17" Wheels

[callmemrwiggles]

Has anybody put 17s on a stock height M3? I like the meaty sidewall look, and it seems like they can fit over the stock brakes. What do we all think? Anybody got photos?

[Sharocks]

I'm not at stock height but check my build thread, I run 17x10 275/40/17's.

[DoubleSidedTape]

275/40/17 on the blue m3, 255/40/17 on the grey. The smaller tires are much easier to fit. These are on 17x9.5.

[Bry5on]

Under non-M fenders but I’ve got 245/40/17 under stock M3 non-ZCP brakes (and mostly stock M3 suspension) here. 17x8.5 et42 with plenty of clearance to brakes and strut

[lvm3sm46]

Not enough 17 in options for us.

[EthanolTurbo]

17x9 +30 ARC8s only weigh 16.5 lbs and can run 255 square easily. Probably the ideal performance/cost setup.

[callmemrwiggles]

You guys rock. Thank you!

[callmemrwiggles]

17x9 +30 ARC8s only weigh 16.5 lbs and can run 255 square easily. Probably the ideal performance/cost setup.

How does 255 square feel on the road?

[callmemrwiggles]

275/40/17 on the blue m3, 255/40/17 on the grey. The smaller tires are much easier to fit. These are on 17x9.5.

Do you know what offsets you're running on the grey car?

[DoubleSidedTape]

Do you know what offsets you're running on the grey car?

The wheels are +35, but I need at least 10mm of spacer to clear the 996 brakes, so it’s somewhere between 10 and 15 mm spaced out front and back.

[01SG]

I run 255/40 square on et35 17x9.5 with a 12mm spacer in the rear. I think it is ideal for my purposes of weekend use and the occasional track day. No tramlining or other side effects. I love it.

[EthanolTurbo]

How does 255 square feel on the road?

Perfect because you have equal amounts of tire grip front and rear so the car is more balanced and less understeer-y. Braking is better than stock as well and ride quality goes up because 17's are much lighter and have a fatter sidewall.

[callmemrwiggles]

I run 255/40 square on et35 17x9.5 with a 12mm spacer in the rear. I think it is ideal for my purposes of weekend use and the occasional track day. No tramlining or other side effects. I love it.

Any particular reason you went 255/40?

If I'm doing the math right, 255/45 seems to be closer to the original diameter of the factory wheels. Does that really matter other than for aesthetics and speedo readings?

[dukeofchen]

The meaty 17's are more attractive the more I look at them. Having daily'd this car for 8 years on LA city streets with staggered 19's and stock 18's, a little more compliance with weight and cost savings to boot sounds like a worthy compromise for a slight sacrifice in conventional aesthetics.

[01SG]

Any particular reason you went 255/40?

If I'm doing the math right, 255/45 seems to be closer to the original diameter of the factory wheels. Does that really matter other than for aesthetics and speedo readings?

I did not pay attention to the speedometer, and aesthetically it made no difference to me. I chose that option for ease of fitment and my use of the car. I wanted to go square, but did not see any point in fitting larger tires for predominantly street use.