323Ci rim size

[evoblade929rr]

Hi, I am a new BMW owner and new to this forum so anyone and everyones help is appreciated.

I just bought a 2000 323Ci with 52,000 miles and it has the stock sport rims on it. I am looking to upgrade my rims and need some advice. I would like to get some input on what size and width most people recommend. Should I get staggered rims or just your average run of the mill rims that can be rotated? I really like Hamman rims, and was thinking of getting 19 inch staggered rims. Is this too big, and would I be comprimising ride quality?? I would obviously put the stock rims back on for the crap weather we get here in Cleveland but just wanted to get some input.

Also it would be nice to get some input on other styles of rims that would look good on the car, I know Hamann rims can be pricey but what the hell....I want the car to look good.

Thanks in advance for the help!!

[330ci rider]

go with 18" with like a 7'5 in the front and a 8.5 in the rear. Remember bigger the rims and bigger the tire adds alot of weight.

[slow323Ci]

I run 18x8 in front with 225/40 tires and 18x9 in back with 255/35 tires on my 323Ci. ASA AR1 wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires from TireRack.

19" Hamanns weigh a holy ton and will seriously affect your acceleration performance.

[SilverBeam]

It depends on what you will be using the car for. Wide tires and big wheels slow you down a bit. The wider, bigger, and heavier you go, the more you will feel this. If you want your car to just look nice there is no need to go any larger than 18x8 or 18x8.5. If you want performance, 17x8 or 17x8.5 would be best. If you REALLY want to show off and don't care how slow it makes your car, go with 19.

I prefer 17s myself, here are my 17x7.5 325 sport wheels with 235/40/17 tires:

and with 18x8.5 BBS LM replicas w/ 245/40/18 inch tires:


I like the 17s A LOT more.

[BMW Loe]

One important factor about larger rims that I would be concerned about is rotational mass and how much of that weight is farthest away from the center. A good rule of thumb is for every 1lbs you add to each corner of the wheel/tire has the same effect of 8lbs of curb weight. In my opinion, 19"s look great, 18"s are good, 17"s are acceptable, and 16"s are OEM-looking. I'm going for a compromise and get 18's.

[bluskye]

It depends on what you will be using the car for. Wide tires and big wheels slow you down a bit. The wider, bigger, and heavier you go, the more you will feel this. If you want your car to just look nice there is no need to go any larger than 18x8 or 18x8.5. If you want performance, 17x8 or 17x8.5 would be best. If you REALLY want to show off and don't care how slow it makes your car, go with 19.

I prefer 17s myself, here are my 17x7.5 325 sport wheels with 235/40/17 tires:

I like the 17s A LOT more.

SilverBeam, which Suspension setup did you go with? I dig your drop. I put on fresh Konis this year (stock springs), so I will need a huge excuse to disect my suspension again for a lowered setup.

[SilverBeam]

SilverBeam, which Suspension setup did you go with? I dig your drop. I put on fresh Konis this year (stock springs), so I will need a huge excuse to disect my suspension again for a lowered setup.

konis w/ H&R race for sport suspension.

[IchLiebeBMW]

Silverbeam, did you have 245's on all four corners? And how well did they fit in the back? I am going to do wheels/tires one of these days but I have been skeptical, I have been thinking of 235's in the front and 245's in the back. Thanks.

[evoblade929rr]

I am not into the whole hot dog racing thing, (not that racers are hot doggers) I just want the car to look its best. I thin kI may just go with 18's for now. If I don't like them I can always change to something else. You just hear everyone talking about how bigger is better, they say it just looks better. I know that BMW is known for there agressive styling and looks and I just want to make the right secision on the wheels. Anymore input would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

[SilverBeam]

I don't hear anyone where ever saying bigger is better. That may be true on an H2, but not on your lovely little bimmer. 18s are a good compromise, but don't think you have to go bigger because P. Ditty says so.

I did have 245s on all four corners, no, they didn't fit. Not because they were too wide, though. They were too high and the offset of the wheels was too low.

[evoblade929rr]

All I am saying is that some people have the opinion that the bigger the wheel the better it looks. I am not saying I am in agreement, I am just trying to get more opinions of so called BMW owners. I want to get the most bang for my buck and I want the car to look great, handle well, and most of all I want the wheels to function properly. Again, thats why I chose to get on a forum filled with BMW owners.......to get opinions. I am new to the whole BMW ownership thing and don't know much when it comes to modding one, as I have been used to driving a Maxima SE for a few years. ASk me how to mod that I can tell you whats right, and whats wrong, but I learned from going to forums.....the same thing I am doing for my Bimmer. I appreciate suggestions and a little guidence but could do without insult, I am trying to learn, thats all. Thanks and anymore feedback is GREATLY appreciated.

[SilverBeam]

I'm sorry, you took that the wrong way. It wasn't meant as an insult. I was just letting you know that public opinion on modding is wack. Shows like Pimp my Ride and Fast and Furrious completely destroy any fragment of tasteful modding out there, and have poluted the mind of the consumer. I was simply saying, just because people you know may think that bigger is always better doesn't mean that it is.

18s are a good compromise. Especially if you don't go with a super heavy one. My 18s weighed 24 pounds a piece. I wouldn't go with anything more than 25lbs. I still noticed my car was slower, but I also had wider tires, which were a part of it. Wider tires handle better. But there are pros and cons to everthing. Along with slowing you down, they also are more prone to hydroplane and cost more. I recently got my tires changed, and the guy doing it said how it was difficult to get them off because they were so wide. They were just 235s, but if you look around, that's wider than most of the tires on the road. There is a guide on tirerack, I believe, that tells you what size tires are best for the width.

If you won't be tracking or autocrossing your car, or if you don't have modifications to make your car more powerful, there is no point in getting a super wide wheel. I'd get something between an 8 and an 8.5 width for an 18. That will allow you to run tires as wide as a 255, but 245 would be better. 245s are decently wide, 235s would work as well if you want to save some money. 10cm of difference isn't much for the average person to notice. I just wouldn't go with anything smaller than that on an 8.5 wide wheel. They tend to look streached, like they don't fit properly.

[LeftCoastBias]

your car is too underpowered for huge rims... stick with some 17's.

[evoblade929rr]

Thanks, you have been helpful. I spoke with the friend of a friend this morning that has an E46 M3 and he said exactly the same think you did. He said that his car came factory with 19's, but his car also has 300+ hp and mine is somewhere in the ballpark if 175 hp. He told me that I should go with 18's that are 245's on the rear and 235's on the front. He has been briving 3 series bimmers for a long time (the M3 is his 7th) so I really trust his opinion. I trust everyone elses that has a BMW too, but it was nice to talk to someone close to home. I think I have decided and I will let you all know how it goes and I will put up pics when I get them, should be sometime this week. I did order the rims and they are 18's and they weigh 22 lbs each so I am thinking that should be ok. With a little luck I should have them on the car by thursday at teh latest I was told. Thanks again guys and ladies for the help, I'm sure that I will see you all around the message boards again.

[LeftCoastBias]

Thanks, you have been helpful. I spoke with the friend of a friend this morning that has an E46 M3 and he said exactly the same think you did. He said that his car came factory with 19's, but his car also has 300+ hp and mine is somewhere in the ballpark if 175 hp. He told me that I should go with 18's that are 245's on the rear and 235's on the front. He has been briving 3 series bimmers for a long time (the M3 is his 7th) so I really trust his opinion. I trust everyone elses that has a BMW too, but it was nice to talk to someone close to home. I think I have decided and I will let you all know how it goes and I will put up pics when I get them, should be sometime this week. I did order the rims and they are 18's and they weigh 22 lbs each so I am thinking that should be ok. With a little luck I should have them on the car by thursday at teh latest I was told. Thanks again guys and ladies for the help, I'm sure that I will see you all around the message boards again.

170 hp; but even 18's might be a bit much for it.

better than 30lbs/19"...

what rims did you get? 22lbs is pretty light, however...

[evoblade929rr]

I got HRE 547 series, I think thats what they are called, and I misspoke when I said they are 22 lbs, they are actually 24 lbs. The guy that I talked to suggested that I get 18x8.5 in the front and 18x9 in the rear and I think the tires are 225-40-18 front and 245-35-18 in the rear. I asked him about fitment and he said if they dont fit I don't pay. I think he was a little insulted when I questioned him but oh well. Let me know what you guys think and let me know if you think I chose a good rim. Oh, by the way the tires are Pirelli P-Zero Nero, he said I should like them.

[LeftCoastBias]

I got HRE 547 series, I think thats what they are called, and I misspoke when I said they are 22 lbs, they are actually 24 lbs. The guy that I talked to suggested that I get 18x8.5 in the front and 18x9 in the rear and I think the tires are 225-40-18 front and 245-35-18 in the rear. I asked him about fitment and he said if they dont fit I don't pay. I think he was a little insulted when I questioned him but oh well. Let me know what you guys think and let me know if you think I chose a good rim. Oh, by the way the tires are Pirelli P-Zero Nero, he said I should like them.

do they look like this?

[SilverBeam]

whoa, baller! That's a nice set of wheels. Sounds like a great choice, should look VERY nice. You might want to consider lowering your car after you put the wheels on, will make the car look a lot more agressive.

[evoblade929rr]

Yes they do look like that and I am not a baller (lol) I just got a decent deal on them. I thought that they would look good and the guy that sold them to me really talked them up. My old boss had similar HRE's on his 2000 Vette and they looked great (20's on the rear, 19's on the front) I hope they look good and I will post pictures as soon as I get them put on. Hopefully I will be able to lower it sometime soon, but the wheels set me back a little and I think lowering it will have to wait until after the winter here in Cleveland. The suspension thing is all new to me too on a BMW and hopefully I can find some guidence in here when I need it. Oh what the hell, I already put some cash into the car and wheels, what do you all suggest for suspension? I could buy it now and wait till spring to put it on. Le me know your input.

[SilverBeam]

It depends on what you want to spend. Because of where you are at, I'd get a height adjustable coilover. They will run you 800-1200 dollars for a full set up. It will give you the ability to slam your car in spring, and put it back to stock ride height in winter (note: you need to align your car after adjusting the height) Volkland makes the most affordable coilover I know of. They use koni guts (well reputable shock maker) and I don't remember who'se springs they use. Along with Volkland is H&R, bilstien (PSS), and i'm sure there are more out there.

The volklands are a pretty good deal. They cost about the same as a shock and spring set up. I'm not sure how easy they are to use, or how long they last, however. I went with a different set up, because I was more concerned with dampening adjsutability than with height.

I have shocks, springs and sways, the lowerest springs I know of for he E46. She looks great, but I have trouble driving in older parts of town. I now wish I had spent more money and got a fully adjustable coilover system instead.

[Section8]

Late to da party..

Looks like you already made your wheel purchase - 24lbs isn't light, the stock 16's are like 17 lbs or something silly-light. That's 6 lbs per wheel of unsprung weight, that equates to about 48 lbs per wheel - 192lbs extra the car is hauling (1 extra passenger). Not a big deal, but noticable.

Take it from me, I went from heavy ass M wheels to some lighter ones myself, and easily felt the difference in 3 lbs weight on each wheel that was 'lifted'.

(high five to Silverbeam) Koni SA's rule!

[evoblade929rr]

Your right 24 lbs is not that light but I really don't need the extra power. I just want the car to move forward and look good doing it. By the way Section8, nice ride.

[evoblade929rr]

Hey guys, i just got some news that is both good and bad. The guy that was ordering my rims just called me and told me that he can only get the HRE's for an M3 and not my car. However, he did say that he can get SSR-GT3's for my car and they are a lot less in price and he said they look similar. Do you guys think it's worth giving up the HRE's for those and saving a few thousand? I think it is so its not really a heartbreak, it's just now I have to wait until saturday before I can have the rims on the car. I think I can handle that. I will still post pics when I get them on.

[SilverBeam]

It is MORE than worth it! The GT3 is not only one of the most beautiful wheel made, it is also very light for the size.

[evoblade929rr]

It is MORE than worth it! The GT3 is not only one of the most beautiful wheel made, it is also very light for the size.

The price was more than worth it, it actually saved my over $4,000. I ordered the rims and hopefully, as the rim shop claims, I should have them on by Saturday afternoon. With the money I will be saving I think its time to also go ahead and order the suspension. I think ti am going to take your advice and get the whole coilover setup. The same place I got the rims said that I have a few options and I think I am going to go there tomorrow and see what they are. I'm actually getting excited, I thought I would have to wait for sprin to do all of this.