Naive alloy wheel question

C

chanlon1

Active member
Never ever bought second hand alloys before, so excuse the beginners question.

I’ve an E86 that is lowered on eibach pro springs.
I’ve seen a set of 19” alloys. Seller says they are 19x8 and came off a 3 series. They are 5 stud and look like CSL reps.
What questions should I ask to find out more and know if they would be suitable?
I can’t really put them on to test as they don’t have tyres.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Colin
 
Firstly I would ask the offsets and then put the details on here https://www.willtheyfit.com/
What make and type are they, ever refurbished, any welds, buckles, cracks, scuffs?
Also try to meet at a wheel shop to get them spun to see if straight if in any doubt.
 
As above, get the offsets and put them into the above website. I have seen loads and loads of damaged wheels being sold on eBay, so be very careful. TBH I wouldn't buy any used wheels without seeing them first. There are companies who can weld, grind and paint a damaged wheel so it is almost impossible to see from pictures.

All BMWs had 5 stud PCD 120 until the G series, when they changed to PCD 112. So as long as the wheels are from a pre G series (around 2019) they will fit the hubs. It's the offsets that then matter.

Your E86 has staggered wheels, surely? Are the new ones square?
 
Maybe, but the centre bore was different on some models so they won't centre on the hub without adapters.

So it's worth looking at the centre bore too.
 
Mr Tidy said:
Maybe, but the centre bore was different on some models so they won't centre on the hub without adapters.

So it's worth looking at the centre bore too.
Click to expand...

I have had an E92, an F33, two E89s and have an F31 now aswell....they have ALL been 72.6mm centre bore. When did they change?
 
Thanks for the suggestions. The wheels are somewhat local. I'll send the seller some of the questions and see what their response is.

thanks
 
If you are after 19” csl reps you want a staggered set.
8.5J front and 9.5J rears.
Basically the 8J is 4 front wheels not in the correct widths.
 
j3nks79 said:
If you are after 19” csl reps you want a staggered set.
8.5J front and 9.5J rears.
Basically the 8J is 4 front wheels not in the correct widths.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. What effect would there be if you didn’t have a staggered set up?
 
chanlon1 said:
j3nks79 said:
If you are after 19” csl reps you want a staggered set.
8.5J front and 9.5J rears.
Basically the 8J is 4 front wheels not in the correct widths.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. What effect would there be if you didn’t have a staggered set up?
Click to expand...

There's no reason you can't run the same widths front and rear - some of the OE ones fitted by BMW are like that. As were the 18" CSL Reps I sold to another forum member some years ago. My 330i has 8J x 17" all round too.

I've never tried it on my Z4 but I have read that people reckon not having staggered sizes reduces understeer.
 
Mr Tidy said:
I've never tried it on my Z4 but I have read that people reckon not having staggered sizes reduces understeer.
Click to expand...

It had never occurred to me that they would be different sizes
 
chanlon1 said:
Mr Tidy said:
I've never tried it on my Z4 but I have read that people reckon not having staggered sizes reduces understeer.
Click to expand...

It had never occurred to me that they would be different sizes
Click to expand...

If your E86 has MV2 or 108 wheels they are staggered, 8J ET47 front and 8.5J ET50 rear. The ET is the offset which determines how far out they sit in the wheelarches, so you really need to find out the offset of those wheels. If you are asking the seller bear in mind that BMW stamp their wheels with IS rather than ET, but you need to know what it is. If too far different you'll either get rubbing on the suspension or on the arches.
 
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