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[Funch]

I love the look of staggered wheels, but out of curiosity's sake I couldnt help but wonder what the pros/cons are between staggered and non-staggered wheels on a 135. Any input is welcome, just trying to educate myself.

Thanks!

[bmw1racer]

There's a bunch of threads on this subject... You should do a search.

[RennenPerformance]

Running a square set up will allow you to rotate your wheels and have even tire wear, getting the most life out of them. Running staggered will look better and will fill out the wheel arches more evenly. If you feel like rotating your wheels is an absolute necessity then go squared, otherwise I would say more guys go staggered.

[VMRWheels]

+ 1 ^

Square:
- Ability to perform traditional tire rotation
- Cheaper
- CON- wheel/tire setup will appear "flush, aggressive" in front, however, sunken-in in the rear.

Staggered:
- Wider tire/wheel rear = more "aggressive" look + greater contact with road
- Typically, tire life should still be sufficient as long as appropriate attention is paid to alignment, toe etc.

[Pyrat 2]

Seriously...No one mentions the handling impact.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1047615

[Funch]

Thanks for all the input on this. I should have mentioned my concerns over handling so thank you for addressing that HeelToe.

[///Machiavelli]

I feel like people are strongly opinionated on this subject, when really the answer is it depends . It depends on what way you're using the car (dd, autox, track), what type of driver you are and what your goal is for choosing to make such modifications in the first place.

I use my car infrequently on the road and enjoy getting out on track any chance i get, so my perspective is performance oriented. My 2 cents on the matter are as follows:

Yes, everyone agrees this car has inherent understeer particularly when driven at or near the limit. Yes, we can also agree that by going for a square tire setup the car feels more neutral in handling.

But how has this balance been achieved? By reducing grip in the rear. The contact patch front vs rear and maximum grip front vs rear have been equalized but at the expense total maximum grip. At that point you've reduced the performance of something on the car to compensate for a perceived lack of performance somewhere else.

Keep in mind that another thing a lot of people seem to agree on (speaking about the 135i here) is that the car is under-tired from the factory. There are literally hundreds of posts here asking about what the maximum amount of rubber can one fit under the car. This issue also speaks to the popularity of Apex and their +62 offset wheels and the rave reviews of Michelin PSS tires. What people are complaining about in this instance is, again, a perceived lack of performance but this time with regard to maximum traction.

For myself, I think a square setup is counter productive. I don't care about being able to rotate tires, I budget for a new set of extreme performance tires every summer. And I don't think the best way to reduce understeer and neutralize the handling is to lower the overall performance of the vehicle, I always want more grip not less. Instead, I choose to tackle the issue by making alignment changes (increased negative camber, toe out), choosing tires with a stiff sidewall and adjusting my driving style to the inherent qualities (positive and negative) of the car.

[Pyrat 2]

You aren't reducing the rear grip by adding more tire to the front.