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So my buddy got his 2019 BMW M5 Comp lowered and spacered out. I wasn't sure how it would look but it looks great. My son's words are now banging around in my head, "Dad, you gotta drop a little and space out the wheels". Well I'm not going to drop it, but yeah, the spacers seem like a nice thing to do.
So I figure I have two choices:
1. Spacers ($)
2. Have the OEM wheels reworked ($$$$)
For 2. I have always wanted to spend the dollars to have a stock set of wheels cut, widened, and offset adjusted to fit the fattest tire under the factory (or rolled lip) fenders. My son works for West Coast Customs so they can do this to the rims. Makes this somewhat tempting as I love the factory 19's.
So a few questions to start,
What are the widest spacers I can go, front and back without rolling? With rolling?
Has anyone put "max" rims underneath? If so, how did it turn out?
Way to much work and money for nothing in the end especially if you don’t like the look plus the who knows how that impacts the overall integrity of the rim. Get spacers but depending on how much you want to space them out you might need longer studs. I have a 19x8.5 in the front with a 45 offset but run a 15mm spacer with it so it sits flush. I needed to upgrade to ARP studs because the stock ones are to short.
Another option is bolt on spacers. The spacers will bolt up to the factory bolts and have new one for the wheels to mount to.
With the cost of modifying factory wheels I say it's better to get aftermarket wheels.
Seems like a lot of money spent/blown vs just buying wider wheels to fit the exact setup/look you want. If you want to just keep the stock wheels you probably better off just going spacers and a wider tire. Outside of that its far too many threads of wheel setups to get eyes on something you like. I think there is a wheel fitment thread that's like 100 pages long or something, its a lot to sift through but worth it to see setups and get a better idea
Seems like a lot of money spent/blown vs just buying wider wheels to fit the exact setup/look you want. If you want to just keep the stock wheels you probably better off just going spacers and a wider tire. Outside of that its far too many threads of wheel setups to get eyes on something you like. I think there is a wheel fitment thread that's like 100 pages long or something, its a lot to sift through but worth it to see setups and get a better idea
For me I would like spacers on the OEM wheels because the factory wheels look pretty decent and those of us either earlier years wish we had the .5"+ width on all four tires to begin with. Plus, most of those threads, they just post up pictures without detailing suspension setups, incomplete wheel/tire specs and if they have done any fender modding of any kind which makes it difficult to judge if certain wheels fit correctly.
Having the OEM wheels reworked I have only seen once on an ISF on FB, and it adds more weight and effort than is worth it in my opinion. Should you ever sell the car, the buyer may not understand or be comfortable with it, so that's money lost.
Spacers I have run H&R bolt on ones on the 08 wheels, but didn't push the car and as my 08 wheels had all seasons so it wasn't worth it to push the car anyways. I ran 15mm front and 20mm rear, but my rear was already rolled from a summer wheel setup so 15mm rear may be better. I was also on stock tire sizes which I believe were 225 and 255. I was also lowered on coilovers, though not slammed. Compared to some F's my rear was even higher than stock ISF rear height. Spacers will run you ~$200. Here are photos from my 2008 ISF:
However, I recommend simply going to aftermarket wheels. There are plenty on the market that you can find that will look better or similar to OEM wheels, yet weigh less than even the OEM BBS forged wheels. After 3 different setups I have settled on 19x9.5+45 square with 255/35 and 285/30 for a good setup. My 2012 F doesn't have anything rolled and doesn't have rubbing, even lowered on coils. As a nice plus, the 19x9.5+45 Rays Gramlight 57CR I have weigh 22 lbs, while the narrower 08 wheels weigh 23 and 27lbs, though the extra rubber decreases the weight savings though adds grip. They were under $2k shipped, and were a more pricey rarer color as well, I think regular black or gun blue is like $1700 shipped. You can save even more weight and money as well as adding comfort by going to an 18" setup. Aftermarket wheels you can always sell for at least 70% of what you paid(in my experience), so it's not that much money lost. Here are photos of my white 12 and my silver 08(same wheels and coilovers).
My new F is a 12 so I have the nicer 12 wheels for my winter wheels. I did not add spacers, and the 12 wheels come a little bit wider and have a bit of a nicer offset as well, so they look nice lowered but not as flush as my aftermarkets. This 12-14 wheel style is rare and I've seen them for $1800-2500 for sale. Obviously there are 10-11 style as well as RCF/GSF style wheels also, but you'd have to read up on proper specs and tires to run to avoid any issues. Here is my 12 lowered with no spacers:
Personally I love my summer setup. Light wheels, thick tires, and looks great with a nice puppy model
Last edited by LexusfanVA; Mar 19, 2020 at 06:37 AM.
Having the OEM wheels reworked I have only seen once on an ISF on FB, and it adds more weight and effort than is worth it in my opinion. Should you ever sell the car, the buyer may not understand or be comfortable with it, so that's money lost.
Spacers I have run H&R bolt on ones on the 08 wheels, but didn't push the car and as my 08 wheels had all seasons so it wasn't worth it to push the car anyways. I ran 15mm front and 20mm rear, but my rear was already rolled from a summer wheel setup so 15mm rear may be better. I was also on stock tire sizes which I believe were 225 and 255. I was also lowered on coilovers, though not slammed. Compared to some F's my rear was even higher than stock ISF rear height. Spacers will run you ~$200. Here are photos from my 2008 ISF:
However, I recommend simply going to aftermarket wheels. There are plenty on the market that you can find that will look better or similar to OEM wheels, yet weigh less than even the OEM BBS forged wheels. After 3 different setups I have settled on 19x9.5+45 square with 255/35 and 285/30 for a good setup. My 2012 F doesn't have anything rolled and doesn't have rubbing, even lowered on coils. As a nice plus, the 19x9.5+45 Rays Gramlight 57CR I have weigh 22 lbs, while the narrower 08 wheels weigh 23 and 27lbs, though the extra rubber decreases the weight savings though adds grip. They were under $2k shipped, and were a more pricey rarer color as well, I think regular black or gun blue is like $1700 shipped. You can save even more weight and money as well as adding comfort by going to an 18" setup. Aftermarket wheels you can always sell for at least 70% of what you paid(in my experience), so it's not that much money lost. Here are photos of my white 12 and my silver 08(same wheels and coilovers).
My new F is a 12 so I have the nicer 12 wheels for my winter wheels. I did not add spacers, and the 12 wheels come a little bit wider and have a bit of a nicer offset as well, so they look nice lowered but not as flush as my aftermarkets. This 12-14 wheel style is rare and I've seen them for $1800-2500 for sale. Obviously there are 10-11 style as well as RCF/GSF style wheels also, but you'd have to read up on proper specs and tires to run to avoid any issues. Here is my 12 lowered with no spacers:
Personally I love my summer setup. Light wheels, thick tires, and looks great with a nice puppy model
Looks very good and thanks for the informative information. Do you know if H&R makes 15mm spacer that have built in lugs?
Spacers vs wider wheels - Final Word?
