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[Freon]

Got a marketing email from Vorshlag today, had an interesting product...
http://www.vorshlag.com/product_info...roducts_id=678

I dispatched an email to Vorshlag to see if they know about fitment on the 1er, but they list 17x10 at up to +72 offset... Good sign?

17x9 +37 and 17x10 +55 might be an interesting try for those willing to run a lot of camber and roll fenders in order to go bananas on wide tires.

[andrey_gta]

Compare this offset/width to an Apex Wheel and you should be about the same.

There is a S2000 with these F14's in et55 and 10 width, maybe he ius a good person to contact for accurate measurements.

[Freon]

Word back is they can do any offset within the ranges listed down to the millimeter you order--they're completely custom ordered. Only curveball is they cannot say for sure if they will clear brakes.

Anyone want to TOFTT? I'm going to reply back and ask what their return policy is. Or maybe I could mail them a cardboard template of the brake interference.

I currently have the Apex ARC-8 18" setup with the rare +62 rears, and my numbers are based on keeping the inner lip at the same position as those, except for adding an extra 2mm for the front due to the 17" vs 18" and angle of the strut in relation to the hub.

[Stohlen]

They are hub-centric for bmw.
The company is relatively bad as far as customer service and product timing goes. Don't order unless you're willing to wait a month or two longer than they quote. I was also told by one relatively uneducated sounding individual that i couldn't talk to a manager after he refused to provide me any information on my order because i bought through someone else.

Full disclosure, they did give me $100 when all was said and done after i flipped a shit to the middleman company. But i would have rather gotten a full refund and canceled my order which they did not allow.

[andrey_gta]

@Freon

Some info here, including BBK : http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/1072...0-data-thread/

Et55 x10 wide

[Freon]

Originally Posted by Stohlen

The company is relatively bad as far as customer service and product timing goes....

Vorshlag or Forgestar? I've dealt with Vorshlag a few times and they've been excellent every time. They always reply very promptly to my emails (got this one like a few hours into the next business day), and they got me made-to-order strut top nuts for my camber plates and coilovers shipped in just a few days after order.

Here's my original email with Jason McDaniel's (Vorshlag) responses highlighted

Can a precise offset be ordered? Yes, we order wheels to the exact millimeter offset we need.
I'm thinking 17x9 +37 and 17x10 +55... Those sizes fit inside the available offsets for those widths, so they are possible.
Is 5x120 an option for lug patern? Yes, the BMW pattern is available. The bolt pattern range is from 5x100 to 5x130.
Do you know if such a wheel would clear the brakes on a BMW 135i? I do not know for sure they will fit.
Is a standard 60 degree cone seat an option? That is the default lug nut hole. We have to special request other styles.
Do you have approximate wheel weights for 17x9 and 17x10? I do not yet have wights for all the wheels and the weight will change with different backspacing. Right now the 17x9 +38 weigh in at 16.1 lbs. and the 17x9.5 with a +38 offset weigh in at 16.72 lbs.

Audrey, cool, checking it out.

[Ginger_Extract]

Sounds good on paper, but good Lord Almighty does Forgestar have a bad rap. I've been achin' for some wider 17", my current 17x8.5+40F/+50R isn't enough for this big, heavy car. All of the hot street tires, in 255 section width really need at least a 9" wide wheel to make use of how wide they all seem to run. Pinching the 255 Hankook's on the 8.5" wheel is leaving a lot of usable tire on the table.
I wish APEX would step up to the plate and at least knock out 17x9 front fitment for our cars, if not a 17x9.5 rear.

[andrey_gta]

Originally Posted by Freon

Vorshlag or Forgestar?

He refers to Forgestar.
Google their name you have many 19" + wheels showing cracks in the last few years, something to do with load rating. That may have been revised & improved since and may be an issue of large diameters. Wait times for wheels seem to be 3-4 months.
Also their wheel paint in non Black/gun-metal has had residue & dots from the black/gun-metal paint.


The FRS/BRZ forums have had a few customers of F14 17's and even their Stepped lip version

[miggs]

Finally a 17" option that looks promising, id be down to buy set or a group buy if possible..

[John_01]

Originally Posted by Stohlen

They are hub-centric for bmw.

Are you really sure they are hub centric? Everywhere I checked states that the F14 wheels have hub bore = 74.1mm, so they need rings for our 1 series cars.

I'm still on the fence about placing an order for some custom 17" wheels.

[miggs]

anybody do this set up yet and recommend a good offset?

[John_01]

In my case I'm thinking of the following.

Front:
17x8.5 ET40 with 245/40/17 tire
Rear:
17x9.0 ET50 with 245/40/17 or 255/40/17 tire. (Edit: Might increase the offset to ET52)

They will be wide fitting R-comps and my car has lots of camber front and rear.

[Ginger_Extract]

My ideal setup right now would be

F: 17x9 ET35
R: 17x9.5 ET60

Run 255/40 at all four corners. It would be ideal if APEX made ARC8 in these sizes, but I'm not holding my breath.

[John_01]

I just received my Forgestar F14 17" rims. They were ordered from Vorshlag and despatched exactly 7 weeks after ordering (including xmas and new year period).

Specs:
Front 17x8.5" ET40, measured weight = 18.4 lb.
Rear 17x9" ET52, measured weight = 18.0 lb. (lighter than the front)

Unlike some other wheels from Forgestar, these are 72.56mm hub centric. They do not require hub rings, which is much better for track use.

Its going to be another week until they are mounted. One issue I noticed is the silver colour appears to have a slightly blue tint. Since I am using them for track wheels its not a problem for me personally. I need to compare them side by side to OEM bmw wheel colour, which I haven't had the chance to do yet.

[Nugget]

Looks like a good option.
What size tyres are you going for?
and any reason you went with 9" rather than 9.5" rear?

[John_01]

Originally Posted by Nugget

Looks like a good option.
What size tyres are you going for?
and any reason you went with 9" rather than 9.5" rear?

I decided 9.0" rears because it gives me the option to use either 245/40/17 or 255/40/17 tires. Next time I buy tires, I am looking at are either Advan AD050, or Kumho Ecsta V70A. R-comps such as these have very firm sidewalls, so the 255 tire will be perfectly fine on a 9" rim - IMO. The Advan AD050 is a particularly wide tire, so its likely I would use 245/40/17 for both front and rear in that case.

Right now I have 235/40 and 245/40 Toyo R888 that are 50% used. I am going to have these fitted to the Forgestar rims. I feel the R888 sidewalls have noticable flex on my existing 17x8" rims - especially on the rear 245s. I hope that moving to a 9" width will give more consistent grip and generate more even temperature across the profile of the tire.

[aloksatoor]

any luck installing those wheels?

[John_01]

Originally Posted by aloksatoor

any luck installing those wheels?

Hopefully I will have them fitted on Thursday.

[John_01]

This is a test fit of the front 17x8.5. There is a LOT of brake clearance for a 17" wheel. It makes me curious about compatibility with a BBK.

[jbertino]

Mine will arrive on Friday I'll keep you posted
17x 8.5 et 40
17x9.5 et 60

[aloksatoor]

Looks great should be nice and cool on the brakes there!

[John_01]

Here are the pics now its been fitted up..

Front:
17x8.5" ET40
Toyo R888 235/40/17
-3.0 degree camber

Rear:
17x9" ET49 effective (ET52 wheel + 3mm spacer)
Toyo R888 245/40/17
-2.1 degree camber

Suspension mods: BMW performance suspension, M3 front wishbones and tension struts, E93 M3 front sway bar, ground control camber plates.

All fits nicely. There will be enough space for a 255/40/17 R-comp on the rear. 245/40/17 R-comp on the front will need a little more camber and a front fender roll.
It looks like there is No need to roll the rear fenders.