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[DOMs335D]

Hi all,
I'm looking to get smaller wheels for my 335is for track use. I put together my desired wheel set on TireRack, which is Enkei RPF1 and RE71R's. The website defaults to square 225's on 18x8.5 Enkei's, I was hoping that somebody could tell me how wide I can go on a 18x8.5 rim? I'm a bit worried that the contact patch of the 225 cross-section is not big enough. I want to stay with a square setup so please let me know what you guys think, I was thinking 235 all around. I also need to stick reasonably close to the stock offsets or else my car gets moved to a different class (Front ET 37; Rear ET39).

I currently have the stock 19" staggered 225M set with Michelin PSS and I have used them for my first year on the track and I believe that while the PSS is an excellent road tire I have a pretty big disadvantage on hot days.

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Cheers
Dom

[Antetokounmpo]

On my pre-lci sedan I run 18x8.5 et38 with 255/35/18 square. No rubbing issues whatsoever. I also have a 15mm spacer in front and a 18mm spacer in the rear, still no rubbing. I HIGHLY recommend going 255 square. The amount of front end grip astonishing compared to a 225, especially with a RE71R, ZII, RS3, etc. I also removed the camber pins so I'm at about -1.5 deg camber front which also might be why I don't rub.

I'm pretty sure the lci coupe will also accept a 255 square unless they it somehow it changed from the pre-lci coupe (I doubt it) since I know a guy that runs the exact same setup as me on his pre-lci coupe.

[Antetokounmpo]

Also... meaty.

Untitled by Bryan Kendall, on Flickr

[DOMs335D]

Heel Toe That looks awesome, are those E39 M5 rims? Anyways Thanks I believe that's what I'll have to do. They'll only be on during the track events so at this point I'm not looking to change camber, but I'm guessing that without the spacers I should be totally fine then.
Thanks for the quick reply!
Dom

[Antetokounmpo]

Originally Posted by DOMs335D

Heel Toe That looks awesome, are those E39 M5 rims? Anyways Thanks I believe that's what I'll have to do. They'll only be on during the track events so at this point I'm not looking to change camber, but I'm guessing that without the spacers I should be totally fine then.
Thanks for the quick reply!
Dom

They're Apex Arc-8s. They weigh 18.2lbs, so identical to the RPF1.

[DOMs335D]

I'll check them out. I haven't decided whether to buy in the US and drive them accross or whether I should just bite the sour apple and pay the Canada premium But more choices in wheels is always good. These actually look a lot cooler than the RPF1's but at this point my first consideration is Weight and the Second is price.

[Antetokounmpo]

Originally Posted by DOMs335D

Heel Toe That looks awesome, are those E39 M5 rims? Anyways Thanks I believe that's what I'll have to do. They'll only be on during the track events so at this point I'm not looking to change camber, but I'm guessing that without the spacers I should be totally fine then.
Thanks for the quick reply!
Dom

Also, you might need to add some camber to get it to fit, though don't quote me on that. I know I had a 245/40/18 on stock camber fit without issues so a 255/35/18 might be okay, but I haven't tried it with stock camber first hand.

Secondly, you should add more camber, these cars have a lot of dynamic camber change and on stock camber, I was wearing the outer edge of the tire way more than the inner edge, denoting not enough negative camber. I can tell the extra 0.7 deg of negative camber really helps for turn in too.

[DOMs335D]

I'll probably start playing with camber next then. Thanks for your help! I'm kind of a noob as you can probably tell.

[r4dr]

If you're interested in APEX wheels (I run them at 17x9 et30 with 245/40/17 R-S3s for the track) then email the APEX people. They have incredible amounts of fitment knowledge and recommendations.

TBH the Tire Rack website is crap for anything but OEM sizes and very conservative fitments. The fact that they would put 225s on a 8.5" wheel is an example.

[tres]

Ive ran the re71r tires and they're wider than advertised so be careful especially on stock suspension. Great dry tire once you find your ideal tire pressures.

Originally Posted by DOMs335D

Hi all,
I'm looking to get smaller wheels for my 335is for track use. I put together my desired wheel set on TireRack, which is Enkei RPF1 and RE71R's. The website defaults to square 225's on 18x8.5 Enkei's, I was hoping that somebody could tell me how wide I can go on a 18x8.5 rim? I'm a bit worried that the contact patch of the 225 cross-section is not big enough. I want to stay with a square setup so please let me know what you guys think, I was thinking 235 all around. I also need to stick reasonably close to the stock offsets or else my car gets moved to a different class (Front ET 37; Rear ET39).

I currently have the stock 19" staggered 225M set with Michelin PSS and I have used them for my first year on the track and I believe that while the PSS is an excellent road tire I have a pretty big disadvantage on hot days.

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Cheers
Dom

[Antetokounmpo]

Originally Posted by tres

Ive ran the re71r tires and they're wider than advertised so be careful especially on stock suspension. Great dry tire once you find your ideal tire pressures.

The section width is the exact same as my R-S3s in the same size. OP doesn't need to worry.

[weehe126]

I ran 255/35/17 NT05s in the rear which were closer to 265. Switched to RE71R and they were even wider, probably closer to 275. They are amazing even in the wet and I highly recommend them.