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[bmwarg]

Are the VRSF, BMS, H&R, and Otis Inc LA wheel spacers all the same quality? It seems VRSF is cheapest now ($79.99 for two with extended bolts).

So I have a 2008 BMW 335i with sports package (pre-LCI), factory 18" wheels (BMW Style Number 162). I'm thinking 10mm in the front and 12mm in the rear. I was told that if you stick to <12mm all the way around you will not get rubbing under load. A few questions:

I'm now thinking 18mm rear and 12mm front for my pre-LCI car. Any tire rubbing with a full load of passengers and luggage? Some people say no rubbing with 20mm, others say rubbing with 18mm... I just don't know if this is a difference between pre-LCI and LCI cars.

Any issues with 4-wheel alignment?

[bmwarg]

bump

[E36graduate]

I'm lowered using stock 162 with 12.5mm front and 20mm rear without rubbing, however never had full sized adults in rear!?!? I just swapped to 19's and all feels good!

[bmwarg]

Are there any drawbacks to fender rolling? Approximate cost? I might just go ahead and get 12F/18Rmm spacers or 15F/20Rmm spacers and do the fender rolling.

[NudeLobster]

I rolled only the rears and have test fitted 32mm rear, 15mm front spacers. I'll be ordering 17/30 soon. It cost 30/fender to have mine rolled. Make sure they heat the paint when rolling to make it pliable so it doesn't crack.

[bmwarg]

Originally Posted by NudeLobster

I rolled only the rears and have test fitted 32mm rear, 15mm front spacers. I'll be ordering 17/30 soon. It cost 30/fender to have mine rolled. Make sure they heat the paint when rolling to make it pliable so it doesn't crack.

Does rolling cause the fenders to flare out more or is it undetectable and just the inside lip that gets rolled? Was there any rubbing with 32mm rear, 15mm front spacers? With rear fenders rolled would there be no rubbing when using 20mm rear spacers for stock wheels?

Since I might go the fender rolling route... what's the best combo? 20mm rear, 15mm front or 20mm rear, 12mm front? Any need to roll fenders with 12mm front?

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by bmwarg

Does rolling cause the fenders to flare out more or is it undetectable and just the inside lip that gets rolled? Was there any rubbing with 32mm rear, 15mm front spacers? With rear fenders rolled would there be no rubbing when using 20mm rear spacers for stock wheels?

Since I might go the fender rolling route... what's the best combo? 20mm rear, 15mm front or 20mm rear, 12mm front? Any need to roll fenders with 12mm front?

A 20mm will probably work without a roll. If you decide to roll your fenders use a 25-30mm spacer in the rear. The rear wheels are 8.5 et37 which is the same as 9.5 et49. With a 30mm spacer that is the same as 9.5et19 a 25mm is the same as 9.5et24.

For the front 12-15 will be good. The specs are 8et34 which is the same as 8.5 et40. A 12mm spacer would be the same as 8.5et28 and a 15 the same as 8.5et25.

If the roll is done right you won't be able to notice it. There's not much to roll up front, but they can be rolled a little bit if you have an e90. The e92 front fenders are plastic and can't be rolled.

[bmwarg]

Originally Posted by bmw325i

A 20mm will probably work without a roll. If you decide to roll your fenders use a 25-30mm spacer in the rear. The rear wheels are 8.5 et37 which is the same as 9.5 et49. With a 30mm spacer that is the same as 9.5et19 a 25mm is the same as 9.5et24.

For the front 12-15 will be good. The specs are 8et34 which is the same as 8.5 et40. A 12mm spacer would be the same as 8.5et28 and a 15 the same as 8.5et25.

If the roll is done right you won't be able to notice it. There's not much to roll up front, but they can be rolled a little bit if you have an e90. The e92 front fenders are plastic and can't be rolled.

is 5mm clearance from fender roll enough? I was thinking 20mm in the rear (I don't need a super aggressive look). Do you know if there is rubbing in the front with 12mm spacer? But then I got these emails....

this is what one of the local fender rollers said "You will only gain about 1/4" (5mm) of clearance if you roll the inner fender lip.
If you are not aware, there is also a high probability of the fender lip paint cracking when you do the "roll".
If the fender lip is rolled, you can not "crush" it to the other fender shape due to the way BMW makes the fender....or you can get close, but the expense skyrockets to try to get close (and this would gain about 5mm more than a normal "roll").
You can also get more clearance by adding some negative camber to the rear suspension (not a lot of adjustment in the stock suspension components...but there is some, and you could always add adjustable control arms if you wanted to go more).
We are NOT big proponents of adding spacers that big...the bigger the spacer, to us the higher the probability of wheel IMbalance.
The cost for us to do the normal "roll" is $125 per axle."

"I would not go above 15mm.
Obviously, the spacers to do the 15mm program are the type w the integrated new lug bolts.

Paint cracking...we can not fully control the quality of the paint. We do use a heat gun, and we do heat the fender lip many times in the process of doing the roll. The cracks will start on the bottom side of the lip (where the fender lip roller applies pressure), and CAN propagate to the outer areas of the fender lip. No matter how good the person doing the rolling is...if the paint quality (age, thickness) is not conducive to the flexibity needed, it will crack. The fender rolling is done between the 10 o'clock and 2:30 o'clock area of the fender lip, which is where a rub normally would occur."

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by bmwarg

Does rolling cause the fenders to flare out more or is it undetectable and just the inside lip that gets rolled? Was there any rubbing with 32mm rear, 15mm front spacers? With rear fenders rolled would there be no rubbing when using 20mm rear spacers for stock wheels?

Since I might go the fender rolling route... what's the best combo? 20mm rear, 15mm front or 20mm rear, 12mm front? Any need to roll fenders with 12mm front?

If the rolling is done correctly, you won't notice anything from the outside of the car at all. I think a lot of people get scared of fender rolling because they hear of the horror stories, but many people get their fenders rolled without any problems at all.

[bmwarg]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

If the rolling is done correctly, you won't notice anything from the outside of the car at all. I think a lot of people get scared of fender rolling because they hear of the horror stories, but many people get their fenders rolled without any problems at all.

What do you think about the comment earlier... that anything above 15mm spacer is trouble for balancing the wheel/car.

And with a little bit of roll (how much?) should I be fine with 20mm spacer in the rear? Do I need to roll front wheel fender if I put a 12mm spacer?

[VMRWheels]

I've never heard of someone not being able to balance wheels/tires with 15mm spacers. I am aware that some spacers are designed where they have a step in the machined hub lip, which won't allow for the wheel to sit flush against the spacer, but I think 15mm is more than enough material to allow for it to look just like a standard spacer.

As long as the spacers are hubcentric and wheelcentric, they shouldn't cause much of an issue (aside from what I mentioned above with some having a certain step in them).

[bmwarg]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

I've never heard of someone not being able to balance wheels/tires with 15mm spacers. I am aware that some spacers are designed where they have a step in the machined hub lip, which won't allow for the wheel to sit flush against the spacer, but I think 15mm is more than enough material to allow for it to look just like a standard spacer.

As long as the spacers are hubcentric and wheelcentric, they shouldn't cause much of an issue (aside from what I mentioned above with some having a certain step in them).

I was referring to hubcentric 20mm spacers... would the 20mm spacers have issues in wheel balance? I think 15mm is pretty safe bet.

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by bmwarg

What do you think about the comment earlier... that anything about 15mm spacer is trouble for balancing the wheel/car.

And with a little bit of roll (how much?) should I be fine with 20mm spacer in the rear? Do I need to roll front wheel fender if I put a 12mm spacer?

You don't need to roll your front fenders, there isn't much there. You could probably get away without rolling your fenders if you used a 20mm spacer, but it will be close.

Look at how wide the fender lip is in the rear, you'll get more than 5mm clearance with a decent roll, 12mm/25mm would be a good choice.

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by bmwarg

I was referring to hubcentric 20mm spacers... would the 20mm spacers have issues in wheel balance? I think 15mm is pretty safe bet.

As I mentioned, as long as they are hubcentric and wheelcentric, they'll be fine. Just be sure to use longer bolts.

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

As I mentioned, as long as they are hubcentric and wheelcentric, they'll be fine. Just be sure to use longer bolts.

20mm or larger spacers shouldn't use extended bolts. Most of them bolt onto the hub and then the wheels bolt on to the spacer.

[bmwarg]

Originally Posted by bmw325i

20mm or larger spacers shouldn't use extended bolts. Most of them bolt onto the hub and then the wheels bolt on to the spacer.

Aren't the ones from BMS using the extended bolts for 20mm? http://www.burgertuning.com/BMW_wheel_spacers.html

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by bmwarg

Aren't the ones from BMS using the extended bolts for 20mm? http://www.burgertuning.com/BMW_wheel_spacers.html

Yes, but I would trust something like this alot more.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-20...-lug-pair.aspx

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-35...-lug-pair.aspx

[bmwarg]

Originally Posted by bmw325i

Yes, but I would trust something like this alot more.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-20...-lug-pair.aspx

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-35...-lug-pair.aspx

Thanks. It does seem that the bolt-on are safer for anything >=20mm. Does one have to make holes in the original hubs to screw in the bolt-on spacers?

[bmwarg]

Originally Posted by bmwarg

Thanks. It does seem that the bolt-on are safer for anything >=20mm. Does one have to make holes in the original hubs to screw in the bolt-on spacers?

Got a reply from turner motorsports: "Not any safer, both are perfectly safe. The bolt-on version is just much easier to mount wheels to."

[bmwarg]

Anyone know where I can find extended black wheel locks? Otis black locks are not long enough and Rad wheel locks are only in silver.

[bmwarg]

Hi, I still haven't pulled the trigger because I cannot seem to find extended black wheel locks for the spacers. I am now considering bolt-on wheel spacers only so that I can use standard length lug bolts and locks.

I am also really confused about the best wheel spacers without rubbing in a full car load, without fender rolling, without wheels poking out, and so that the rear and front are aligned rather than front sticking out too much or rear sticking out too much. This is for a pre-LCI E90 with wheel style 162. I've seen so many different opinions and I think because of confusion between LCI and pre-LCI and driving with no passengers vs. full load. I also don't want to get 10mm or less wheel spacers as this could create problems with vibration etc. So what are my options and which is best? 12/15mm rear only? 15/18/20mm in rear and 12mm in front? I don't mind if wheels are still slightly sunken but better than stock.

[tc535i]

Wish I could find a definitely answer, but at least I'll be able to provide one soon.

Hopefully going to have my 10/15 mm spacers by the weekend, fitting them to an 07 335i with sport package, stock height. Hopefully I'll be ok with 15mm and no rubbing, I do carry passengers occasionally and I want this car to be easily driveable. I've got an M3 if I want to drive something way over-modded around Los Angeles' terrible streets