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[Phil Sanderson]

Scott, the pics of your 540 show no front air scoops below the bumper, is this standard?

[DrewZ]

The offset won't noticeably affect handling.

225/45 is a strange tire size for 18s on an E34. Usually, they'd be 235/40/18 (and 255/35 or 265/35 in the rear if staggered). What are the tires rubbing against -- the sway bar, the strut tower or the fender? What width are the wheels?

Drew Zacharda
6-speed Touring

Ok, thanks! Hmmm... I see you have 15mm offset wheels too! :P How does this affect handling? So far, I've been using 225/45 R18 tires on them. They do rub at full lock, so I just back off about half a turn... I lose turning radius. I figured something was wrong with the previous owner's setup... I just want to know if there's anything I can do about it without changing wheels (I can't exactly afford a new set)

Thanks again!

**PS... my wheels are BMW 745 Replica wheels 18" ... the wheels of this type that I've found online all have 20mm offset, but the shop that sold a set just like mine (I don't know where the previous owner bought the set that's on my car) say they are 15mm... Is there anyway for me to check the offset myself?

[jplacson]

You're telling me!!! They came with Dunlop LM tires... I know a good size is 235/40/18. I'm eyeing new Michelin Preceda for my next change. My tires are 8.5"

I honestly don't know what they're hitting... on full wheel lock, I heard a slight 'grind' so I immediately backed off... but I'm gonna check it in the shop tomorrow when I pick up my car... I can see everything better when the car is on the lift being aligned after the suspension repair.

I'm still not sure where my wheels came from, but I think this is one strong possibility:

http://www.mogroup.co.ae/wheel33.htm

It's the EVE 166 wheel (replica of the Style 95 of BMW)

[jplacson]

Ok, lemme see if I got this right... so now that my wheels have a 15mm offset, and the E34 has a 20mm, that means I'm now running 5mm negative?

Drew, you said that it won't affect handling that much... in what way would it affect it, if it were a larger value? Thanks!