should i put spacers on my e92 m3 and what ones?

i have an 2011 zcp e92 m3 with the zcp wheels im going to paint them mat black like on the m3 gts and just wanted to know if u guys think i should put some spaces on at the same time. if so what brand and how big?

thanks

leigh wrote

i have an 2011 zcp e92 m3 with the zcp wheels im going to paint them mat black like on the m3 gts and just wanted to know if u guys think i should put some spaces on at the same time. if so what brand and how big?

thanks

You know the rears don't really even need a spacer. If you go with a wider tire ala 285 like the GTS that fills the rear wheel wells quite nicely. I'm thinking of going with a 10mm spacer in ther front only, anything less than that and I don't think it matters. I like the Matt Schnell or the Turner Motorsports.



Dave

I have a E92 ZCP. I put on 15mm spacers on the front, and 12mm on the rear, and I am changing out the suspension tomorrow to get the car to sit a bit lower and to finally figure out for the sake of the forum what is exactly different between zcp and non zcp by taking many observations and measurements.

The car does not rub at all, and as a matter of fact, for the stock tire sizes on ZCP, I recomment 18mm front spacers, and 15mm rear because of the stretched tire.

Stick with a 12mm spacer in the rear if you choose to go 275's in the back and stick to 15mm in the front if you decide to go 255. This was the reason I personally chose the sizes I did. I go through tires in about 6-7k miles, so I am not too worried.

-Malek

P.S. If you need pictures of the car in its current state, let me know. I will have more pics after the suspension change tomorrow as well.

I'd go for "none" in almost all situations.

Richbot wrote

I'd go for "none" in almost all situations.

I agree.
Wider stance positives: Looking extra cool cruising the local high school and positive comments from a few people here.
Wider stance negatives: More rocks and dirt thrown up on the side of your car, higher risk of wheel/tire balance problems, and possible issues separating the spacers from your hubs when you want to remove them.

There should be absolutely NO drivability issues with spacers if installed correctly. If the correct size spacer and chamfer design is right, then there is no vibration or wobble as some like to call it.

If a flat spacer is used, then there should be problems, such as the 5mm, 8mm and 10mm spacers. All others are fine, and try not to use more than a 18mm spacer in general due to the extra lever force on the hub.

There is no need to knock on spacers, as wider wheels and tires will still kick up rocks and dirt at the car anyway if the proper offsets are implemented. If weak offsets are used, there is no sense in changing wheels anyway IMHO.

Cheers.

calintexas wrote

I agree.
Wider stance positives: Looking extra cool cruising the local high school and positive comments from a few people here.
Wider stance negatives: More rocks and dirt thrown up on the side of your car, higher risk of wheel/tire balance problems, and possible issues separating the spacers from your hubs when you want to remove them.

Not to mention worse aero, borked steering geometry, more tire scrub, etc. May not be perceptible for 95% of people who use them, but it's happening.

If you get spacers, get the RCS from ASG in the Sponsors section. They're only a little more than what used spacers sell for.

Has it been confirmed that spacers are actually needed to run the GTS sized tires on a zcp car? Seems like Mark's MCBlue car came with the gts wheels/tires and no spacers needed. I'd avoid using spacers if possible.

leigh wrote

i have an 2011 zcp e92 m3 with the zcp wheels im going to paint them mat black like on the m3 gts and just wanted to know if u guys think i should put some spaces on at the same time. if so what brand and how big?

thanks

Many members of M3Post have used the Macht Schnell spacers and absolutely enjoyed them. I would recommend a 12mm front and 5mm rear spacer if you are on OEM tires.


Macht Schnell - Competition Wheel Spacer kit for BMW

ranger22 wrote

Has it been confirmed that spacers are actually needed to run the GTS sized tires on a zcp car? Seems like Mark's MCBlue car came with the gts wheels/tires and no spacers needed. I'd avoid using spacers if possible.

Not that I've heard. 255/35 & 285/30 should work fine without spacers on the ZCP wheels. The OP's spacer question here is all about appearance.

Here is 255/35/19 front and 285/30/19 rears on my ZCP..





No rubbing at all..

The 255 fronts are close not because they are so wide, but at 26" tall they come close to the edge of the fender liner on full lock.

Dave

There's a sticky thread by rldzhao on this forum that tells pretty much everything anyone needs to know about spacers. Be sure to read it before purchasing and installing spacers. The info in there can save lots of problems.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=336209

Malekreza11 wrote

I have a E92 ZCP. I put on 15mm spacers on the front, and 12mm on the rear, and I am changing out the suspension tomorrow to get the car to sit a bit lower and to finally figure out for the sake of the forum what is exactly different between zcp and non zcp by taking many observations and measurements.

The car does not rub at all, and as a matter of fact, for the stock tire sizes on ZCP, I recomment 18mm front spacers, and 15mm rear because of the stretched tire.

Stick with a 12mm spacer in the rear if you choose to go 275's in the back and stick to 15mm in the front if you decide to go 255. This was the reason I personally chose the sizes I did. I go through tires in about 6-7k miles, so I am not too worried.

-Malek

P.S. If you need pictures of the car in its current state, let me know. I will have more pics after the suspension change tomorrow as well.

Ditto. On ZCP wheels 15/12 will sit you similar to what 18/15 is on the regular 19" M Wheels.

Malek I should be getting my zcp in about 2 days. Can you send over some pics of your stock setup and your lowered setup? e-mail is steeeeevo at gmail.com. BTW what drop did you go with? and why?

Dave07997S wrote

Here is 255/35/19 front and 285/30/19 rears on my ZCP..





No rubbing at all..

The 255 fronts are close not because they are so wide, but at 26" tall they come close to the edge of the fender liner on full lock.

Dave

I'd expect 265/30's to fit even better than the 255's because of this, the height seems to matter a bunch up front.

Richbot wrote

I'd expect 265/30's to fit even better than the 255's because of this, the height seems to matter a bunch up front.

265's on a 9" rim I don't feel is optimum though, I was worried about sidewall support.

Dave

a burrito wrote

Ditto. On ZCP wheels 15/12 will sit you similar to what 18/15 is on the regular 19" M Wheels.

Malek I should be getting my zcp in about 2 days. Can you send over some pics of your stock setup and your lowered setup? e-mail is steeeeevo at gmail.com. BTW what drop did you go with? and why?

I will have a whole write up on how to lower the ZCP correctly and the differences between ZCP and non ZCP car's.

Everything is coming my friend!

A 265/30-19 on a 9" wheel is just about perfect. 9-10" is the recommended width range for that tire, and it's perfectly safe to go well beyond that if necessary (recommended does not mean required, remember) . 10" is not better than 9", on the street the extra rim protection you get from mounting that tire to a 9" wheel as opposed to a wider wheel (not to mention grip from a wider tire and turn-in response from the shorter sidewall) would probably be worth it. I recommend throwing those 255's on the back, doing a big burnout (take video) and getting some 265's.

Richbot wrote

A 265/30-19 on a 9" wheel is just about perfect. 9-10" is the recommended width range for that tire, and it's perfectly safe to go well beyond that if necessary (recommended does not mean required, remember) . 10" is not better than 9", on the street the extra rim protection you get from mounting that tire to a 9" wheel as opposed to a wider wheel (not to mention grip from a wider tire and turn-in response from the shorter sidewall) would probably be worth it. I recommend throwing those 255's on the back, doing a big burnout (take video) and getting some 265's.

I will disagree with you here on 2 accounts.

1. Although a 9" rim is the minimum most manafacturers recommend for a 265width tire it won't support the sidewall as well as a 9.5" (the measured wheel width when given specs) wheel would. Ultimate grip may be enhanced but you will lose some precision.

2. A 265/30/19 is just to short in my opinion, at 25.3" tall it .5" smaller than OEM. A 255/35/19 is only .2" taller at 26" vs. 25.8" for the OEM size.

However, thats the beauty of tires...everyone has an opinion on them.


Dave

Malekreza11 wrote

I will have a whole write up on how to lower the ZCP correctly and the differences between ZCP and non ZCP car's.

Everything is coming my friend!

Looking forward to it...we got to have a meet soon! Love to see your MR E92. They'll be twins.

Dave

Dave07997S wrote

However, thats the beauty of tires...everyone has an opinion on them.
Dave

You mean they're not all just round a black? Nice color choice on your car by the way.

calintexas wrote

You mean they're not all just round a black? Nice color choice on your car by the way.

Yes, thanks..you have great taste too I might add.