optimal offset for e30 16x7's

Thu Feb 01, 2007 1:40 pm

This question has prolly been done to death but what offset will i need to run for a set of 16x7 rims to fill up the guards on an e30.

The front guards have been lipped so there is some room to move.

Cheers

Thu Feb 01, 2007 1:42 pm

7J BBS supplied by BMW are offset of 24 IIRC.

I'm afraid I don't understand what 'fill up the guards' means.

Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:03 pm

orangecurry wrote:7J BBS supplied by BMW are offset of 24 IIRC.

I'm afraid I don't understand what 'fill up the guards' means.

What do you poms call em? fenders? wheel arches?

I've done a search, 20-24mm looks like the go.

Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:29 pm

ahhhh you're a 'Digger'.

Look at everyones pictures of the standard 15" BBS, and if that is the look you're after, 24 is your goal. I'm fairly sure you can go 5mm each way without any rubbing issues..... depends on what width tyre you are going to fit of course.

Good luck.

Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:31 pm

If you go for something near et13, the rims will be right to the edge if the arch and depending on the tyre you choose, you may need to roll the arch flanges on the rear.

Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:34 pm

et25 is ideal but et28 is fine also, no more than this or the caliper with foul the spokes

Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:21 am

i running et20 on mine..

Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:36 am

wow, et20?
my rs 003's are ET25

Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:01 am

my 7.5j 15" bbs rs', are et 19

sometimes get a squeak while parking but think more due to m3 wishbone bushes

Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:11 pm

I'm thinking ET20 will be the go, i'd even go ET18 on 7 inch wide rims, a little flaring and rolling won't do any harm, car needs a respray anyway.

Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:58 pm

et 20 sits nice imo.. 16x7.5 iirc with 205/50 tyres

Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:50 pm

DaveD wrote:my 7.5j 15" bbs rs', are et 19

sometimes get a squeak while parking but think more due to m3 wishbone bushes

yeah, but these look like deeper lips than stock?
definately look deeper than my 15's but could be the angle I guess...

Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:47 pm

they look spot on to me

full arches and plenty of rubber without looking OTT. Tasteful!

Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:49 pm

Jhonno wrote:et 20 sits nice imo.. 16x7.5 iirc with 205/50 tyres

Dan your running M3 5 stud setup so the offsets are different!

Dave those splitties are not RS's are they? they look different to the set i had

Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:17 am

I have just fitted 225/50 /15 on the back and they fill it out just that little bit more ...keeping to 205s on the front though...the arches have not been touched as far as i know

I think the wheels are bbs rms White edition 2 piece

Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:00 am

Simon13 wrote:
Jhonno wrote:et 20 sits nice imo.. 16x7.5 iirc with 205/50 tyres
Dan your running M3 5 stud setup so the offsets are different!

Dave those splitties are not RS's are they? they look different to the set i had

only by a couple of mm.. you can use a lower offset with the normal setup

Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:27 pm

essbee wrote:If you go for something near et13, the rims will be right to the edge if the arch and depending on the tyre you choose, you may need to roll the arch flanges on the rear.

And here are the pics.....

The rims are 7x15et13, tyres are 205/55x15, suspension is standard height rear and -20mm front.

Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:43 am

I'm severely confused.
yes, I agree, all the wheels look proper, but the measurements are totally off from ours stateside.
For example, both my 15" (RS 001) and 16" (RS 003) are ET 25

I guess I ought to post some pictures myself. will do so sometime this week...

Wed Feb 07, 2007 1:43 pm

don't get hung up about the wheel diameter - that's irrelevant.
Wheel (rim) width is what counts.

As I said, BMWs BBS are 7J and are an offset of ET 24.

The boys above have found that 7J rims with ET20 are OK, and will sit 4mm further 'out', and even ET13 can be OK (depending on tyre width) as this is 11mm further 'out' .... that's only just over 1cm remember

Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:27 pm

hello ET13!

That way i could play swapsies between my e21 and my e30!

Tho with ET13 on the e30 surely your tyres would be touching the body work quite a bit.

I've got 14x6 et18s on the e21 and they rub, prolly largely due to my driving and the shagged suspension...

Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:25 pm

Varden wrote:hello ET13!
Tho with ET13 on the e30 surely your tyres would be touching the body work quite a bit.

Not at all!
I only have a slight rub on the rear on severe bumps when both the boot and the trailer are fully loaded. (I'll be getting the arches rolled at some point, but it's only really necessary for about 10 days of my year!)
The front is fine, no contact anywhere at any time.