[jdsboston]

Hey guys,

I just bought a CPO 06 330xi 6mt with Type 162 18s all around. It's been mine for about three weeks now so still getting familiar with the car.

I was cleaning her today and noticed that the rear tires are not staggered 255s. I was really pissed as I thought that I had bought a set of staggered 162s 8.0/225 up front and 8.5/255 in the rear. I have three questions:

Q1) Were any of the 2006 330Xis actually shipped with symmetrical 18x8.0 162s all around??

I am assuming that all Type 162 18inch cars were sport package and therefore were shipped with staggered setups and this is cheesy dealer shenanigans? Is that right?? Or was a symmetrical 162 setup possible from the factory?? My gut is that they swapped out possibly damaged rear rims for 8.0 / 225 fronts?

Q2) Maybe they just put 225 tires on the 8.5 rims to be cheap? How can I tell if the rear rims are 8.5" or not? Is there a code stamped on the rim someplace on the outside that I can confirm?

Q3) How would you guys handle this?

Thanks for any information and suggestions.

/Josh

[who's ur daddy?]

Take off the rims and look on the inside of the spoke. There should be some stampings to indicate the width of the rim.

Also make sure they are not replica rims...

[jdsboston]

Thanks.

Also make sure they are not replica rims...

They aren't reps -- pretty sure about that but I will def check that out when I get one of the rears pulled off. I assume there will be specs stamped right on the inside of the rim...Cheers.

/Josh

[alanzthaking9]

ill give u a couple hundred for them if u arent happy

[jdsboston]

Originally Posted by alanzthaking9

ill give u a couple hundred for them if u arent happy

thanks I will keep that in mind but I will sit tight for now as they're brand new tires in mint condition and more importantly I want to trade them back in for the 18x8.5s with like tires. I cross posted the latest over in the XI forum here:

LATEST POST IN XI FORUM

[jdsboston]

someone over in the tire forums said that I have to be careful running staggered wheels on the X Drive system. Is that correct? I thought as long as the diameters are the same that I am good to go as it calculates based on diameters not the width of the tires/rims right? Has anyone here in the XI clan had trouble with the X drive system running staggered wheelsets? /Josh

[undecided]

Originally Posted by jdsboston

someone over in the tire forums said that I have to be careful running staggered wheels on the X Drive system. Is that correct? I thought as long as the diameters are the same that I am good to go as it calculates based on diameters not the width of the tires/rims right? Has anyone here in the XI clan had trouble with the X drive system running staggered wheelsets? /Josh

That's what happens when u order the 18 inch rims + Sport package

[swartzentruber]

My pretty strong opinion is that staggered on XI is purely a looks thing, and is actually detrimental to handling. If I were you, I'd recommend keeping it the way it is and being happy. The main purpose of wider rears is getting a bit better rear traction, but the natural impact is a bit more understeer (or reduction in oversteer). You don't need that additional rear traction (and extra understeer) due to having AWD.

[dakine]

unless you're entering a turn way to hot, in which case you're probably screwed anyway...hehehe.

Originally Posted by swartzentruber

My pretty strong opinion is that staggered on XI is purely a looks thing, and is actually detrimental to handling. If I were you, I'd recommend keeping it the way it is and being happy. The main purpose of wider rears is getting a bit better rear traction, but the natural impact is a bit more understeer (or reduction in oversteer). You don't need that additional rear traction (and extra understeer) due to having AWD.

[Nikolas]

Originally Posted by dakine

unless you're entering a turn way to hot, in which case you're probably screwed anyway...hehehe.

I assume you're being sarcastic. The wider rear tire only helps you on turn exit, definitely not on turn entry where it helps increase understeer.

[jdsboston]

Originally Posted by swartzentruber

My pretty strong opinion is that staggered on XI is purely a looks thing, and is actually detrimental to handling. If I were you, I'd recommend keeping it the way it is and being happy. The main purpose of wider rears is getting a bit better rear traction, but the natural impact is a bit more understeer (or reduction in oversteer). You don't need that additional rear traction (and extra understeer) due to having AWD.

Thanks Swartz. I will keep that in mind.

[dakine]

I was being sarcastic and implying ... if you enter a turn that should be taken around 50mph at say 150mph, you're probably screwed, and your staggered/non-staggered tires w/ Xdrive probably wont make much difference vs. the wall ... "hehehe" ... in all seriousness, regardless of staggered setup or not, I believe the Xdrive will make the average joe a better driver in an unsuspected critical situation, unless joe happens to be a track star.

Originally Posted by Nikolas

I assume you're being sarcastic. The wider rear tire only helps you on turn exit, definitely not on turn entry where it helps increase understeer.

[MMOTION]

it should be staggered. if not, bring it back to your dealership and make sure they take care of ya!

[jopa489]

Staggered is essentially just for looks, however there's no problem running them with xDrive - especially OEM sizes. A staggered setup will understeer at the limit, but for a daily driver you would probably never notice it.

[jdsboston]

Originally Posted by MMOTION

it should be staggered. if not, bring it back to your dealership and make sure they take care of ya!

Thanks man! I have been working it and I actually have an appointment with the General Manager to sort this out tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.

All I can say is if they don't take care of me tomorrow I am going to make it very unpleasant for them...

Thanks for all the posts about staggered versus non staggered.

[jdsboston]

hey guys,

I spoke with the General Manager on this and he's insisting that he took the set of square 18x8.0 style 162s off of another 330XI without ZSP. He's saying that since my car didn't come with ZSP that these are the "right" wheels for my car.

What I need to know is if there is anyone out there who's ever heard of the style 162 wheel coming in anything other than a staggered 8.0 front 8.5 rear setup as I haven't heard anyone say that they have a "square" 8.0 style 162 setup all around that came stock on the car and I don't buy this GM's BS.

GRRRRRRrrrrrrr
I just don't know enough about BMWs yet to make any further case without proof that four 18x8.0s never ever came on the e90.

any help here from someone who can say whether or not the 162s came ever came anything other than staggered. for example did 330XI who just elected "18inch rims" but not the ZSP get 18x8.0s all around?

any ideas how I can figure this out definitively?

[jdsboston]

Hey guys, I have had some huge success the last 10 days working on this wheelset issue and some other things that have come up since I bought the XI CPO on 7/31. I just came from my current Northern Virginia (NOVA) dealer (BMW Fairfax, who is just AWESOME) and I am with my wife at dinner *haha* so I have to keep it brief for now.

In short, the guys in NJ made a HUGE booboo. My AWESOME NOVA dealer techs took one of the rear rims off for me and guess what?

It's an 8.5 inch rim with a 225 tire on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a bunch of cuckoo birds these guys in NJ are! The NJ techs actually intentionally squeezed a pair of BRAND NEW 225 RFTs onto my rear 8.5 rims. Yes I know I should have noticed!

Here's the best part: the really cool BMW Fairfax tech looks right at me this afternoon and says while scratching his head:
"Umm we really don't know how they got that 225 on there...it's pretty odd and really overstretched on there..."

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

I am now working through a solution directly with the GM and we will be getting this (now simply a TIRE problem) SORTED OUT next week in VA at the NJ dealer's expense.

WANTED TO SAY -- HUGE THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REPLIES AND PMS WITH SUGGESTIONS GUYS

Yosh

[jdsboston]

Originally Posted by MMOTION

it should be staggered. if not, bring it back to your dealership and make sure they take care of ya!

DAMN STRAIGHT.

[chillychan]

Originally Posted by swartzentruber

My pretty strong opinion is that staggered on XI is purely a looks thing, and is actually detrimental to handling. If I were you, I'd recommend keeping it the way it is and being happy. The main purpose of wider rears is getting a bit better rear traction, but the natural impact is a bit more understeer (or reduction in oversteer). You don't need that additional rear traction (and extra understeer) due to having AWD.

I totally agree. I have 265 rears and 235 fronts and the understeer is definitely more pronounced. I have one turn I take on the way to my gym every morning, and I used to love to go into a little rear slide with DTC/DSC off. After the upgrade, I tried to push the rears out and only felt the fronts sliding. If I were to do it again, I would try a 265 rears/245 fronts or 255 rears/235 fronts.

[nomile]

Originally Posted by chillychan

I265 rears/245 fronts or 255 rears/235 fronts.

BAD ADVICE!!! How do you plan on matching circumference, especially with the 255/235 combo? That's a dead transfer case waiting to happen...

[chillychan]

Originally Posted by nomile

BAD ADVICE!!! How do you plan on matching circumference, especially with the 255/235 combo? That's a dead transfer case waiting to happen...

Good point. I forgot to take profile change into consideration. Bottom line I wouldn't make the rears so much wider than the fronts.

[nomile]

My next setup (on 162s) will be either 235 or 245 front and rear. Should nicely combat the understeer, and isn't too much of a stretch, what the wheel width VS tire width is concerned. Fronts may be a little weird with 245, but at least the back isn't a 225, like the OP's mess...

Anyone done 245 or 235 F/R?