[timsev]

So I figured I'd be the guinea pig for the first set of track wheels/tires on the M235i. I went with the 17" Kosei K4R 17x8 et42 on all four corners with 245/40/17 Hankook RS3s. 17 inchers are much lighter, less expensive, and tires are much less expensive as well. No brainer really.

Up front, I'm at the limit on the inner side towards the strut body. It's really close and the wheel will flex ever so slightly under load and heat so there is just enough room to make it work with no modifications. Any higher offset or wider tire would not work with this size wheel unless you used a spacer. There is more than enough clearance for the brake caliper.

The rear seems to be fine. There is slightly more room for a wider wheel and tire, but for the sake of tire rotation and balance, I went squared. You can probably use a 5mm spacer in the rear to make it sit flush but my setup is strictly for performance so I don't really care about looks as much as performance.

Anyway, just wanted to let all you track rats know that this offset works great with 245 "extreme" street tires and R comps. If you wanted it to be perfect, I would try to find a 40mm offset wheel of similar size. Let me know if you have any questions gents.

[GOLFFRR]

nice set up

[ska///235i]

Thanks a bunch

This is very informative for those seeking winter setups
(Sorry i know this was for track setup)

On a side note
Tirerack states that the BBS RS works for the m235i

17x7.5
Et 35
With 225/45/17

[HX_Guy]

Looks good! That et42 offset is a good offset, it's like have 10mm spacers on the rear of the stock wheels and 9mm on the front, so it looks good. Like you said, you could add anywhere from a 2mm to a 5mm on the rear or front for a more aggressive stance, or get et47 - et40 wheels (if still in 8" width).

[BEM-S4]

That looks really good thanks for sharing. We should start a database or list with wheels that have been tested by members and verified to fit. Seems we are all a bit skeptical when being told by TR and others. So include make, model, measurements, etc and any issues.

[bollinm]

Very nice wheels. Thanks for taking the plunge.

[Chris in Japan]

Nice setup!

I use team dynamics 17 x8 40 offset with 255/40 ns2r soft compounds for the track.
3mm spacers are needed on the front to clear struts(245 tires would be fine spacer free) and 2deg negative camber at all corners to clear fenders. I run 3.5deg negative camber on the front at the track so am thinking about bigger front spacers...

[Alpine F31]

Now, I want to see the "after" pics with the tires scuffed to the edges from track use!

[timsev]

Originally Posted by Alpine F31

Now, I want to see the "after" pics with the tires scuffed to the edges from track use!

Saturday is the first track outing with her. Will post review.

[rich8566]

Subscribed

[timsev]

First track outing went well. The tires held up better than I thought they would considering I'm fairly aggressive with my driving. The car is well balanced and will push if you're too hot and the back end is easily controllable with the throttle. A little tap of the brake and quick throttle input can get the thing drifting. Basically, normal BMW handling that you would expect.

It's not an M car, but it's still a fun car on the track. It desperately needs a LSD since you can feel the inner rear wheel lurching and spinning for traction on slow exits and big sweepers. The car feels a little heavy but its better than the E82/E90 generation by leaps and bounds. I'd say the M2 will be stellar based on this initial outing in the "regular" version.

The electric steering feels good too at speed. I thought it would be too light but once you are at speed combined with the weight of the car, it feels like any other BMW. Brakes were amazing. I've always used old BMW slide calipers so this is my first set of Brembos and there was no fade on stock pads and no vibrations. Really, really good brakes.

Overall, the tire/wheel combo did great. I don't think this car needs as much camber as many would think. I did rotate front to back halfway to preserve the tires but I was surprised at how well they held up and distributed the load across the face of the tread. When they get too hot, they get noisy, which is good. You can feel them getting to the edge and can back off easily. Overall I was really impressed and would buy the same setup again. Oh, if anyone cares, I'm an instructor and it was around 93'F yesterday to give you an idea of the workout they got.

Let me know if you have any questions. Sorry about the lengthy review, there isn't a "track" section so I thought you guys might appreciate this more than the general population.

[Alpine F31]

Great information!

Thanks for the review.

[Ramos]

What would be the ideal dimensions for stock suspension and camber? Good to know the 17' clear the brakes

[timsev]

If you have extra negative camber, then I would say 17x8.5 et 40 and fit 255s on all four corners. If you have stock suspension with no added camber, then the above setup is ideal.

[th1rd3y3]

Good info, I'll most likely be going this tire size route as well for track days and autox. Just need to find a set of wheels that will be legal in the street class for autox.

[Ramos]

Originally Posted by timsev

If you have extra negative camber, then I would say 17x8.5 et 40 and fit 255s on all four corners. If you have stock suspension with no added camber, then the above setup is ideal.

The above setup according to the op is on the limit. How is that ideal???

I am asking hypothetically what would be the ideal setup. Not something that barely works and may rub under load.

[timsev]

Originally Posted by Ramos

The above setup according to the op is on the limit. How is that ideal???

I am asking hypothetically what would be the ideal setup. Not something that barely works and may rub under load.

I am the OP. If I had camber plates on the car, I would run a slightly wider wheel and stick more rubber underneath, which would be ideal. Since I'm not fussing with camber plates on this car, I am limited to the above setup. Ideal to me is maximum rubber for handling. Ideal to you may be ease of fitment and installation.

[Ramos]

Got it,

What's a comfortable fit that would still maximize rubber though? I don't like to run wheels /tires that close to rubbing.

Hypothetical even if those wheels don't exist yet.

I think the answer is in your OP, which is 40 rather than the 42 offset, but stick to 245 tires correct?

Wouldn't 255 (your ideal setup) be too stretched on a 8 wheel anyway?

[timsev]

If you don't like to live dangerously, then get 8" wide, ET40 with 245 tires. That would be about as perfect as it gets without potential for rubbing.

[Ramos]

Originally Posted by timsev

If you don't like to live dangerously, then get 8" wide, ET40 with 245 tires. That would be about as perfect as it gets without potential for rubbing.

That's what I thought ! Thanks
Too bad that wheel doesn't exist, your wheels are the only 8 inch wide 17"s available on tire rack.

Thanks for your contribution and information

[Chris in Japan]

Originally Posted by Ramos

That's what I thought ! Thanks
Too bad that wheel doesn't exist, your wheels are the only 8 inch wide 17"s available on tire rack.

Thanks for your contribution and information

The wheels do exist just maybe not on tire rack.
I run Team Dynamics prorace 1.2's in 17x8 et40.

I ordered them from demon tweeks in the UK

[timsev]

Look at wheels for an e36 M3. They use a lot of 17x8 wheels ET40.