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[austinla335d]

I wanted to start a new thread applicable to the results of other threads of research and so on. Many knowledgeable people were patient with me. I can beg for help and then challenge the answers, sort of a d!ck move, but I'll admit it. Many suggested going with a 235 up front, which I didn't want to do. Others suggested letting go of the thought of meaty 18's AND aggressive concave squared setup, but I wanted the meaty look of the 17" ARC-8's without dropping to a 17" wheel/tire and I was gonna get it, or I was gonna waste my time and money trying. Thank God, I got it all!

Car: 2011 335d E90
Suspension: BMW Performance, Dinan Camber plates (fixed), M3 Control Arms
The camber plates were new during this install, and did add approximately 3/16" ride height up front. The O.D. of the tires up front are approximately 3/16" less than previous, but in actual its more like 5/16" different (PSS run tall or Conti runs short?). It looks pretty much the same as before, and my under bumper *barely* scrapes the same parking spaces that it *barely* scraped before. I'm guessing I'm within 1-2mm of previous ride height in front. Enough on that!
Camber: Front -2.3, Rear -1.6
I prefer (and will attempt) to have equal camber front/rear. Hoping to get -1.8 all around dialed in the next time I'm at Offset.
Wheels: 18x9.5 Apex ARC-8 (square)
Look great in photos but so much better in person. Still dreaming about the hyper black I WISH I got, but not in stock and didn't want to buy used on the forums. The silver actually is the perfect mix of OEM, aggressive, race-ready, functional and stylish. In my opinion.
Tires: 265/35-18 Continental ExtremeContact DW
Soft Sidewall, but quiet, smooth and great traction. A little squirmy for the first 400-500 miles (apparently this is normal for this tire). I suggest putting about 5-7psi extra air in them to stiffen up the sidewalls. It really, really helps.
Spacers used: Front 3mm, Rear *10mm.
A 3mm front spacer gave me approximately 3mm of space between the tire and strut up front. I do believe the tire would rub the strut if not for the spacer, or it would be a hair away from doing so. No point, when I have as much room on the outside as I do. I originally had 10mm spacers installed out back but it wasn't a good match... poked a little and rubbed where the bumper meets the fender. At -2 rear camber or greater it would be just about right, but it just isn't the look to go for if you aren't low enough... it exaggerated the fender gap if anything so they removed them for me (after all that work!). Without a spacer out back, as pictured, it is too conservative, lol. I'm planning on installing 5mm spacers in back but haven't done so yet. I may try the -1.8 to -2.0 rear camber settings and maybe throw the 10mm back on. Hard telling.
Fender rolling: Front NO, Rear NO*
They did roll/flare the back to fix the rubbing issue I had with 10mm rear spacers, but I just didn't enjoy the look at -1.6 camber. With no spacers, no rubbing and no roll, with 5mm spacers, you might need a slight roll *(I now have).
Weight Difference: 7lbs each front, 9lbs each rear (appx.)
Front 19x9 AG M359: 50.0lbs 235/35-19 PSS and TPMS
Rear 19x10 AG M359: 51.7lbs 265/30-19 PSS and TPMS
All four 18x9.5 Arc-8: 43.0lbs 265/35-18 Conti DW and TPMS
I had a lot of excitement and cost justification coming from the whole idea of reducing wheel/tire weight. My scale showed the stock 18.86lb wheel to weight 18.0lbs. Bummer my scale's off! The above weights were all on that scale, but hopefully the difference was accurate even though the scales total seemed off.

Offset Motorwerks Glendora, CA (So-Cal)
Let me say that Offset Motorwerks is the perfect kind of place for this sort of "attempt". I was 4 hours late for my appointment because I was scrambling to get everything I needed. I didn't know what oddball issues I might encounter, and sure enough, day of install there was no TPMS or front spacers or stud kit in the mail with the wheels, and the one thing I didn't "need" but had was the 10mm rear spacers I hoped to use on the rear (which ended up being too much for me).
When it was all said and done, they had everything I needed within a few hours, no sweat, and I should've just ordered from them to begin with. The prices were better than anything I found online (or at least matched what I found online) and within .5 miles there were two Starbucks where I could work and spend a few hours... and a Chinese foot massage for $20/hr even closer. Can't beat that! Definitely a big fan of Offset after a day like today.

Early morning quick pics:


Funny how the front wheels look smaller than the rear from certain angles...


Motorsports Stud Kit was in stock at Offset Motorwerks and I love the look, quality and ease. Not a must, but I suggest it. Also allow you to play with spacer sizes without worrying about bolt length.


I weighed two different wheels and got 18.0 lbs for each. 0.8lbs lighter than advertised? Highly doubt it... my scale seems to be off LOL. It's been lying to me all this time to make me feel better about my weight.



Overall Impression
First off, the steering feels identical to before. It is not any heavier at any speed, nothing like that. Feels perfectly normal as compared to before. I know that is a worry for some with the wide front tires, but I've got nothing to report (happily). The added camber has its pros and cons, but I don't plan on maintaining -2.3 front camber for long.
As for the weight...
Here and there, I can definitely tell a slight difference, but nothing definitive. It is definitely not a placebo effect (which I wonder about when reading posts). In one area of obvious difference my wife had the same *vague* feedback without being prompted. "It's smoother and quieter, but it feels weird when you let off the gas pedal". It could be the wider width tires up front slowing us more quickly, or the odd silence of this tire compared to the PSS, or maybe these are under inflated, too many factors to pinpoint the reason, but the way the car coasts differently when you let off the throttle is noticeable to us both. I've also considered the inertia difference of the lighter wheels combined with the wider tread width up front as being easier to spin down vs the heavy force of M359's? Bottom line, it just *feels* different.
Braking is a little more effortless, but just barely to the point of noticing. I came to a stop just a few feet earlier than I felt I would a few times, nothing major. Already used to it.
Acceleration is noticeably different only in the 10-60 pulls, where it seems to sort of whip you along in a more pleasing manner, and actually does feel faster than before (and probably is)
Suspension response and ride quality is fantastic. I feel spoiled by handling improvements in day to day driving, because it is certainly a more refined and pleasurable experience.

The Conti DW soft sidewalls... Man oh man I wish I could have every element of the PSS in a tire as supple and quiet and smooth as the DW. The PSS spoil and convert. The DW satisfy, but nothing more. Definitely a bummer to have $2500 in suspension upgrades and have a flexing sidewall... That is one downgrade that I had to make, but adding 5-7lbs of pressure helped. I'm already considering a 265/35 square PSS setup for the next set of tires, whenever that may come... It will take some fender work up front, though, I do believe.

[cvc 22349a]

Quite a write up Enjoy that reduction in understeer..
Don't feel too bad about not getting hyper black. I have them and they're pretty impossible to paint match if curb the wheels.
I'm surprised the fronts fit and bet you'd rub with the square sidewalls of PSS and less camber.

[gigabyte]

what size wheel studs are those?

[tke344]

Thanks for trying this, looks great.

[austinla335d]

Originally Posted by gigabyte

what size wheel studs are those?

75mm length

[LaxIan55]

So I have the same spec wheels on the way and would like to run the 265 PSS, how much wider are they and what all do you think I would have to do to make them fit?

[TorqueAddict]

What size Studs did you go with?

[MassBimmer]

Originally Posted by gigabyte

what size wheel studs are those?

Originally Posted by austinla335d

75mm length

Originally Posted by TorqueAddict

What size Studs did you go with?

Reading > you

[Eat.Sleep.Race]

Nice write up! Looks like an awesome setup!

[Senpai]

What offset did you go with for those wheels?

[neoduffer]

Originally Posted by status update

What offset did you go with for those wheels?

It is probably the +35 mm offset parts due to the approximate weight. He measured 18 lbs and thought his scale was off 0.8 lbs. That puts it inline with the 18x9.5 +35 weight of 18.85 lbs.

[Alen E90]

The ARC-8's look great in silver and on your SG E90. It looks sick in a square setup. Btw your M3 skirts look great as well, I love how they flare out so well like that!

Thanks for sharing

[austinla335d]

Originally Posted by Alen E90

The ARC-8's look great in silver and on your SG E90. It looks sick in a square setup. Btw your M3 skirts look great as well, I love how they flare out so well like that!

Thanks for sharing

Thank you

[09STBMW]

I too installed a square setup.
09 LCI rwd stock sport suspension. No camber no suspension modifications. I went with a smaller tire upfront 255/35/18 with Conti DWS 06
18x9.5 ET 35 Konig Ampliforms
3mm spacers upfront and 75mm wheel studs