Advice needed on 17" rims for E30

[TJL]

Hi everybody! I'm a newbie here. Just fulfilled my dream of owning a BMW recently... bought a 323i E30.Car is currently in the workshop doing its spray-paint job to black. I would really love to put on 17" rims for my car. Like the BBS cross-spoke rims a lot (i think it's the ones on the E30 M3s). Thinking of powder-coating them with brake dust colour to complete the look!Would really appreciate all your guidance and comments on where I can perhaps get hold of these rims... thanx a lot!!

 

[fabianyee]

if you want good balance of ride and handling, 16" is the max for E30.

 

[nikazwaa]

Welcome to the club. Congrats on your BMW ownership... E30 323i.. slurrrpp...

As Fabian mentioned. Max you should go is 16". If you only care about looks, then 17s are ok. But if the multi-spoke E30 M3 BBS is what you're after, a five lug conversion is in order...

 

[teejay]

Welcome to the club. Congrats on your BMW ownership... E30 323i.. slurrrpp...

As Fabian mentioned. Max you should go is 16". If you only care about looks, then 17s are ok. But if the multi-spoke E30 M3 BBS is what you're after, a five lug conversion is in order...

but how come my car handles as good, if not better then when i was using 16"?

multi spoke 17" BBS is available for the e30s 4 lugs, but ultra rare.....

 

[gOdspEed]

i've used 17" once.. it was a ac type 2 replica... dunno about others but it sure doesn't suits my liking... so i opted back for 15"...
heheh luv to get hold of a 16"....but i won't settle for anything but borbet type a... hahahahaha....

 

[nikazwaa]

but how come my car handles as good, if not better then when i was using 16"?

multi spoke 17" BBS is available for the e30s 4 lugs, but ultra rare.....

At least u got the power to push it..

 

[fabianyee]

TJL, please intro yourself by starting a newbies thread in the Newbies section.

and you're welcome to join us for our gatherings and events.
there's a 3series events coming up soon and there's the annual Dinner 2006.

Enjoy your stay here.

 

[pussy]

17's on e30 sucks, unless, unless u have the power to move the car and suspension set-up like Teejay's..

 

[Alvin]

My 17's on my car can out handle a lot of cars out there. So its not really the size of the wheels. Basically what is it that you are looking for. If its just looks then go for it. if you can find some light 17's then you really do not need that much a power to push it. How many person in this club actually pushes their car? Only a handfull if not less.

Thk better not to talk about handling as that is always tunable.

My 2cents

 

[Bmmad318i]

I agree with Fabs ....max for E30 rims is 16". The ride would not be that comfortable for 17". Tried 17" on my old ride b4 did not like the handling at all down graded to 16" (world of difference) More over our road conditions is sometimes not that good worried abt hitting pot holes all the time.

 

[chairoger]

17s can rub in the inner lining when doing a full turning of the steering wheel.

 

[teejay]

some mice mentioned my name.....

ok,
if you have the standard e30 suspension setup, or tuners setup meant for the e30, then 16" is about maximising the suspension treshold
simply because the extra rotation mass will effect the suspension balance and the extra unsprung weight of the 17"-if its replica- even heavier then normal, will create an imbalance in the suspension dampening and rebound rates

if you have the original BBS 17" made for the e30s - ever so rare here, then you might just make it in within the treshold, provided you have the tuned system, i.e. bilstein&eibach, H&R & konis, etc,etc

if you use aftermarket replica rims, you will get feedback like most of the drivers out there, improper balance of the car.....

so its not about the size of the rims, its about a system and a balance be it 16",17",18" etc

mine and Alvin's has similair setup not the same but similair, i would say my current setup is as close to my old e30 bilstein&eibach suspension setup, if not a little more firm

you can still run after market 17" replica, but a total suspension revision is needed, i.e coilovers, PSS, etc to match and balance it out.......

 

[Bmmad318i]

Will not rub unless the offset is right.

17s can rub in the inner lining when doing a full turning of the steering wheel.

 

[TJL]

thanx all for the great feedback... think i will proceed with a 16" then.
any recommendations on where i can get hold of these BBS cross-spoke rims? and shops that can powder-coat them for me?

 

[pussy]

thanx all for the great feedback... think i will proceed with a 16" then.
any recommendations on where i can get hold of these BBS cross-spoke rims? and shops that can powder-coat them for me?

hi, looking for the BBS16"s.. try very hard, very hard..it's like diamonds in a mine..

shops all can spray it, why power-coat ?

regards.

 

[kevster30]

To be fair to TJL,

teelay and Alvin's rides aren't exactly stock e30s. Meaning that they have undergone a 5-lug conversion and using rims with a completely different offeset. Stock e30's running on 17s HAVE handling issues.

 

[pussy]

To be fair to TJL,

teelay and Alvin's rides aren't exactly stock e30s. Meaning that they have undergone a 5-lug conversion and using rims with a completely different offeset. Stock e30's running on 17s HAVE handling issues.

but, but kev... one car is a monster and the other one is six-speeder..
they need those rims to handle the new found power..

but on daily drive, it's not adviseable to..

 

[gOdspEed]

thanx all for the great feedback... think i will proceed with a 16" then.
any recommendations on where i can get hold of these BBS cross-spoke rims? and shops that can powder-coat them for me?

cross-spokes?... u mean the basketweave a'aight?.... Hmmm let me see... Ooo i only came across a 15" recently.. hehe in fact it was the same day i met pussy kekeke....

bro.. the basketweaves suit the e30 bro... esp the 16" rs....

 

[XXX]

helloo have u all registered for AD...its just 2 weeks away

 

[TJL]

i just couldn't resist...

i'm afraid i've gone back on my word about going for a 16" rim... haha.
went rim shopping and immediately fell in love with this o.z racing (7x17) rim! (the picture shows 5 lugs but mine is with 4). managed to get hold of a set of "almost" brand new toyo tyres as well (205/45).

now i need all the e30 sifus help... how do i best ensure that i get at at least a good ride from this set-up? teejay has mentioned about the "tuned system" etc. is it absolutely necessary?

thanx a lot...