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[vivithemage]

I was going to pick up some rims and winter tires before winter hits...living in Minnesota, it's required...especially with RWD.

I currently have :
215/40/18
245/35/18

Am I OK getting cheap donut rims for the winter, like 16" instead of 18"? It may not look as purty as my breytons, but they'll be more useful, and I can get cheaper winter tires.

I am contemplating rims + tires, or getting a old grand cherokee and putting the 135i in storage.

My GF has a 06 xterra, so any long trips, I would use that. I would use the 135i for commuting in the winter only.

So if I go the winter tire route, should I get staggered? What kind of bolt pattern do we need too?

[Greenkirby21]

I don't think there are any 16 inch that will clear the big brake kit from the 135i. Also be careful with the 17's and make sure they work. The wheels from the 128i should work

[GaryS]

I bought a set of 17" winter wheels and snow tires from Tire Rack. Very easy process. I think I remember seeing similar packages at online aftermarket BMW shops. And of course, the BMW dealer will have some really expensive package.

Here's the Tire Rack link. http://www.tirerack.com/winter/index...=true&index=xx

[vivithemage]

so at a minimum I need 17"?

do I need to go staggered still for winters?

[Delta Goose]

I use 225 blizzaks all around on the stock M sport rims. Yeah the rears a little bit stretched, but I've never had any issues.

[tuco44]

Originally Posted by vivithemage

so at a minimum I need 17"?

do I need to go staggered still for winters?

No, you can go square, I have the dealer holding 4 17" OEM BMW #256 wheels for me for winter. I doubt 16"ers would clear. Be careful.

[rjwojcik]

You will need 17" min to fit over the brakes.

Here in the UK, dealers will only sell a square setup for the 135i. However, some countries in Europe offer a staggered setup.

I went for the staggered setup.

Mine are posted on page 2:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...=446571&page=2

[vivithemage]

Thanks, I will get square/staggered 17" at least then.

I have a few tires in mind that I want to get....I just want to get the proper rims.

Do we need specific sized rims? or 17" with 5 hole pattern?

[rjwojcik]

Originally Posted by vivithemage

Thanks, I will get square/staggered 17" at least then.

I have a few tires in mind that I want to get....I just want to get the proper rims.

Do we need specific sized rims? or 17" with 5 hole pattern?

Couldn't tell ya? I went for one's that I knew someone else had used without issues, but I'd be pretty sure most 17s will fit. Just make sure you get the correct offsets, so 1 series specific.

Check out what BMW offer as OEM, if you stick with their recommended offsets and then tyre sizes, you can't go wrong.

Mine were amazing last year


O, this was my setup:

Spec:

Wheels: BMW Alloy Whees #178

Front
17x7.0 ET47
CONTINENTAL Conti Winter Contact TS 830P 205/50R17 93V XL

Rear
17x7.5 ET47
CONTINENTAL Conti Winter Contact TS 830P 225/45R17 94V XL

Suspension
Standard

[vivithemage]

Thanks

I never muck with rims, it came with some nice breytons so I never bothered...what does an offset mean exactly?

What size 17" would work, anything black, and cheap would be great for winter.

[rjwojcik]

It;s the number quoted after the wheel sizes (ETxx), where xx is the offset. So, for mine I had an offset of 47 for both my front wheels and rears.

Get it wrong and your wheels will either rub against the strut or stick out too far outside of the wheel arch. As said, check out what the OEM recommendations are and use that as your start.

[vivithemage]

I assume all of our 135i's are the same..any decent rims for about $100? I would go with donuts, as I really don't care for winter.

[rjwojcik]

Originally Posted by vivithemage

Thanks, I will get square/staggered 17" at least then.

I have a few tires in mind that I want to get....I just want to get the proper rims.

Do we need specific sized rims? or 17" with 5 hole pattern?

Five holes is a good start (excuse the British humour here), but you'll also have to check that the five holes match the dimensions for the Beemer. Other makes will have other five hole setups.

I'm off home now to watch England play football ( sorry, soccer ).

[roo97ss]

I use the BMW M68 sport wheels (from an e46 330 with the sport package). I found a set for 200 bucks, OEM wheels.

I run staggered, 225/45/17s and 245/40/17s rear.

work well and gives it a little more bite out back for nice weather, but the square setup would be better in the snow. It doesn't snow much here in delaware so i'll take the better grip/handling of the wider rear.

these are the wheels on my 135, 1/2 way down post (red car)

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...php?p=11201333

[BrokenVert]

I've had three different combinations of winter tires.

225/40 - 255/35 R18

225/40 R18 square

And my current 225/45 245/40 R17 setup

It all depends on how much snow you deal with. If you only have 1 or 2 real days of snow get the staggered setup for performance. If you have many days when you'll be out in fresh snow then go for the 225. A bit of a compromise in full on handling but infinitely better in the snow

[vivithemage]

Originally Posted by roo97ss

I use the BMW M68 sport wheels (from an e46 330 with the sport package). I found a set for 200 bucks, OEM wheels.

I run staggered, 225/45/17s and 245/40/17s rear.

work well and gives it a little more bite out back for nice weather, but the square setup would be better in the snow. It doesn't snow much here in delaware so i'll take the better grip/handling of the wider rear.

these are the wheels on my 135, 1/2 way down post (red car)

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...php?p=11201333

Sounds magical, wish I could snag some at that price... craiglist?

I will probably run staggered if I can. We get a lot of snow, but plows are pretty darn quick.

Assuming the rims are 17", coming off any BMW, would they fit? Or do they still need to be specific, I know nothing about what fits on the car, haha.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by vivithemage

Sounds magical, wish I could snag some at that price... craiglist?

I will probably run staggered if I can. We get a lot of snow, but plows are pretty darn quick.

Assuming the rims are 17", coming off any BMW, would they fit? Or do they still need to be specific, I know nothing about what fits on the car, haha.

Any high offset BMW wheel will work.

Any 8" et40 wheel from the E36 and E46 will fit

[vivithemage]

What offset is stock on these 135i's?

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by vivithemage

What offset is stock on these 135i's?

7.5" et47 front and 8.5" et52 if I remember correctly

[vivithemage]

What does ET47 mean exactly? Is that what i'd have to reference?

Does the offset just mean width or something?

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by vivithemage

What does ET47 mean exactly? Is that what i'd have to reference?

Does the offset just mean width or something?

ET# is the offset. The number following the ET is the offset of the hub in mm. It's a reference to how far the hub is away from the centreline of the wheel.

It's important for us because of the way our suspension is designed. We need a high offset wheel (ET > 40 in most cases) in order to clear the strut and the inner fender.

You pick wheels based on width and offset - you need a balance of both for the best fit

[vivithemage]

Okay, so a MINIMUM of : 7.5" et47 front and 8.5" et52