offset of mags?

[pong]

what should the ideal offset be?

i was checking out some mags on the net with offsets ranging from 15 to 25 which say that they are for the e34.

what is the minimum? maximum?

btw what is a nice size? 16's or 17's

[Kalevera]

17" is generally what people around here think is the best ride comfort/performance combo. I think the OEM BBS wheels have a 13mm offset. I believe you can go up to around 20mm without spacers, although the e38 style 5's, which are supposed to be a direct bolt on, have a 23mm offset.

Best, whit

[Brett619310]

I haven't heard wheels called mags before... just rims or dubs. :) Maybe its because I'm in socal. From what TireRack says will fit the car, it seems that 13mm to 25mm seems to be an acceptable offset, with rim widths ranging from 7.5 to 8.5 inches. Whether getting 17's or 18's, a 235 width tire seems appropriate for this width range.

Not to hijack your thread, but I have a similar question. I am thinking about 18's because they don't cost that much more, the dimensions are still correct, and the weight penalty is not bad, because there is less heavy tire. I see aftermarket wheels made to fit E39 that are within the offset range, but I've heared hubcentric rings are needed. Is this also true with E60 wheels? If a wheel is advertised to fit the E34 and E39 (lets say the offset is 15 or 20mm) then how do I know if those rings are needed?

[Bill R.]

late 50's early 60's when the only alloy racing wheels for sports cars were made of magnesium alloys like the original Halibrand racing wheels. Magnesium was shortened to mag hence the name mag wheels.









I haven't heard wheels called mags before... just rims or dubs. :) Maybe its because I'm in socal. From what TireRack says will fit the car, it seems that 13mm to 25mm seems to be an acceptable offset, with rim widths ranging from 7.5 to 8.5 inches. Whether getting 17's or 18's, a 235 width tire seems appropriate for this width range.

Not to hijack your thread, but I have a similar question. I am thinking about 18's because they don't cost that much more, the dimensions are still correct, and the weight penalty is not bad, because there is less heavy tire. I see aftermarket wheels made to fit E39 that are within the offset range, but I've heared hubcentric rings are needed. Is this also true with E60 wheels? If a wheel is advertised to fit the E34 and E39 (lets say the offset is 15 or 20mm) then how do I know if those rings are needed?

[Qsilver7]

...I see aftermarket wheels made to fit E39 that are within the offset range, but I've heared hubcentric rings are needed. Is this also true with E60 wheels? If a wheel is advertised to fit the E34 and E39 (lets say the offset is 15 or 20mm) then how do I know if those rings are needed?

1. Yes, hub centric rings are needed to mount e39 wheels on an e34. But they are NOT needed for the e60 wheels. The e39 5 series is the oddball (74.1mm hub)...the other 5/6/7/8 series BMWs all have a 72.5mm hub.

2. If a wheel is advertised to fit the e39 & e34...then hub centric rings will always be needed because, in order for the wheel to fit the e39, the wheel's center hub must be bored to 74.5mm...a hub centric ring will be required if it's going to be mounted on the e34 (or e28/e24/e60/e23/e32/e38/e65/e31)...the hub ring will act as a "reducer".

[Dash01]

I have a set of BMW factory basketweaves in 8" wide X 16" diamenter, with Michelin MXV 235X16X60 tires. These will not bolt on to my '90 535i, because the sidewall bulge of these particular tires is too fat, and so rubs the spring perch on the strut. The wheels have 23mm offset, versus 20mm offset for the factory original 15" basketweaves.

Does anybody know what size tires would fit the 23mm offset, 16" basketweave wheels, without rubbing the strut?

[Brett619310]

1. Yes, hub centric rings are needed to mount e39 wheels on an e34. But they are NOT needed for the e60 wheels. The e39 5 series is the oddball (74.1mm hub)...the other 5/6/7/8 series BMWs all have a 72.5mm hub.

2. If a wheel is advertised to fit the e39 & e34...then hub centric rings will always be needed because, in order for the wheel to fit the e39, the wheel's center hub must be bored to 74.5mm...a hub centric ring will be required if it's going to be mounted on the e34 (or e28/e24/e60/e23/e32/e38/e65/e31)...the hub ring will act as a "reducer".

Thanks for the info! Very informative.