17” 290 Style wheels on 2012 E89 2.0 M Sport

[xpz393]

Hello all, looking for some reassurance on wheels as I prepare to swap to winters.

At the start of summer, my o/h bought a 2012 E89 Z4 2.0i M Sport, which came with the large 19” wheels and low profile Potenza tyres. These won’t be good in snow/frost on the 13% hills around us...

So I purchased a set of 17” 290 style E89 wheels from an eBay seller in Germany, with the intention of putting winter tyres on these, and swapping to them for the colder months. However, whilst researching winter tyre options, there seems to be some debate online as to whether these 17” wheels will fit on the M Sport zed, due to the uprated brakes which come as part of the M package. Some are saying 18” is the minimum.

Has anyone any first hand experience on this? I’ve not yet ordered the tyres, so trying to be as sure as possible the wheels will actually fit before shelling out £450+ on a set of tyres for wheels we might not even be able to use

Many thanks.

 

[Smartbear]

Hello all, looking for some reassurance on wheels as I prepare to swap to winters.

At the start of summer, my o/h bought a 2012 E89 Z4 2.0i M Sport, which came with the large 19” wheels and low profile Potenza tyres. These won’t be good in snow/frost on the 13% hills around us...

So I purchased a set of 17” 290 style E89 wheels from an eBay seller in Germany, with the intention of putting winter tyres on these, and swapping to them for the colder months. However, whilst researching winter tyre options, there seems to be some debate online as to whether these 17” wheels will fit on the M Sport zed, due to the uprated brakes which come as part of the M package. Some are saying 18” is the minimum.

Has anyone any first hand experience on this? I’ve not yet ordered the tyres, so trying to be as sure as possible the wheels will actually fit before shelling out £450+ on a set of tyres for wheels we might not even be able to use

Many thanks.

Hi, the 20i m sport zed has the same sized brakes as the non m sport car-it’s the 28i which has larger brakes.
Which model have you got, as they are all 2.0 litre engines? It’s 18i, 20i or 28i
I’ve got the same 17” wheels I use as winters on my m sport 20i

Rob

 

[xpz393]

Hello Rob, and thank you for your prompt reply.

That’s really encouraging as ours is also the m sport 20i so looks like we should be OK with the 17” 290 wheels currently in transit from Germany. Phew!

Great pic btw - the black dash, tan leather, and white exterior combo looks fantastic

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum OP.

Good to see you got a very helpful reply too - but now we need to see your/your o/h's car! :lol:

 

[mr wilks]

17s will fit on all E89s

 

[Smartbear]

17s will fit on all E89s

Even the 35is Andy? I thought they had discs the size of dustbin lids!
Rob

 

[mr wilks]

17s will fit on all E89s

Even the 35is Andy? I thought they had discs the size of dustbin lids!
Rob

Pretty sure the 35i & "Is" share the same brakes & that 17s fit over them

 

[Smartbear]

17s will fit on all E89s

Even the 35is Andy? I thought they had discs the size of dustbin lids!
Rob

Pretty sure the 35i & "Is" share the same brakes & that 17s fit over them

Seems to be a hot potato for our stateside friends with different specs coming out the woodwork depending on where you live, looks like the 35is calipers might be an issue?
https://e89.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597303#post10597927
Rob

 

[mr wilks]

Even the 35is Andy? I thought they had discs the size of dustbin lids!
Rob

Pretty sure the 35i & "Is" share the same brakes & that 17s fit over them

Seems to be a hot potato for our stateside friends with different specs coming out the woodwork depending on where you live, looks like the 35is calipers might be an issue?
https://e89.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597303#post10597927
Rob

I was meaning UK cars Rob , do remember reading about different brake sizes on early "i" & " is" E89s in US only though
Pretty sure Uk twin turbos share the same brakes

Here's a 35i with 17inch style 292s fitted

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201810111403598?minimum-badge-engine-size=3.0&model=Z4&make=BMW&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&postcode=bb120hr&sort=sponsored&year-from=2009&page=2

 

[xpz393]

Wheels arrived safely and fitted AOK, complete with a brand new set of Hankook icept evo2 W320b winter tyres. Photo attached, as requested earlier

Thank you all sincerely for your help and experience. Really appreciated.

 

[xpz393]

I've just written a review for these wheels on eBay, so thought it might also be of interest to anyone who happens upon this thread:

High quality, and great aesthetics as you would expect from BMW.

These 17" 290 style wheels have been purchased for use with dedicated winter tyres during the colder months.

As our E89 Z4 20i with M Sport kit came with rather hefty 19" 255/30 wheels rear as standard, we did have some concern that these 17"s might not fit over the brake assembly. However, they do fit fine, and the garage confirmed that there's adequate clearance around the brake assembly.

For the tyres, we opted for Hankook W320b (winter icept evo2 run-flat) in a 17" 225/40 profile @ £117 per wheel all inc fitted (Nov 2018).

Having covered 500 miles on mixed roads, the change from the stock 19" wheels to these 17"s has resulted in a significantly softer ride and lighter steering, despite sticking with run flat tyres (RFTs) as recommended by BMW. However, steering is still precise, and stability is good.

We've no regrets opting for RFTs - the even-softer nature of non-RFTs would've likely turned the car into a marshmallow.

The only tangible down-side of switching to the smaller, narrower wheels is that if you abruptly unleash the Z's power, you're much more likely to experience wheel-spin on these than with the wider, and low profile 19"s. However, that is not the driving style for which a set of winter wheels/tyres is intended, so is not an unreasonable trade-off.

I’m already looking forward to getting a bit of snow – it’s rather satisfying being able to drive past 4WDs who are stuck because they couldn’t be bothered to change from summer to winter tyres… One driven axle with traction is far more useful than two driven axles with no traction.

These wheels look the part on a Z4, are great quality, and a fantastic option for dedicated winter tyres, allowing for a narrower and higher walled tyre than the stock wheels.

 

[djstan]

Good write-up! Glad you got them sorted (I’ll be switching to mine soon too)

 

[Smartbear]

Don’t be afraid of non rf tyres, if you search the forum it’s overwhelmingly in favour of normal tyres, better ride quality without sacrificing handling
Rob