~~_12.JPG

Greg,

Do you typically have to remove the wheels in order to change the center caps, or will they pop out without taking the wheels off? I am envisioning myself prying them off with a butter knife with some masking tape on the edge of the center bore to prevent scratching the wheel.

You could try that, but in the end it's probably quicker to just pop the wheels off and don't risk scratching a wheel.

Figured you'd say that . . .

What center caps did you end up settling on? I actually kind of like the "M" center caps you've got. I was toying with the idea of doing a little splash of color with some stripes in the "M" colors and then slapping on the "M" center caps on the Beyerns.

Nothing yet, still have the M Power caps. I have some 3M Di-Noc that I bought to wrap the scuttles in, and I might use some on the center caps, and then put a MINI logo in the center. :nod:

Good idea!

What App this is？