# Wrong offset? - E46



## patroklai (Nov 8, 2007)

I drive a 2004 325Ci.

This is the situation:

I started to notice that if I have 2 people besides myself in the car the rear tires will rub. If i'm driving hard it may rub too even if its just me. If I look at the car from the outside, the front tires/rims seem to be sticking out of the fender. (This is only true in the front and not the rear, as the rear seems to match quite perfectly.) I have not measured how much the tire is sticking out but I could asume anywhere between half an inch to an inch. It does not rub on the front, maybe because of good suspension and a big wheel gap.

My current set if 215/45/17 (which is less than the 225 standard). The rims are apparently M3 rims. I can't say that I know if they are staggered, but I believe not. The tire folds at the same angle for both front and rears. They may be 17x8. This is the information I have on these rims: (thanks to google)

BMW E46 M3 Wheels 17x8 (Set of 4) Style 67 http://www.finishlinewheels.com/specials/17,BMW++3+SERIES/

ITN Style #134, 17x8 inch , 5x120mm 35mm HyperSilver Wheels http://www.lakeshorewheelandtire.com/specials/bmw-3-17.shtml

My rims look identical to the ones on those pictures, but the measurements are all different, particularly offset. How can I know what rims i'm actually riding on? I'm thinking of taking them out over the weekend to see what I find.

I'm not sure what the actual offset of these rims is, or if they are replicas or not. I'm new to bimmers, and this is what I found based on how the rim looks like.
I bought the car used and these came with it. I also noticed today the previous owner had like 40-45PSI on the rears and 25PSI on the fronts. I balanced them to 35PSI all 4.

i'll try to take some pictures later and post them on this thread.

Tips, thoughts, ideas?

Thanks.


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## patroklai (Nov 8, 2007)

I was able to find some pictures from the dealership I bought it from. From the angle, you may be able to tell how the fronts are slighly "out" of the fender angle.


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## patroklai (Nov 8, 2007)

Ok, I took some pictures from a standing perspective.

Let me know what you think.


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## hobieboy (Oct 31, 2007)

You really need to know the exact offset and width of your rims to know if they will fit theoretically.

If they are not stamped on the rims (I thought all BMW rims do), then you'll need to measure them to be sure.

With many replica wheels out there too, same style wheel may have many different offsets.


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## patroklai (Nov 8, 2007)

I've removed a wheel and found the offset to be +31mm.
This is running on 215/45/17 and they do stick out slightly...

Any suggestions?


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## sky (Aug 22, 2003)

The offset (17x8 68m wheels) is 47mm. You definitely have
the wrong offset. If your offset was large, you
can at least put spacers to correct the problem, but yours is
the opposite. I've seen people machine off about 5 mm but
that still won't work here. How about getting some CSL 
reps? They come in the correct offset, are cheap ($750/set),
and good looking.


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## patroklai (Nov 8, 2007)

What's a good site to get those rims from?


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## sky (Aug 22, 2003)

Velocity Motoring, Modbargains, Jlevi...go to e46fanatics.com
and type in CSL replica. You'll see a ton of threads about
those wheels.


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## patroklai (Nov 8, 2007)

I found AZA rims that look like CSL replicas.
Anway, they have a really two good setup for $472 shipped on 19inch rims.

here is one: 19x8.5 at 35mm offset
http://www.wheelmax.com/product.asp?ProdId=14645

Using a wheel offset calculator (http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp) I found this setup to be -6MM offset from factory ([email protected])

The second setup is staggered at 19x8.5 & 19x9.5 - offset is not specified.

Does anyone have any experience with these wheels or size? Will they fit? They are definately giving them away.

www.wheelmax.com


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## patroklai (Nov 8, 2007)

Link for staggered setup
http://www.wheelmax.com/product.asp?ProdId=14645&ProdID2=15356&Prod2H=19&Prod2W=9.5&Prod2P=118


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