. . . We both needed 5mm spacers on the front to keep the OE package from rubbing on the shock absorbers... there was about 1/2" 12.7mm) difference in the offset between the two packages.

Dave,

Are you running the E38 wheels WITH the 5mm spacers? What is the offset and width of your MMII's?

My 16x7.5 MMII's have a 15mm offset, and fit fine up front on the 535i. In the back they rub the fender lip when going over serious bumps with 4 people in the car.

My 16x8 E38 cross-spokes fit fine on the 530iT with no rubbing front or rear.

Drew,

Yes, the E38 rims required the 5mm spacers (only in the front). I don't know anything about the BMW rims other than they're 16". I would guess they're 7.5" or 8" wide though.

The M11's are 17 x 8.5", and the rim is about flush, maybe slightly proud, of the tire. Again, I don't know the offset, though TireRack could probably answer that question.

We placed a straight-edge across the backside of the wheels and then measured down to the hub mounting surface. There was about 1/2" difference between the two (the E38 rim/tire being deeper)... but NOTE, the straight-edge was resting one the tires, about 3/8" above the lip of the rim. We weren't measuring exact rim-offset, we were checking for overall clearance. I think if a narrower tire were mounted on the E38 rim, the clearance issue wouldn't be an issue... the rubbing was very light.

Outside clearance with the spacers doesn't seem to be an issue at all.

The MM11's on my 525iT fit all around with no clearance problems at all, same on the 735iL.

What size/type tires do you have mounted on your E38 rims?

Thanks,
DaveR