Wheel spacers.

[Judd]

All,

I'm installing BMS wheel spacers. 15mm on the rear with 12mm up front. I'm starting to wonder if I should switch them around. 15 in the rear sure does look wide. Suggestions please.

[twin turbo]

I bought my spacers from IND Distribution. They recommended 15mm front and 12mm rear for a square stance. I think they suggested 15mm all the way around if you like the staggered look. I love the squared up look.

[Judd]

Thanks for the input. Pics to follow.

Cheers.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by Judd

Thanks for the input. Pics to follow.

Cheers.

Sub'd for pics

[CanAutM3]

...I just wanted to use the emoticon

[9SECDD]

Originally Posted by Judd

All,

I'm installing BMS wheel spacers. 15mm on the rear with 12mm up front. I'm starting to wonder if I should switch them around. 15 in the rear sure does look wide. Suggestions please.

15mm up front and 12mm in rear is definitely more traditional. If you think the 15s look too wide you should definitely try that.

That said, I actually like the wide look and ran 20mm out back when I had stock wheels/tires.

Run 15mm out back now with wider tires and like the bulging out of the fender look, heh. So it's all about your own personal taste.

[Judd]

15 mm up front and 12 mm on the rear.

[mdefalco25]

15mm front 12mm rear is most definitely the standard. That's how I'm running my setup. One thing to realize, your rear fender is going to get destroyed where BMW put a small segment of paint protection film (PPF) on the fender. You will destroy this with your front wheels out further and may want to look at getting it protected. Some do and some don't. I personally did and think it is money well spent to remove the BMW PPF on fender and replace with a bigger piece from Xpel or other manufactures.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by Judd

All,

I'm installing BMS wheel spacers. 15mm on the rear with 12mm up front. I'm starting to wonder if I should switch them around. 15 in the rear sure does look wide. Suggestions please.

I had 20mm BMS spacers on our M3 with OEM wheel / tires. 19"

Mike

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

I prefer a 15/15 setup personally.

[Ian1973]

I had 15's all around, now just 15s in the front, as I went up to 295's in the rear and never replaced the spacers.

I wonder how much the spacers in the front have contributed to the rear quarters getting all peppered and chipped up.

[Groganrocket]

I ran 15mm all around on my m4 and it looks great.

[AlterZgo]

15/15 is perfect on an M3 IMO. No rubbing whatsoever under any conditions and it does not look staggered at all. In fact, even with 15 in the rear, the tires looked slightly more tucked than in the front. I don't see how people would like 15 front and 12 rear better. But, ultimately 3mm is virtually nothing and not noticeable to most people anyway.

[C-ARchitect]

I have 15mm all around and lowered on Swift Springs. it looks great!

[davey111483]

I'm on 12f/15r dropped on swifts.

[Steakfries]

I've been hesitant to pull the trigger on spacers due to some unknowns. How do they affect driving dynamics? How do spacers affect alignment and the stock suspension?

Basically, even if they change the handling characteristics slightly I just want to maintain the confidence I have in what the car can do during autocross events and spirited driving.

I can only imagine I'm over thinking things. Haha

[swifty]

Well I tried 12mm front and 15 mm rear and this setup induced understeer on fast turns that I hadn't experienced before. However the stance is definitely menacing.

Plan to go with 12mm all around to keep oem stagger to get rid of the understeer. Plus I'm running contis which runs wider in the front than PSS and 15mm in the front is definitely going to kill the rear quarters.

[Kevin G]

Originally Posted by Steakfries

I've been hesitant to pull the trigger on spacers due to some unknowns. How do they affect driving dynamics? How do spacers affect alignment and the stock suspension?

Basically, even if they change the handling characteristics slightly I just want to maintain the confidence I have in what the car can do during autocross events and spirited driving.

I can only imagine I'm over thinking things. Haha

On the last point, yes you are. For anyone who tells you there's a huge difference, either they're a professional driver or they enjoy puffing crack on a regular basis.

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

You can easily notice under steer when using a wider spacer in the rear. When tried a 15f/18r setup, the rear axle had more grip and therefore created more understeer push. Switching back to 15/15 made a discernible difference to me.

[swifty]

Originally Posted by CaryTheLabelGuy

You can easily notice under steer when using a wider spacer in the rear. When tried a 15f/18r setup, the rear axle had more grip and therefore created more understeer push. Switching back to 15/15 made a discernible difference to me.

Ya I'm sure square set of spacers will help.

[TRZ06]

I also wonder how much extra strain they put on the wheel bearings.

The biggest thing that keeps be from trying them is they tend to induce vibrations. Everything has to be just perfect for them to be OEM smooth.

[EALm4]

Originally Posted by TRZ06

I also wonder how much extra strain they put on the wheel bearings.

The biggest thing that keeps be from trying them is they tend to induce vibrations. Everything has to be just perfect for them to be OEM smooth.

I've always wondered that too. My front ones are coming off and going to be inspected. I either bent a rim or the spacer (VRSF) got warped some how. I get some vibrations in the steering wheel during moderate braking during 50+ mph. I'm thinking it's the rim though... stupid work has an uneven surface going into the lot and I may have come in too hot.