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[Cowboy42]

Looking at some Motegi 17x8 rims with 32 offset. Will it clear the fenders with 225/45/17 tires on a 128i? Thanks, I've gained alot of knowledge from the people on the site. Lovin the BMW!

[128Convertibleguy]

With stock camber and fenders it's likely to rub, maybe moreso up front. 40 offset works with 225s, but it's close. 32 would be pushing it.

[Cowboy42]

Thanks for the response. found a great deal on great looking rims with sensors. Hoping i could make them work. Maybe a 215 or 205/45/17 up front?

Where in the mtns do you reside?

[128Convertibleguy]

Originally Posted by Cowboy42

Thanks for the response. found a great deal on great looking rims with sensors. Hoping i could make them work. Maybe a 215 or 205/45/17 up front?

205 should work. Compare it to 40 offset with 225 tires, which work for a lot of people. 8mm more offset than 40, 20/2 =10 mm less tire on that side. 2mm to the good. At that point an important factor is exactly what the tire profile is. 215 would still be dubious. 8mm more offset, 10/2 = 5mm less tire. 3mm to the bad.

Here's the general principle. The 1 series has little extra tire space. And wants somewhat unique offsets. If you move away from the stock offsets, which tempts many people because they like the wheels or can get a deal on the wheels, and try to cram big tires on, with stock suspension and stock fenders, things get dicey pretty fast. You're new here, if you search the posts for <tire rub>, you'll see a lot of people with that problem. Which can be very dangerous.

Bottom lines. This is not at all simple. Trusting some random guy on the Net (like me) is not a good thing. Your modifications are your responsibility. Professionals like Tirerack can help you out much better. They may be a little conservative, but that's not a bad thing. You can check out their recommendations for wheels and tire sizes and get a good idea about what works safely. Pushing the envelope further than that is risky.

I got my wheels and tires from them, and pretty much followed their recommendations.

One last thing. In terms of performance, I think exactly which tires you get matters more than 10mm of width.

[akerns429]

Honestly I'm running a +20 offset and have no problems whatsoever with rubbing. Mine are 17x8 as well.

[128Convertibleguy]

Originally Posted by akerns429

Honestly I'm running a +20 offset and have no problems whatsoever with rubbing. Mine are 17x8 as well.

What tires are you running? Just looking they seem unusually small in diameter (big fender gap). Could be wrong.

And what camber?

[akerns429]

I haven't lowered it yet, but they are Hankook's 205 45 17. No camber whatsoever. Pretty much just took my old wheels off and put these on.

[128Convertibleguy]

Originally Posted by akerns429

I haven't lowered it yet, but they are Hankook's 205 45 17. No camber whatsoever. Pretty much just took my old wheels off and put these on.

Makes sense. Those are 24.3 inches in diameter, about as low as you can get in a 17. And a good bit narrower than many people run. That's helping your clearance.

Many people run 225/45-17, as the OP wants to. About an inch wider and about 3/4 inch taller. They'd almost certainly rub on those wheels.

Your wheels are also just a touch (1/2 inch) wider than most tire manufacturers recommend for that tire.