Hey guys..

i haven't been around here in awhile and unfortunately, I re-emerge with problems :(

I use to have 19" staggered Hartge Classics on my 95 740IL but I found that the tires I used were way too low profile and eventually, I bent the wheels and popped a tire. The moral of the story here was never go lower than 40 aspect ratio.. the car is simply too heavy.

Until I could find replacement wheels, i was driving on my stock 16" basketweave BBS wheels and I had no shimmy problems at all.

Now, I just put on my new wheels:

AC Schnitzer Type IV Racing Wheels w/Yokohama Advan Sport Tires
Front: 19"x8.5" 245/45ZR19
Rear: 19"x9.5" 275/40ZR19

I'm happy with the look and the general ride of the tires but here are the problems.

1. I now have a severe shimmy at 45-50mph that everyone seems to experience. I had this before on my old wheels but it was corrected by doing a road force/ride matching balancing job. For these new wheels I had them do the ride matching balancing TWICE because of the shimmy. Notably, they put what looks like several weights on the wheels which seems odd for brand new wheels. I tried increasing tire pressure and there's no change. My last hope is to change the control arms/bushings... But I just wanted to run it by you guys first..

2. The wheels rub in the back! Whenever I hit a big dip, I can hear the rear wheels rub. I checked the tires and it seems to be rubbing on the outer/corner edge. Aside from rolling the fenders, is there anything I can do? I think I simply messed up in getting a tire that's too wide.


Option 1: If my only hope is to "roll" the fenders, what does this involve? actually widening the fender and reshaping it? Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Option 2: An option i'm considering is setting the rear wheels for more negative camber to try and offset the rubbing.. although i think that will come at a risk of damaging the sidewall of the tire. This is tough to perceptualize w/o pics so i'll try to take pics tonight to show u what i mean.

Option 3: I have self-leveling rear suspension. I recall that there was some sort of adjustment that coudl be made to set the default level of the car. Does anybody know how to do this?

Btw, since I haven't seen these wheels on any E38 yet, I'm sure you guys are anxious to see what they look like. It looks great.. and I'll post pictures soon.

We need pictures ASAP, i have these on my e32 but we all know what they look like
so anxious to see these wheels man

yes...pics please:)

The tire/wheel sizes you mention should be fine, so:

What's the wheel offset and are they hubcentric?

The answers will tell a lot...

The tire/wheel sizes you mention should be fine, so:

What's the wheel offset and are they hubcentric?

The answers will tell a lot...

I believe they are hubcentric (i used adapters) and I think the offset is 8 for the front and 8.5 for the back.

i got the tire size recommendations from the ac schnitzer site.. since this is what they use for the e65 (which i understand to be the same as the e38 in terms of wheel mounting).

I believe they are hubcentric (i used adapters) and I think the offset is 8 for the front and 8.5 for the back.

i got the tire size recommendations from the ac schnitzer site.. since this is what they use for the e65 (which i understand to be the same as the e38 in terms of wheel mounting).

Wow, I think your offset is WAY too low...

I have Style 95 wheels off the E65, and I believe the fronts and rear are both 24mm offset. The wheel sizes are 19x9F and 19x10R, and I have run almost exactly the same tire sizes as you, so they're not the culprit.

Again, I believe you need at least 20mm of offset, which would bring the wheels away from the fenders. What's the ACS return policy?

If not, fenders CAN be rolled. Find a good body shop or two and get a quote. If it's just the rears, and if they don't have to paint, it won't be too bad...let us know.

Wow, I think your offset is WAY too low...

I have Style 95 wheels off the E65, and I believe the fronts and rear are both 24mm offset. The wheel sizes are 19x9F and 19x10R, and I have run almost exactly the same tire sizes as you, so they're not the culprit.

Again, I believe you need at least 20mm of offset, which would bring the wheels away from the fenders. What's the ACS return policy?

If not, fenders CAN be rolled. Find a good body shop or two and get a quote. If it's just the rears, and if they don't have to paint, it won't be too bad...let us know.

no luck there.. i can't return them because i bought them second hand (though new).

I really dont want to roll the fenders so I'm going to try and raise the rear a bit by having my mechanic adjust the self-leveling height... then do an alignment w/some slight negative cambering... but I agree that the offset is too low.

No pics yet.. i'll try to take some before the weekend..

steve

no luck there.. i can't return them because i bought them second hand (though new).

I really dont want to roll the fenders so I'm going to try and raise the rear a bit by having my mechanic adjust the self-leveling height... then do an alignment w/some slight negative cambering... but I agree that the offset is too low.

No pics yet.. i'll try to take some before the weekend..

steve

Hmm, you are in a pickle...

The height adjustment may help some, though your handling may also suffer. I don't believe camber can be readily adjusted on our E38s...I think this would require some rear subframe work.

Please post picks I am planing on installing same rims but forget in my e36 these couple of days.

Hmm, you are in a pickle...

The height adjustment may help some, though your handling may also suffer. I don't believe camber can be readily adjusted on our E38s...I think this would require some rear subframe work.

true.. i hope the camber can be adjusted.. I heard that the front is not very adjustable but the rear is "fully" adjustable whatever that means.. at least that's what the alignment guys told me.

I've been able to minimize the rubbing by driving relatively slow on big bumps but on the freeway the big dips are unavoidable... the other thing I'm worried about it is how the car will react when I load the back full of people..

i know know.. pictures pictures.. i promise i'll post them by the end of the week. They dont look as impressive as they shoudl because i went with such a higher profile tire but i still like the way they look.

finally here are some pics... note the rubbing on the tire..

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finally here are some pics... note the rubbing on the tire..

Nice.

As far as rolling, I forget how "easy" (or not) it is on the E38 - it was very easy on my E28.

Another option can be to "flare" your rear wheel arches - which involves some actual machinery and a competent body shop. I also had this done on my E28, as I purchased wheels with far too low an offset (was young and dumb, now I'm just...you get the idea).

Anyhow, this flaring process was no big deal. I was very subtle and provided a slight change in profile, actually one that looked cool, but you had to stare for a while.

At this point, I think some type of body work is your only option - rolling, flaring, or both...

At this point, I think some type of body work is your only option - rolling, flaring, or both...

that's what i'm afraid of..

i'll find out this week what my real options are after i take it to my mechanic..

but as far as the shimmy goes, I'm totally stumped. I had the wheels road-force balanced THREE times and I'm still getting a shimmy. I had the lower control arms inspected and they're fine... lugs are tight, wheels aren't bent.. tire pressure is 40psi in back 36 in front.

help!!

those wheels are pretty nice...except they look like muscle car wheels or something...

Would lower profile tyres help?

Would lower profile tyres help?

I think a narrower tire would be a better idea than getting a lower profile tire unless you dont mind the speedo being a bit inaccurate. Rolling your fenders and/or getting a narrower tire would be your best bet.

Reed hunt,

i just purchased some 95 style wheels OEM, i am going t put them on my 01 740il. if you have pictures i would love to see them. do they rub or vibrate?

I like the look of your wheels, but it looks like the offset is all wrong. The rear wheels stick out way too far, thus the rubbing. I can't tell on the front because they are turned. I hate to say it, but I think that the real solution is to get wheels that fit rather than modifying the fenders. I also suspect that the wider stance is exagerating your vibration problems.

Did you ever solve the shimmy problem ? Have the same issue since getting my 19s..

From the pictures of your tires getting side wall damage it looks like you would need very little fender push to solve the problem(someone else here suggested the same fix).

Here is what I did and I would recommend it anytime: I took it to my friends bodyshop and with the help of a hydraulic hand-held tool and some patience all was done in 20-30 minutes.
Here is how:
take the wheels off or just lift the car high enough on a jack, then insert this tool inbetween the inner side of the fender and the back of the fender well. Then compress the hydraulic tool slowly starting at one end of the fender opening. You should do this in 4-5 spots, but DO NOT push too far out: the paint will crack.
When I was done you could not even tell but it did the heck of a difference, and the rubbing was gone.

Mihai

i ended up buying new tires with a smaller rolling diameter and that eliminates the rubbing.

I think those rims look super cool. Very stylish and uncommonly bad assed. It it always difficult to strike a balance when going for an original and unique appearance mod that doesn't go too far. My general rule of thumb is try to make it look tough, updated, cool, and as unique as possible with out making the original designers want to wretch the cookies in a violent manner. I think you've checked all those boxes rather nicely here.

Well done.

I think those rims look super cool. Very stylish and uncommonly bad assed. It it always difficult to strike a balance when going for an original and unique appearance mod that doesn't go too far. My general rule of thumb is try to make it look tough, updated, cool, and as unique as possible with out making the original designers want to wretch the cookies in a violent manner. I think you've checked all those boxes rather nicely here.

Well done.

thanks.. i'm selling the car now and i'm considering sellign the wheels separately in case anyone's interested. PM an offer. They're in great shape except the rear right wheel.. some valet parker gave it some curb rash :mad

i ended up buying new tires with a smaller rolling diameter and that eliminates the rubbing.

what about the shimmy ?