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      12-14-2019, 07:13 AM   #1
gippy
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Wheels for track days - what spec will fit?

i want to buy a cheap set of wheels for track days in the future.

My factory setup is staggered, 19", and i want a square 18" or 17" setup for track, purely to for cost reasons so i can buy the same tyres for all 4 corners.

rather than me spending hours on youtube researching, i was hoping i could be cheeky and ask someone on here,

Q. what measurement criteria do i need to look for on ebay to buy a suitable set of 18" wheels?

offset, diameters, clearance, etc....

Q. Is there some kind of database or something i can use where i can plug in a specific wheels dimensions and it will tell me whether it's within tolerance levels of my car?

Q. Can i go even smaller and fit 17" for cost reasons? Or can i even fit 17's to my car?
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      12-14-2019, 08:08 AM   #2
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17s are possible if you do not have m-sport or big brakes but I recommend 18s if tracking a f3/4 series car. i just noticed you are MPPSK so definitely 18"

I understand why you want to go cheap and while there may be cheap wheels that may be good enough to track with, decent quality wheels and tires are important for your safety and the others you're sharing the track with.

You could get a used square set of oem 18x8 ET34 400M, 441M, or 397 with 245/40/18. There's peeps selling these in the classifieds sub-forums all the time. just noticed you are in the UK so you'd have to check UK classifieds.

If you desire aftermarket wheels, the wheel and tire sizes should be, 18x8.5, ET(30-35) on 255/40/18 or 245/40/18. wheels and tires in these sizes are commonly available for F3/4 series cars.

What is your total budget for wheels and tires?

how about 18x8.5 +32, konig dekagram(8.66kg-19.05lbs) or ampliform(8.86kg-19.48lbs), both are flowformed, on 255/40/18 bridgestone potenza S007A?
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Last edited by alohasurftoad; 12-20-2019 at 11:21 AM..
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      12-15-2019, 05:35 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alohasurftoad View Post
17s are possible if you do not have m-sport or big brakes but I recommend 18s if tracking a f3/4 series car. i just noticed you are MPPSK so definitely 18"

I understand why you want to go cheap and while there may be cheap wheels that may be good enough to track with, decent quality wheels and tires are important for your safety and the others you're sharing the track with.

You could get a used square set of oem 18x8 ET34 400M, 441M, or 397 with 245/40/18. There's peeps selling these in the classifieds sub-forums all the time. just noticed you are in the UK so you'd have to check UK classifieds.

If you desire aftermarket wheels, the wheel and tire sizes should be, 18x8.5, ET(30-35) on 255/40/18 or 245/40/18. wheels and tires in these sizes are commonly available for F3/4 series cars.

What is your total budget for wheels and tires?

how about 18x8.5 +32, konig dekagram(8.66kg-19.05lbs) or ampliform(8.86kg-19.48lbs), both are flowformed, on 255/40/18 bridgestone potenza S007A?

how do you work out if a wheel is decent quality or not?
materials/design?

OEM is good enough then for track?

if i can get used set of OEM that would be fine, if its the same price as new aftermarket.

those wheels you've posted look rather expensive.......
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      12-15-2019, 08:16 AM   #4
alohasurftoad
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The OEM wheels are good enough to track but they are 18x8, so 245/40/18 is the max width you can use. 18x8 441M are decently light for low pressure cast at 11.2kg-24.64lbs. 400M and 397 are slightly heavier.

Konigs are one of the cheaper flowformed offerings here in the US but they've been around awhile. Enkei also has a few flow formed offerings for decent price. There's a few other brands as well.

If you find a wheel you like and have questions about it post it here.

Used 18x8 OEM will likely be the cheapest way. get some 245/40/18 sticky track tires and you'll be set.

here's what 245/40/18 looks like on oem 18x8 397's and also a comparison to the original 225/45/18 tire size that it normally comes with

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...46&postcount=7

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...5&postcount=48

Last edited by alohasurftoad; 12-15-2019 at 11:27 AM..
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      12-15-2019, 08:17 AM   #5
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Subscribed as I am in the process of sourcing some track day tires myself.

From a resource perspective, you might find value here:

https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide

I hear from some of my track friends that apex arc-8 are a good track day wheel that won't necessarily break the bank. Still hoping to find a used set.
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      12-15-2019, 07:47 PM   #6
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I'm running a square set of 513ms for track. I was previously running the staggered set without much trouble but I wanted to go square so I could rotate and prolong the life of my tires a bit.
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      12-16-2019, 01:16 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andino View Post
I'm running a square set of 513ms for track. I was previously running the staggered set without much trouble but I wanted to go square so I could rotate and prolong the life of my tires a bit.
yeh thats why i want to go square as well.
all i can find so far is lots of staggered sets of OEM wheels from used cars on ebay unfortunately.
Did most F3x's come with staggered setups from factory??
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      12-16-2019, 01:18 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rangeball_81 View Post
Subscribed as I am in the process of sourcing some track day tires myself.

From a resource perspective, you might find value here:

https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide

I hear from some of my track friends that apex arc-8 is good track day wheel that won't necessarily break the bank. Still hoping to find a used set.
fantastic guide, thank you, explains everything!
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      12-16-2019, 07:04 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gippy View Post
yeh thats why i want to go square as well.
all i can find so far is lots of staggered sets of OEM wheels from used cars on ebay unfortunately.
Did most F3x's come with staggered setups from factory??
I think most of the setups were staggered from factory unless it was xdrive. OEM f8x wheels were still the cheapest/lightest way to get into a good set of track wheels for me. Though for the level of effort, I think Apex wheels would have also been a great option.
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      12-19-2019, 06:08 AM   #10
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So using that Apex guide, it looks like i need to shop around for a set of
18x8.5" ET35 or ET38 with 235/40 R18 tyres.

I'm not after performance, i want an easy fitment with the least amount of contact patch/grip as i enjoy a loose car.

I assume this will clear my 370mm discs.

Which offset is it? 35 or 38?
ET 38 is more positive offset which means the wheel will stick out a bit more, is that correct?

If I want to add some negative camber then, the bigger offset is more practical?
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      12-20-2019, 08:15 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gippy View Post
So using that Apex guide, it looks like i need to shop around for a set of 18x8.5" ET35 or ET38 with 235/40 R18 tyres.

I'm not after performance, i want an easy fitment with the least amount of contact patch/grip as i enjoy a loose car.

I assume this will clear my 370mm discs.

Which offset is it? 35 or 38?
ET 38 is more positive offset which means the wheel will stick out a bit more, is that correct?

If I want to add some negative camber then, the bigger offset is more practical?
personally, i don't agree with 235/40/18 and think they're too narrow, especially for B58 torque but of course it's your choice. here are a few threads from the track sub-forums with members running a whole variety of setups.

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1263209
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1635518
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1339087

you wrote that you DON'T want performance and DO want the least contact/grip for a loose car. this is an enigma to me, unless drifting/sliding is your intention, which is not the type of track intentions i was assuming. poor handling and poor grip is always slower

i've read that all OEM 18" DO clear big brakes but there are a few aftermarket 18" that DON'T.

with positive offset, lower sticks out more, higher tucks more. ET38 is 3mm more tucked than ET35. The difference is minor unless you're rubbing something, which it wont with the wheel and tire sizes we are discussing.

if you don't want performance, why do you want to add negative camber? you can increase the front track width with lower offsets and add additional negative camber for the track but you won't like driving around daily like this and you'll wear out the insides of your non-track tires quickly unless you're going to adjust the camber and alignment every time you go to the track and return it back to normal afterwards.

i'd just go with OEM 18x8 ET34 with 245/40/18 or 235/45/18 or aftermarket 18x8.5 ET35ish with 245/40/18 or 255/40/18, track tires of your choice and call it a day.

Last edited by alohasurftoad; 12-20-2019 at 09:46 PM..
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      08-17-2020, 03:44 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alohasurftoad View Post
The OEM wheels are good enough to track but they are 18x8, so 245/40/18 is the max width you can use. 18x8 441M are decently light for low pressure cast at 11.2kg-24.64lbs. 400M and 397 are slightly heavier.

Konigs are one of the cheaper flowformed offerings here in the US but they've been around awhile. Enkei also has a few flow formed offerings for decent price. There's a few other brands as well.

If you find a wheel you like and have questions about it post it here.

Used 18x8 OEM will likely be the cheapest way. get some 245/40/18 sticky track tires and you'll be set.

here's what 245/40/18 looks like on oem 18x8 397's and also a comparison to the original 225/45/18 tire size that it normally comes with

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...46&postcount=7

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...5&postcount=48

Thank you for this advice. Very useful information. I am a newbie in this field so such information is really useful for me.
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