BMW 296 wheel Dimensions / Specifications

[techathy]

If I went 8.5 x 19 all round would it upset the handling ?

Assuming you keep to OE sized tyres you'll tighten up the front turn in a little bit & introduce a small amount of lateral bounce compared to stock wheels. Both of those are going to be a good things handling wise given OE tyre profiles. You may find you need to add a spacer at the rear to balance the look of the car, if it's between 5 & 10mm you may have problems.

I could go 8.5 x 19 front and 9.5 x 19 for the rear with the AXE wheels to keep the staggered fitment

This is possible, there's plenty of space in the rear arches to accommodate the 0.5" increase in rear rim width.

Anyone experienced any rubbing etc with aftermarket rims with wider tyres ?

If you've got rubbing then you've gone radical with the off-sets. At 9.5J any offset over ET35 should be okay.

[35i-Nut]

If I went 8.5 x 19 all round would it upset the handling ?

Assuming you keep to OE sized tyres you'll tighten up the front turn in a little bit & introduce a small amount of lateral bounce compared to stock wheels. Both of those are going to be a good things handling wise given OE tyre profiles. You may find you need to add a spacer at the rear to balance the look of the car, if it's between 5 & 10mm you may have problems.

I could go 8.5 x 19 front and 9.5 x 19 for the rear with the AXE wheels to keep the staggered fitment

This is possible, there's plenty of space in the rear arches to accommodate the 0.5" increase in rear rim width.

Anyone experienced any rubbing etc with aftermarket rims with wider tyres ?

If you've got rubbing then you've gone radical with the off-sets. At 9.5J any offset over ET35 should be okay.

Thanks for all your comments buddy !

I'm just waiting to hear back how heavy the aftermarket wheels are , I wont be fitting anything heavier than the oem