Re: 17 x 7.5 inch M-contour wheels... (archive)

In regard to the tire sizing listed by RA/Bob G. most of the information appears to be correct, however I am not so sure about the wheels mentioned. The OEM e36 M3 has a 38mm and 41mm offset and 74mm centerbore, the offset is not correct for the e28. These wheels can not be fitted to the e28 with out significant modification. There are replica style e36 M contour wheels available with various offsets. There is very little that can be gained from using a wheel of this nature especially when it requires significant modifications. To give you some back ground on offsets, when the width of the wheel changes, the offset also changes numerically. If the offset were to stay the same while you added width, the additional width would be split evenly between the inside and outside. I would recommend the the M System wheel used on an e34 M5 (17x8 255/40) as an alternate choice. The e34 and e28 share the same 20mm offset and 74mm centerbore.

You have it backwards...you need to tell us what mods you've made to the car,and THEN pick the best tire size.I use spacers that set the front offset at 13mm, and the rear at 23mm.This is almost exactly what Hartge and Alpina use for offsets,and allows for 225/45/17,235/45/17,235/40/17,245/40/17,,but I wouldn't advise the last; a bit too wide for 7.5" rims.
Of all,I would suggest the 225/45/17 for the 7.5" rim,as the best suited to it under hard cornering,and a better road ride.

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