sbce90

Hey all, basically I wanted to post up my current wheel/tyre set up. I've taken off the stock 19s with contis for now and am currently running these E63 reps.

Specs -

F: 18 x 8.5 et35 w/ 235/40
R: 18 x 9.5 et35 w/ 255/35

Tyres are Toyo R888. I am yet to fully test them out but first impressions are that they will be fan-bloody-tastic. You can go WOT in first and have minimal or no TC kick in. Race Start function operated much better than ever before and kickdown to 2nd from 4th/5th has no wheelspin whatsoever.

However, the rear fitment pokes quite a bit. With just me in the car it only rubs over big dips or speed bumps. With four people in the car it starts to rub over slightly smaller undulations on the road. I am considering rolling the rear guards but have been told that there is actually not much to be able to roll on C63 guards. Has anyone had success rolling their guards? I figure that on a track I will be rubbing a lot more especially if I mount any ripple strips etc...

My only other option now is to just buy a couple of rear wheels. What size and specs should I be looking at? Obviously I want to be able to use the new Toyos and would prefer something in a 9 or 9.5in width. I don't really care if the wheels match the fronts for style.

On to the pics.. (no professional here)

blackc230benzo

I would get a set of forgestars for your track setup. They are great wheels and a full setup will cost you what you were probably going to spend on 2 wheels. Im running cf-5 and NT01 for the track and couldnt be happier.
18x8.5 et 40 w 245/40
18x9.5 et 54 w 275/35
Talk to the guys here at ACG, they are great. The only draw back is sometimes the wheels take a few weeks to manufacture but they sometimes have sets in stock so I would call them up asap.

sjhugh

Rolling the guards won’t fix your problems with those offsets.

If there is enough metal available and its safe to do so, shaving the base plate may be your answer.
It will bring the rim inwards allowing better clearance.
You’d need to take away at least 10mm, maybe 15 and that could be a big ask if the rims are cheap Chinese Replicas. You would also need to check how much caliper clearance you have so as not to foul them.

Are replicas good track rims anyway? I would have thought they’d be heavy and poorly made.

.

gthal

The only downside on the Forgestar is that they are not hubcentric and need a centering ring. Although many say centering rings are fine for track use, I wouldn't be comfortable with that and if you check Tirerack, they actually warn against using wheels that need centering rings under the stresses of the track. Lots of folks would say they do it and it's fine but for a car this expensive, cheaping out on track wheels doesn't make sense to me and wheel experts agree Besides, a plastic centering ring may have issues with the heat and an alluminum ring will be a pain to get off the hub if you leave it on for too long. For the street, I think it wouldn't matter.

A quote from Tirerack...

sbce90

Keep in mind that I'm in Australia so things are cost more $$ in shipping etc.. Two new rears will cost me ~$500aud locally. I used to look at forgestars for my old E90 but for a set of 19s it was ~1300 pre shipping so I doubt it will work out any cheaper for me.




Sounds like too much work which can be simply avoided by buying something that actually fits. Obviously ideal track rims would be something like an Advan RS and light, but I haven't paid anything for these as they're from a mate who had them on his W210. No doubt they are heavy and most likely cast, but if a mate gives you wheels to mess around with then I really don't care. They will be rarely used anyway as I'll be running the OEM multispoke 19s as daily wheel.

edit - I see you're in Sydney too? Do you still have your OEM wheels or would consider selling them?

hhughes1

You might try 17mm spring pads. They will make the gap between tire and fender just a little bit higher which might give you the clearance you need without looking like a 4x4. I would not under any circumstance shave the wheels not knowing how much structural integrity would be lost.

sbce90

So these are essentially the opposite of lowering perches? I'm not interested in modifying the wheels. Rather just go buy something that fits.

sjhugh

Yeah you’re probably right. I had 2 rears machined at Neale Wheels, $30/rim and job done in less than an hour.


Check out their website anyway, you may find some cheap track wheels that might suit.

http://www.nealewheels.com.au/


More important to me is I wouldn’t run cheap rims on the track even if they were free. Shatter one while cornering hard and you have a lot more damage than just a rim to deal with.

.

hhughes1

17 mm spring pads: A 210 325 04 84

About $20USD for the pair and yes they are the opposite of going thinner. I believe stock is 13mm. I use these to avoid rubbing when I have 9.5" rears on for the track. I also have H&R springs on as well and the front and rear drop looks level.

sbce90

Had a quick look but there doesn't seem to be anything in merc size I need. Do the have more in store? Might just go visit them after long w/e is over.

Edit - just bought some wheels for the rear - 18x9.5 et 44 no issues.