Questions about M6 replicas

[takedown8]

Well, I'm seriously thinking about pulling the trigger on the M6 replicas especially since all the pics posted on the forums have looked amazing (yes, including yours Rick, you attention whore!). I'm leaning towards 18" for performance and price, but don't want to regret not getting the 19".

Questions for my Z4 3.0i (non-sport suspension):
1) Do I have to lower my car if I get 19"?
2) Do 19" affect performance?
3) Are 19" tires loud?

Thanks

 

[GP20]

Well, I'm seriously thinking about pulling the trigger on the M6 replicas especially since all the pics posted on the forums have looked amazing (yes, including yours Rick, you attention whore!). I'm leaning towards 18" for performance and price, but don't want to regret not getting the 19".

Questions for my Z4 3.0i (non-sport suspension):
1) Do I have to lower my car if I get 19"?
2) Do 19" affect performance?
3) Are 19" tires loud?

Thanks

1) You don't "have to", but it'll look like a 4x4 with non-sport suspension since the wheel gaps are even bigger than with the sport suspension. I saw a 3.0i with non-sport suspension in my garage the other day, and I think it's got 4 finger widths of gap. Is it the same on your car? Though the M6 reps are a little more forgiving than a lot of other wheels when it comes to emphasizing on the wheel gaps. But I still don't think 19" will look very good on a 3.0i with non-sport suspension.

2) 19" tires are usually a little heavier than 18" tires due to the need of stronger side-wall, which means added unsprung weight and rotational mass. If you get 235/265 tires, handling should be an improvement over stock tires.

3) Depends on what tires you get. I have Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's and they're very quiet.

 

[Rick Hunter]

I'm not just any whore. I'm a he-bitch man-whore. :dance:

IIRC, Mister Roger has a nice set of 18" M6 Reps. And nate96 from zpost.com has 18" M6 Reps. Personally I think they'll look good in either size, but you can compare theirs to the members with 19" rims and see what you'd like better.

^^nate96's ride from zpost.com (18" rims)

^^mine (19" rims)

^^ mister_roger's ride (18" rims)-------------------------and----------------------------Makobimmer's ride (19" rims)^^

 

[takedown8]

I'm not just any whore. I'm a he-bitch man-whore. :dance:

Don't forget "mangina", though I think that might be taken by enfield already. :evil:

Wanna weigh-in on my questions though, Rick?

Also, does anyone know if the brake disks are different sizes for the sport vs. non-sport suspensions?

 

[Rick Hunter]

Sure... but I think GP20 answered it quite well. He is known to have OCD when it comes to "how low can you go" for wheel gaps But he is right... you may have to lower it if you don't have the sport suspension.

I've got 245/275 tires, and for the most part I don't notice any weight difference compared to my OEM 18's for my daily driving. I don't track my Zed. Performance wise, the wider track is awesome.

The tires I have on my 19's aren't any louder than stock tires. I know this answer doesn't really help, but that's the best I can do.

 

[Traxxer]

^^ mister_roger's ride (18" rims)-------------------------and----------------------------Makobimmer's ride (19" rims)^^

Either of these have sport suspensions?

 

[GP20]

^^ mister_roger's ride (18" rims)-------------------------and----------------------------Makobimmer's ride (19" rims)^^

Either of these have sport suspensions?

The left one is lowered on Eibach's. The right one has stock suspension with 235/35/19 and 275/30/19 tires, but since it's an M, you can't quite compare the ride height to a regular Z4.

 

[GP20]

Sure... but I think GP20 answered it quite well. He is known to have OCD when it comes to "how low can you go" for wheel gaps.

I actually don't like very low suspensions. Had the H&R springs on my '04 3.0i and really didn't like the "slammed" look. After putting on the TCK coilovers and after the initial ride height, I raised the ride height a little more and the ride height looks pretty stock now (or how it should've come from the factory)- until you put the car next to a stock Z4M.

I've got 245/275 tires, and for the most part I don't notice any weight difference compared to my OEM 18's for my daily driving. I don't track my Zed. Performance wise, the wider track is awesome.

Probably 'cos the fronts weigh the same as stock tires and the rears actually weigh 2lbs lighter than the stock ones. Those General Exclaim are about as lightweight as it gets.

 

[GP20]

Also, does anyone know if the brake disks are different sizes for the sport vs. non-sport suspensions?

Same size.

 

[Traxxer]

Well to quote Ned Flanders, I'm in a dilly of a pickle here. I really like the 19" M6 Wheels, but I don't want a 4x4 look. The problem with lowering my car is that my driveway is steep, I have to come in on reverse.

I guess my question is, by how much does the car get raised going from stock 16' rims to 19's? I don't have a sport button so I'm assuming I don't have a sport suspension. If I can figure out how much the car goes up, then I can decide whether I need to go with coilovers or springs.

H&R Sport Springs
Approx. Front Lowering 1.5
Approx. Rear Lowering 1.25

H&R Street Performance Coilovers
Approx. Front Lowering 1.2 - 2.2
Approx. Rear Lowering 1.2 - 2.0

 

[GP20]

Those H&R springs' claim isn't very accurate. Had them on my '04 and the ride was absolutely slammed. The drop was more like 2"~2.2". Go with Eibach springs and Koni shocks if you're gonna change your suspension. And don't bother with the H&R coilovers either. Those are junk and not worth the price. You can't adjust dampening as they're only height adjustable. The ride quality is very stiff/bad and of course you can't adjust the settings to make it softer. If you want a cheap set of coilovers that are decent and you don't track your Z4, get the Bilstein PSS9. If you will track your Z4, look into TCKline and KW.

Going from your 16" tires to 19" tires, the ride height will raise about 5mm~8mm.

Radius:
225/50/16 - 315.46 mm

235/35/19 - 323.34 mm
265/30/19 - 320.54 mm

But you might wanna try test-fitting a set of 19" wheels and be sure you're okay with them before you buy a set. 19" wheels will slow down your 2.5i significantly.

 

[Traxxer]

Thank you so much GP20 for all the great info. I think i'm going to go for the Eibach springs with Koni Shocks. Where you referencing the ones listed at tirerack?

 

[GP20]

Thank you so much GP20 for all the great info. I think i'm going to go for the Eibach springs with Koni Shocks. Where you referencing the ones listed at tirerack?

Try getting them at http://www.shox.com. Cheaper than tire-rack. I have friends who ordered from them and had good experience.

Also look into getting a pair of rear-shock mounts. The stock ones are known to fail quickly, especially when you put aftermarket suspensions on the car. I believe Rogue Engineering has a type of RSM's that allows you to install/uninstall the shocks externally so after the initial install of the RSM's, you won't have to do it from inside the trunk again when you need to put the stock suspensions back onto the car or when you go with different aftermarket suspensions. It's a huge PITA to take out the soft-top compartment in order to gain access to the rear shock towers.