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[Nero10578]

I'm upgrading from a set of OEM 219M wheels with the aggresive M3 fitrment and M3 tires to some Apex Arc-8 wheels. Planning on getting a 18x9" ET35 on the front and 18x9.5" ET35 on the rear. Planning on using new Federal 595RS-Pro tires which I heard run a bit wider?

The rears I know will probably work with 275/35/18 tires since I'm fender rolled and pulled and have M3 control arms all around so the M3 219M 18x9.5 ET23 fitment worked and only rubbed at dips and hard cornering on the rear. This was with 265/40/18 Michelin PS4S tires.

The question is would 265/35/18 work on 18x9" ET35 wheels on the front? Trying to get as much meat as possible. Will be dialing in the max possible camber will pulled pins and the M3 control arms. The M3 219M wheels with 18x8.5" ET27 worked with 245/40/18 tires and barely rubbed at all so I was thinking with a higher offset and lower sidewall 265/35/18 should fit too.

Appreciate all inputs from those that tried this setup! I tried researching this setup but doesn't seem like a lot of people do M3 control arms or use 9" wide wheels on the front and definitely not a lot of people using the new RS-Pro tires from Federal.

[Soden82]

I don't know if anyone has tried this. I think it'll be very close though on the front. The 265/35/18 compared to a 245/40/18 is a bit larger even with the smaller sidewall. You're also going with a less aggressive offset by 8mm so I believe you may rub a little more than your current setup, but not much especially if you are going to max out the camber for fitment.

If your xdrive that will screw with rolling diameter though.

[nyteryda3]

are you running coilovers? if so, it probably won't clear the suspension without spacers. why not run +30 offset? that face is better too (profile 3). with your camber mods you probably won't rub the fender but 265 federals on a 9 inch rim is probably too much meat.

on my E90 LCI with OEM M-Sport Suspension and OEM alignment specs i'm running 17x9+30 with 255/40/17 square and i get a slight bit of rubbing on the outside of the tire with the fender on big dips going >25mph.

[Emilime75]

My 19x9 +29 front with a 245/35 PS4S rubbed on the bottom spring perch of the stock MSport strut. The only difference between mine, and a completely stock MSport strut, is that I cut about half of the locating tab off to lower the front about 3/8" to 1/2"...which did make the lower perch come down by that much.

So, while your wheel/tire combo will be 5-6mm smaller in height, your offset will be 6mm closer to the strut, and the wider tire will bring the inner sidewall/shoulder roughly 10mm closer again for a theoretical 16mm. Plus, I believe the Federals have a more squared off shoulder as compared to the PS4S.

IOW, you'll likely need a spacer, but you're already wide so that might cause issues with rubbing on the fender lip. Camber could help you avoid the rubbing on the fender, but it won't make a difference on wheel/tire/strut clearance. A spacer would help you there, but then you're back to possibly rubbing on the fender.

Haha, so, in conclusion...maybe? You're pushing the limits of "fitment", so the only real way to know is trial and error.

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Originally Posted by Nero10578

I'm upgrading from a set of OEM 219M wheels with the aggresive M3 fitrment and M3 tires to some Apex Arc-8 wheels. Planning on getting a 18x9" ET35 on the front and 18x9.5" ET35 on the rear. Planning on using new Federal 595RS-Pro tires which I heard run a bit wider?

The rears I know will probably work with 275/35/18 tires since I'm fender rolled and pulled and have M3 control arms all around so the M3 219M 18x9.5 ET23 fitment worked and only rubbed at dips and hard cornering on the rear. This was with 265/40/18 Michelin PS4S tires.

The question is would 265/35/18 work on 18x9" ET35 wheels on the front? Trying to get as much meat as possible. Will be dialing in the max possible camber will pulled pins and the M3 control arms. The M3 219M wheels with 18x8.5" ET27 worked with 245/40/18 tires and barely rubbed at all so I was thinking with a higher offset and lower sidewall 265/35/18 should fit too.

Appreciate all inputs from those that tried this setup! I tried researching this setup but doesn't seem like a lot of people do M3 control arms or use 9" wide wheels on the front and definitely not a lot of people using the new RS-Pro tires from Federal.

Hi there,

If you are planning on running the staggered 18x9" ET30 (I'm assuming 18x9" ET35 was a typo) front and 18x9.5" ET35 rear setup on an LCI E90, those tire sizes are going to be a bit too aggressive.

The LCI E90 has limited rear clearance compared to the pre-LCI E90 and E92. With an 18x9.5" ET35 rear, the 275/35-18 will be a very tight fit. However, with rolled fenders and adjustable suspension, you shouldn't have too hard of a time getting it dialed-in.

In the front, the 18x9" ET30 would not be able to properly support a 265/35-18 tire. That tire is going to be a bit too wide for that wheel, and will have a significant lack of sidewall support which can negatively affect performance (poor turn-in and mushy steering feel due to sidewall flex). If running a 275/35-18 rear tire, I would suggest pairing it with a 245/40-18 front tire to keep the rolling diameters between front and rear in-check.

While the M3 front control arms do offer a bit of additional negative camber in the front due to their extra length, they also reduce the outer clearance with the front fender as well. Taking this into consideration, you may not be able to run a front tire wider than a 245/40-18 anyways without additional front negative camber (which will require camber plates).

I am actually running an 18x9" ET30 with a 235/40-18 Michelin PS4S on my personal LCI E90 with M3 front control arms, and the fitment is incredibly tight in the front. While my car is a bit lower than stock in the front, there is no way a 265/35-18 would be able to fit without a significant amount of front negative camber.

If you haven't already, I would suggest checking out our E9X non-M specific fitment guide, which you can find here: https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide

Hope this helps!

-Geirsen

[bluewater328]

I can confirm with rolled fenders, I roll with 275/35/19 in the rear. Rubs with fat people in the rear seat before the roll.

But 255/35/19 in the front rub the inner front wheel well on full lock and (dependant on your springs/suspension) will rub the well on quick bumps. My experience is 245/35/19 solves this.

Obviously a little different with 18s, but maybe provides some reference. Offsets to this particular wheel will make the difference.

[Emilime75]

Originally Posted by bluewater328

I can confirm with rolled fenders, I roll with 275/35/19 in the rear. Rubs with fat people in the rear seat before the roll.

But 255/35/19 in the front rub the inner front wheel well on full lock and (dependant on your springs/suspension) will rub the well on quick bumps. My experience is 245/35/19 solves this.

Obviously a little different with 18s, but maybe provides some reference. Offsets to this particular wheel will make the difference.

You need to add widths and offsets front and rear for this to be useful.

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by Emilime75

You need to add widths and offsets front and rear for this to be useful.

437m

19x9 et29 , 19x10 et40

[6ixSpd]

Absolutely not, lol.

[Emilime75]

Originally Posted by bluewater328

437m

19x9 et29 , 19x10 et40

I'm running the same wheels with 245/35 and 275/30 PS4S.

2010 E92 with MSport. Fenders not rolled/shaved.

Front rubs the oil cooler vent at full lock. I do have my locating tabs on the struts trimmed to lower the front a little. When I first put the wheels/tires on, it made contact with the lower spring perch. Had to grind it down slightly.

Rear rubbed the liner slightly/rarely. Adding a 5mm spacer to the rear, it rubbed a lot.

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by Emilime75

I'm running the same wheels with 245/35 and 275/30 PS4S.

2010 E92 with MSport. Fenders not rolled/shaved.

Front rubs the oil cooler vent at full lock. I do have my locating tabs on the struts trimmed to lower the front a little. When I first put the wheels/tires on, it made contact with the lower spring perch. Had to grind it down slightly.

Rear rubbed the liner slightly/rarely. Adding a 5mm spacer to the rear, it rubbed a lot.

You're making me worried. I had not noticed any clearance issues with the spring perch...but will be checking this weekend

Though obviously I would think it would have been obvious.

2011 E90 328i on Eibach Pros and Bilsteins

[Emilime75]

Originally Posted by bluewater328

You're making me worried. I had not noticed any clearance issues with the spring perch...but will be checking this weekend

Though obviously I would think it would have been obvious.

2011 E90 328i on Eibach Pros and Bilsteins

Nah, I think I'm a special case scenario because of the trimmed tabs which dropped my entire strut down about 3/8-1/2".

In my case it was obvious as I could barely spin the tire before dropping the car back down when I first put them on. When it did spin I could hear the rubber squeaking against something. Didn't take long to figure out what was happening. Plus you have a different strut setup than mine.

Might still want to check, just in case.