What wheel offsets will work with 275/35-18 and 295/35-18 tires?

Does anyone know what wheel offsets I need to run 18"x9.5"wheels with 275/35 up front and 18"x10.0" or 10.5" wheels with 295/35 on the rear on an unmodified suspension for my 2009 M3 coupe? And on a Dinan Stage 2 modified suspension? The places I’ve called where I’d expect they’d know the answer have referred me to the forums. So here I am.

et25 front and rear will definitely work. You might get away with et20 front and rear if you want that totally filled fender look when lowered. You'll be taking a risk with et20 depending on what tires you choose.

Are you looking to run street or r-compound tires in those sizes? Is this a street setup or a dedicated set of track wheels?

275's are better on a 10" wide wheel vs. a 9.5" wheel. 9.5" wheels are more commonly run with 265's, but obviously many people compromise when selecting from what's available.

18x10" et25 wheels fit up front on modified and non-modified E90/2's with 275/35/18's. any street tire will fit fine, and r-compounds like the NT-01 will also fit without rubbing.

an 18x10.5" rear wheel with offsets in the mid to high 20's is recommended to fit a 295 if you're looking for a clean rub free fit. I'm not sure if you're trying to get your tires flush or out of the fenders.

The APEX ARC-8 is available in an 18x10" et25 and 18x10.5" et27. The offsets are setup so that wide rubber can be used. Beware that wheels with lower offsets will just be pushing the wheel out further then it needs to be from a functional standpoint, so figuring out your priorities is important.

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

depends on tire brand. Fronts anywhere from 23 to 35. Rears anywhere from 26 to 38. 10 rears from 20 to 32

GewoW wrote

depends on tire brand. Fronts anywhere from 23 to 35. Rears anywhere from 26 to 38. 10 rears from 20 to 32

I'm thinking of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s, but may go Advan AD08s or perhaps Proxes R888s, in which case I'd have to run 305/35s in the rear.

The r888s will rub at 275. The ad08s I'm not sure. The ps2s no

you will need higher than 25 on 18 - 9.5 to fit the R888 in 275 width.

but most of the time with set up like this, i am assuming that you will modify suspension to drop the car. If so, you can go with something like 18 - 9.5 et22~et25 and dial the camber in the front depending on your set up and you can virtually any 275 out there.

on the rear 18 - 10.5 et20 with 295 will fit fine.

Good day

I just picked up a set of your ARC-8s from a group buy. 10.5 in the back and 9.5 in the front and the same in a set of Volks TE37 SL. I have two sets of tires and I'm not certain whats the best tire for the rims...

I have a set of G-Force rivals 295/35/18s rears and 275/35/18s fronts and a set of Hankooks RS3 285/35/18s and 265/35/18s

Was hoping you could tell me whats the best fittment combination.

Cheers

Eddy@ApexRaceParts wrote

Are you looking to run street or r-compound tires in those sizes? Is this a street setup or a dedicated set of track wheels?

275's are better on a 10" wide wheel vs. a 9.5" wheel. 9.5" wheels are more commonly run with 265's, but obviously many people compromise when selecting from what's available.

18x10" et25 wheels fit up front on modified and non-modified E90/2's with 275/35/18's. any street tire will fit fine, and r-compounds like the NT-01 will also fit without rubbing.

an 18x10.5" rear wheel with offsets in the mid to high 20's is recommended to fit a 295 if you're looking for a clean rub free fit. I'm not sure if you're trying to get your tires flush or out of the fenders.

The APEX ARC-8 is available in an 18x10" et25 and 18x10.5" et27. The offsets are setup so that wide rubber can be used. Beware that wheels with lower offsets will just be pushing the wheel out further then it needs to be from a functional standpoint, so figuring out your priorities is important.

Ryan@IND wrote

you will need higher than 25 on 18 - 9.5 to fit the R888 in 275 width.

but most of the time with set up like this, i am assuming that you will modify suspension to drop the car. If so, you can go with something like 18 - 9.5 et22~et25 and dial the camber in the front depending on your set up and you can virtually any 275 out there.

on the rear 18 - 10.5 et20 with 295 will fit fine.

No way no how will a 295/35/18 fit on a 10.5 et20 rear wheel. I have 295/35/18's on a 10.5 et25 wheel and they have literally 1mm of clearance. I have tried to run 295's on 10.5 et22 wheels and they rubbed the painted fender, even with -2 camber. Et25 is the lowest possible offset on a 10.5" wheel that will allow fitment of a 295/35/18 or 295/30/19 tire.

Here are some pictures to show you how the 295/35/18 Rivals fit on a 10.5 et25 wheel. My rear camber is nearly -2.0. Any more aggressive offset will cause the tire to rub the painted fender. I'm honestly amazed that they aren't rubbing with my et25 wheels.... When I say there is 1mm of clearance I mean there is 1mm of clearance. I tested this set-up on the track on Saturday and everything worked great; no rubbing on the track. It is rubbing the fender liner where the bumper and fender intersect but that its only happening on big dips and it's the inner plastic that is inconsequential. No contact with the painted fender which was my big concern. The tires were great on the track; A step up from the Hankook RS3's.

j. lecram wrote

I'm thinking of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s, but may go Advan AD08s or perhaps Proxes R888s, in which case I'd have to run 305/35s in the rear.

PS2's are available in 295/35/18 but Ad08's and R888's are not. The latter are available in 295/30/18 which is 1" smaller diameter than stock. I wouldn't recommend it considering there are other options available.

PS2's would be a good street tire option. For street / track use the only tires available in 275/35/18 and 295/35/18 are the BFG G-Force Rival and the nitto NT05. I have the rivals and like them a lot. I ran them on the track yesterday and was very impressed. They hold on longer than the Hankook RS3's. The Rivals do run very wide so fitting them can be a challenge.

Hoseroller74 wrote

Good day

I just picked up a set of your ARC-8s from a group buy. 10.5 in the back and 9.5 in the front and the same in a set of Volks TE37 SL. I have two sets of tires and I'm not certain whats the best tire for the rims...

I have a set of G-Force rivals 295/35/18s rears and 275/35/18s fronts and a set of Hankooks RS3 285/35/18s and 265/35/18s

Was hoping you could tell me whats the best fittment combination.

Cheers

The 295/35/18 Rivals will not fit on a 10.5" wheel with an offset less than et25. Even an et25 will be a difficult fit. The TESL rear offset is too agressive for anything other than a 285/35/18 tire.

Eddy@ApexRaceParts wrote

18x10" et25 wheels fit up front on modified and non-modified E90/2's with 275/35/18's. any street tire will fit fine, and r-compounds like the NT-01 will also fit without rubbing.

How many times do I have to call you out on the fact that your 10" wheel with a 275 tire wil NOT "fit fine" on a car modified with KW Coilovers and many other spring over and coilover systems? Your statement above is misleading. KW Coilovers are the most popular and common system used on the M3. On a car equipped with KW coilovers, Best case a 275 tire would fit with A 5mm spacer. Worst case a 10mm spacer and about -3.5 camber would be required. I have a 10" et25 BBS wheel and could not fit a 275/35/18 G Force Rival with no spacer or a 5mm spacer (couldn't even get it on the hub with a 5mm because tire was hitting the coilover spring), and it was still rubbing on the outside with a 10mm spacer and -3 camber. That's not my definition of "fits fine".

Good day

Would the 295/35/18 fit on the Apex ARC8 with an offset of et27 ?

slicer wrote

The 295/35/18 Rivals will not fit on a 10.5" wheel with an offset less than et25. Even an et25 will be a difficult fit. The TESL rear offset is too agressive for anything other than a 285/35/18 tire.

Hoseroller74 wrote  

Good day

Would the 295/35/18 fit on the Apex ARC8 with an offset of et27 ?

slicer wrote

The 295/35/18 Rivals will not fit on a 10.5" wheel with an offset less than et25. Even an et25 will be a difficult fit. The TESL rear offset is too agressive for anything other than a 285/35/18 tire.

Yes but you may need some negative camber.

I almost forgot about the front fitment. I would recommend a 9.5 et22 wheel to fit 275/35/18 on a car with OEM suspension or lowering springs. This may require some negative camber depending on how square the tire shape is. Any coilover or spring-over suspension that reduces inner clearance would need et19 on a 9.5" wheel.

Great information here on 18" volk te37 tire fitment.

Also keep in mind though that Rivals are a very wide tire for the size they list, if you cant fit those you might be able to fit another brand. Here is Falken Azenis which run a little smaller than Rivals.

Front et22 275/35/18 Rears et20 315/30/18 "trim rear fender liner nubs"
Rivals in the rear that size and Id move up to Et34 on 11in wheel to tuck all the way in safely.

slicer wrote

I almost forgot about the front fitment. I would recommend a 9.5 et22 wheel to fit 275/35/18 on a car with OEM suspension or lowering springs. This may require some negative camber depending on how square the tire shape is. Any coilover or spring-over suspension that reduces inner clearance would need et19 on a 9.5" wheel.

I'm going to lower my E92 on B16 Damptronics which I'm presuming will reduce inner clearance as you wisely mentioned.

18x10 ET25, 275/35/18 PS4S
19x10.5 ET27, 295/30/19 PS4S

Is the above a no rub, full lock safe zone on a lowered E92? TIA!

THEROK wrote

I'm going to lower my E92 on B16 Damptronics which I'm presuming will reduce inner clearance as you wisely mentioned.

18x10 ET25, 275/35/18 PS4S
19x10.5 ET27, 295/30/19 PS4S

Is the above a no rub, full lock safe zone on a lowered E92? TIA!

Did you ever find an answer to this?

I too am interested in the B16 damptronics, but the size of the spring seems to be an issue with wide wheels and tires.

BigTee wrote

Did you ever find an answer to this?

I too am interested in the B16 damptronics, but the size of the spring seems to be an issue with wide wheels and tires.

I just went with the Ohlins RT. B16 delivery kept getting pushed so I said screw it. Sorry dude!