535i - 17" rims?? How to read size/offset?

[Guelphguy]

Got some Rims for my 90-535i, well at least thought I did....got through an auction house in London...anyway, have e-mail dialogue confirming that these rims are for a 5 series....but for fun today, thought I would e-mail the manufacturer "RONAL" and they tell me that they are only for a 3-series....

Here is what came off the Rims:

8J X 17H2 ET35

So is that right? These are wrong??

Here is what the Mfg said:

" Hello. Wheels are made for 3 series BMW, not 5.
Do they have a 20mm spacer in the back of the wheel, ? if so, they’ll fit, otherwise 3 series only, unless you want to send them here, and we can modify to accept spacer, but app. $75/wheel inc. spacer to do, and freight"

I am kinda P.O.'d realizing that these may not fit!!! Here is a pic of the Rims: THey are a RONAL R-7 - 17 X 8" look great!!

[Beez540]

Yeah, that's an offset for a 3 series. (the ET35 part) The correct offset for an E34 should be around 15. The offset relates to how the wheel center relates to the hub. ET 35 = 35mm towards fender well, ET 15 = only 15mm towards fenderwell. You could mount those wheels with a 20mm spacer, but I hear that is not recommended.

Don't worry, you're not the only one to get burned lately. I won an ebay auction over a month ago for some racing dynamics wheels and tires, they were listed to fit E32, E34, and E38... also E36 with spacers. So that sounded right, but the tires were 215's... so emailed the guy (after I bid, unfortunately)... about the offset, he said he thought it was 15. Some sketchy communication and a month later I get the wheels and tires... ET38 is the offset... I was so pissed. Plus, the tires weren't as listed. 2 wheels mounted with Nittos, 1 with a sumitomo, and 1 with a 205/50 goodyear. Ridiculous. I hope you didn't spend too much, but those wheels look nice... you should be able to sell them to a 3 series owner easy enough. That's what I'm planning on doing anyway (in a much more honest fashion that I recieved, for sure.)

[Guelphguy]

DAMN!!! Oh well, will sell them to a 3 series owner...looking at another set now off fleabay (I'll never learn).....anyway these are off a 98 750IL with at ET15 offset...says they are fine for 5 series is our e34 offset not ET20??? Does that matter?

[Martin in Bellevue]

They fit well on the e34.

DAMN!!! Oh well, will sell them to a 3 series owner...looking at another set now off fleabay (I'll never learn).....anyway these are off a 98 750IL with at ET15 offset...says they are fine for 5 series is our e34 offset not ET20??? Does that matter?

[Guelphguy]

No they are:
1000 Miglia 16" x 8.5"

[TheDuke]

I’ve been thinking about new rims for some time now. What do u guys/gals think about Alpina rims? They 18X8.0 offset is 20mm and Bolt Pattern 5x120mm. They will go on my 94 525. What tiers should I use?

[Guelphguy]

Dammit, hate e-bay, I was so hesitant cause I ended up with those 3 series rims now...fuk...now I have a set of 3 series rims to sell and back to looking for a nice clean 5 spoke design of rim for my 5 series...having a 1990 that I paid 5 grand for, I just can't justify spending $2000 on rims...would like to get a set of rims/tires for $1000..

[Mr Project]

I've been doing a lot of rim-shopping lately. I actually know of a set of OEM Style 32's with tires that you could get for probably just under $1000 shipped. If you're interested I'll give you the guy's contact info.

There's also always tirerack.com. I've been looking lately at Borbet Type E's, that's a nice looking rim, and you could get a set of those in 17" with some cheaper tires for around $1000 with shipping.

[Guelphguy]

Anyone wanna trader some nice 3 series rims for some nice 5 series rims...lol....

[Craig]

Don't be afraid to run spacers, they are perfectly safe (assuming you buy good quality ones). The hub-spacer-wheel all form what is essentially one unit when bolted together. The lug bolts do not support the weight of the car, that's done by the friction of the mating surfaces so longer bolts and spacers are fine.