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Old 08-30-2018, 01:14 PM   #1
FC
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Wheel spacers for M3

I trust your collective input far more than that of the sea of ghetto mod-happy people at big forums, so I’d appreciate your input on this.

I think a set of spacers would make the car look a bit better. The competition pkg is set up in a way that doesn’t need as much (any?), but I still feel like it would be a subtle enhancement.

Excluding crazy setups, it seems that spacers of 15mm front and 12mm rear are considered the best look that doesn’t have any rubbing issues and still looks reasonable.

I still find that a bit extreme. The most I would consider is 12F/10R. It is easy to see that the front wheels are farther in from the wheel well then than the rear, hence the thicker spacers up front.

Part of me thinks that the offset is there for a reason and maybe I should just consider 10mm all around. Or even as small as 5mm all around.

Below are some links:

Thread (with photos) discussing spacers on stock ZCP cars like mine.

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1275144

12F/10R

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=610

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=746

10mm all around

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=659

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...5&postcount=13

5mm all around

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=818
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Old 08-30-2018, 02:42 PM   #2
Nick M3
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5mm is a bad spacer length as it is too small to extend the hub.

Note that 10mm is a spacer length that may have wheel compatibility issues due to the side of bevel needed to support the hub extension. Not an issue with stock BMW wheels, but it occasionally comes up. My Fikses can't fit on 10mm spacers, for example.

All that said, I would not go larger than 12/10 based on the pictures that you show, unless you're planning to add camber.
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Old 08-30-2018, 04:10 PM   #3
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I wouldn't do it at all. Why put more stress on your bearings, reduce your turning radius and kick up more stones to the side of the car? Do the wheels look tucked in?

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Old 08-30-2018, 04:34 PM   #4
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I have a set of spacers from the 335 GT that we are leasing. I don't have any idea what size they are, the previous leasor thought they looked better and ran them in the summer.. If they're compatible with your car you can have them. I'm in Cali through Tuesday next week but will check them out when I get home and let you know the configuration if you're interested.
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Old 08-30-2018, 05:21 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by equ View Post
I wouldn't do it at all. Why put more stress on your bearings, reduce your turning radius and kick up more stones to the side of the car? Do the wheels look tucked in?
This.

And make it more of a pain in the ass when swapping wheels.
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Old 08-30-2018, 06:33 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick M3 View Post
5mm is a bad spacer length as it is too small to extend the hub.

Note that 10mm is a spacer length that may have wheel compatibility issues due to the side of bevel needed to support the hub extension. Not an issue with stock BMW wheels, but it occasionally comes up. My Fikses can't fit on 10mm spacers, for example.

All that said, I would not go larger than 12/10 based on the pictures that you show, unless you're planning to add camber.
Thanks for the input. No way I go bigger than 12F/10R if at all. 5mm seems so small so not even be worth it, but good point about the hub extension.
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Old 08-30-2018, 06:34 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by equ View Post
I wouldn't do it at all. Why put more stress on your bearings, reduce your turning radius and kick up more stones to the side of the car? Do the wheels look tucked in?

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This is my biggest fear.
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