I bought my 2003 Z4 3.0 with winter tyres on 16" star spoke 104 wheels, so I am in desperate need of replacements now that spring is approaching. I have lots of questions and would be eternally thankful for any help I can get!
So far I am still buried in the snow, but not for long, I hope.
Wheels
If my homework is correct the original wheels are 18"/8"/47 front and 18"/8.5"/50 rear. That means the offset is adjusted so that rims of the same size will protrude pretty much the same amount, except for about 3mm added to the rear. It seems there are lots of advantages buying four rims of the same size, are there any good reasons not to?
I have all but decided to put a set of matt black Team Dynamics Jade R wheels on it:
http://www.teamdynamics.de/produkte/katalogseiten/jade_r_black.pdf
Has anyone had any experience with Team Dynamics? It seems the same wheels are also sold under the brand names Wheelmania and Drifz.
Here's a Z4 with 9.5" rear and 8.5" front.
They're available in both 8" and 8.5" so I'm considering getting two of each to match the original, or a set of four. I can choose offset of 35 or 40.
If my calculations are correct, this is how much the wheels will protrude beyond the original wheels depending on choice of width and offset:
8.5"/35 front: 18mm, rear: 15mm
8.5"/40 front: 13mm, rear: 10mm
8"/35 front: 12mm, rear: 9mm
8"/40 front: 7mm, rear: 4mm
Does this look correct?
Do I want to get as close as possible (i.e. using 8"/40) to the original total protrusion from the axle of 55mm front and 58mm rear, or are the original wheels set too far into the well? I haven't had a good chance to study them up close.
The car is lowered 30mm on Eibach springs, how much can I decrease the offset without risking rub?
Tyres
I have narrowed my choices down to Michelin Pilot Sport 3 or Bridgestone Potenza S001. Should I be looking at others? The car is going to be driven mostly in Sweden, so lots of wet and not very high temperatures. No track days expected at this point, but lots of spirited driving, handling and grip is very much prioritized over comfort. (Hey, I had 18" P-Zeros on the useless Newcastle NSW roads, I can take it.)
The original wheels have 255/35 on the 8.5" rear and 225/40 on the 8" front. Should I stick to these, or is there reason to look at other sizes, especially considering the wheels I have chosen?
In general, the 255/35 appear to be about 35% more expensive than the 225/40 for the same model, this is a pretty obvious incentive to stick with a set of four 8" wheels.
Brakes
The brakes I have feel pretty spongy, I think they're due for a replacement. Also, the calipers have been painted previously, whoever did it didn't do a very good job. I think BMW blue calipers would look great with the black wheels.
I'm guessing having the calipers sandblasted and painted would be more expensive than buying new ones. Also, the original calipers aren't very good-looking, and that, I feel, is being nice. However, I haven't been able to find any decent replacements.
Best option so far is the StopTech Sport Kit pads and discs for the original calipers, but they are a bit pricey. StopTech has a big brake kit, but only for the front, and I'd really like them to match for a balanced look. Also, it would be nice if the brakes were small enough to fit in the the 16" wheels for winter.
Any suggestions?
So far I am still buried in the snow, but not for long, I hope.
Wheels
If my homework is correct the original wheels are 18"/8"/47 front and 18"/8.5"/50 rear. That means the offset is adjusted so that rims of the same size will protrude pretty much the same amount, except for about 3mm added to the rear. It seems there are lots of advantages buying four rims of the same size, are there any good reasons not to?
I have all but decided to put a set of matt black Team Dynamics Jade R wheels on it:
http://www.teamdynamics.de/produkte/katalogseiten/jade_r_black.pdf
Has anyone had any experience with Team Dynamics? It seems the same wheels are also sold under the brand names Wheelmania and Drifz.
Here's a Z4 with 9.5" rear and 8.5" front.
They're available in both 8" and 8.5" so I'm considering getting two of each to match the original, or a set of four. I can choose offset of 35 or 40.
If my calculations are correct, this is how much the wheels will protrude beyond the original wheels depending on choice of width and offset:
8.5"/35 front: 18mm, rear: 15mm
8.5"/40 front: 13mm, rear: 10mm
8"/35 front: 12mm, rear: 9mm
8"/40 front: 7mm, rear: 4mm
Does this look correct?
Do I want to get as close as possible (i.e. using 8"/40) to the original total protrusion from the axle of 55mm front and 58mm rear, or are the original wheels set too far into the well? I haven't had a good chance to study them up close.
The car is lowered 30mm on Eibach springs, how much can I decrease the offset without risking rub?
Tyres
I have narrowed my choices down to Michelin Pilot Sport 3 or Bridgestone Potenza S001. Should I be looking at others? The car is going to be driven mostly in Sweden, so lots of wet and not very high temperatures. No track days expected at this point, but lots of spirited driving, handling and grip is very much prioritized over comfort. (Hey, I had 18" P-Zeros on the useless Newcastle NSW roads, I can take it.)
The original wheels have 255/35 on the 8.5" rear and 225/40 on the 8" front. Should I stick to these, or is there reason to look at other sizes, especially considering the wheels I have chosen?
In general, the 255/35 appear to be about 35% more expensive than the 225/40 for the same model, this is a pretty obvious incentive to stick with a set of four 8" wheels.
Brakes
The brakes I have feel pretty spongy, I think they're due for a replacement. Also, the calipers have been painted previously, whoever did it didn't do a very good job. I think BMW blue calipers would look great with the black wheels.
I'm guessing having the calipers sandblasted and painted would be more expensive than buying new ones. Also, the original calipers aren't very good-looking, and that, I feel, is being nice. However, I haven't been able to find any decent replacements.
Best option so far is the StopTech Sport Kit pads and discs for the original calipers, but they are a bit pricey. StopTech has a big brake kit, but only for the front, and I'd really like them to match for a balanced look. Also, it would be nice if the brakes were small enough to fit in the the 16" wheels for winter.
Any suggestions?
