E46 M3 wheels/tires on '01 330ci

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Planar1 21 years ago

I borrowed this from a Bimmer E46 M3 web site:

The M3 sits on 18-inch M-style alloy wheels (8.0-inch wide front and

9.0-inch wide rear), with appropriately sized high-performance tires (225/45 ZR - 18 front and 255/40 ZR -18 rear).

Will I be able to successfully install this combo on my 330ci? Is there a reason why it won't fit? i.e. different diff :) larger/smaller wheel wells, different suspension width? I'm not saying I want to run this combo, but since I will be buying these wheels and tires via mail-order, getting it wrong would be expensive. I don't have the luxury of trying out different sets. I have to get it right the first time. The E46 M3 runs different size wheels and tires in the front and rear. Is there a reason why doing this on my car would mess-up my handling and not mess-up the M3 (as another said earlier)?

I appreciate your indulgence while I get my feet wet with a BMW.

the stock mags on the 330 are 17 x 7"
>
> whcich should carry no wider than 225/45 17's
> you need an 8" width to go wider
>
> handling and comfort are better with 225/45 than with 235/40 anyway >
> snipped-for-privacy@canada.com
>
>
>
>> Hi All. What is the widest 17" tire I can use on the front and rear on a
>> 2001 330ci? The car will be used for normal, everyday driving. Not racing
>> or on the track. I'd like to do a 225/235 in the front and 245/255 (maybe
>> more if it will fit) on the rear. TIA!
>>
>
>

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Richard Sperry 21 years ago

The rear tires will not fit, they are the wrong offset.

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SharkmanBMW 21 years ago

you do NOT have an M3..... you have a 330, deal with it!!!, you have 7" wide mags, not 9", so you can NOT go wider than 225 with your setup. if you want to spend another 4000$ on M3 wheels, get the right size and offset. I have told you 3 times to go to this website and ask, they will give you the answer...

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why do you keep reposting the same question here?

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Jeff Strickland 21 years ago

Here is a link to the various rim options that are available. Find your current rims and check the data for offset, then find the rims you are interested in and see if the offset is the same.

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I installed a set of M3 rims on my 325i, but I used rims from a 1995 car on my 1994 car - all four are the same size.

I think your big issue will be that the M rims on the back will be too wide for the 330. Having said that, it is entirely possible that this won't be an issue at all. The front rims should fit find, in fact the front rims should fit all four corners without any problem.

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Jeff Mayner 21 years ago

I guess I'd better take mine off then. ;-)

Jeff

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Jeff Mayner 21 years ago

My car: '02 330cic

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It had Dunlops on the rear at the time of the picture and have since been changed to Bridgestone RE040s.

Jeff

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tech27 21 years ago

Just a note to all about the misconceptions regarding putting M3 parts on non-M cars.

Some will fit, some may fit, and some may work. But as a rule putting M3 parts into a 3 series is not a good idea. While some passive components will not cause any harm (unless you are putting M badges on your 3 -the harm is to your respectability) MOST ASSUREDLY DO NOT use any M suspension parts!!! Even if they are a perfect fit the handling/ride WILL NOT be better, and probably worse.

Rims and tires are a different thing. If they can be fitted the will work, and depending on what you are trying to achieve they might fit the bill.

Suspension components are the biggest problem. People put them (and other M3 parts) on their 3's under the mistaken assumption that they are "better". They are not. They are designed to work with the other components so unless you swap out the entire suspension you will be in a world of pain.

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E46 M3 wheels/tires on '01 330ci

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