Fikse wheel fitments (long)

["Calvin Hare" <harem3@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Digest List:

There's been a lot of discussion lately about Fikse wheels and various 
fitments.  I have 8.5x17 FM10's all around with 245/40-17 AVS S1's on a 
'96 M3/2.  I've done a fair amount of research on this subject before I 
got mine so here's my $0.02 worth that I posted on the E36M3 list 
yesterday:

Carl originally wrote:
>
>>There is NO truth to the rumor that there is "something wrong" with
>>the 8.5 fitment.  It just isn't Fikse's best recommendation.

Carlos added:
>
>Back in May when I spoke to Alex Long he recommended the 8.5's all
>around for a stock suspended M3.  Perhaps Alex and Jim advise people
>differently.  Calvin, you have 8.5's all around can you jump in on 
>this one?


OK I'll chime in.  I also spoke with Alex before making my decision.  He 
stated that the 8" & 9" combination was the recommendation for the '96 
and up M3 at that time (March '97, early in the Fikse craze, before 
Duane, I and others started the 8.5" all-around craze <g>) because it 
used the stock tire setup with no modifications necessary on '96 and up 
cars.  However, if you wanted to go same size all around the 8.5x17 with 
245/40's was the way to go.  

Specific fitment issues he mentioned were:

1. With the 8.5" rim and 245/40 tire, slight rear fender roll may be 
required, depending on tire.  On the 9" rim he said this should not be a 
problem as the extra .5" stretches the tire enough to avoid the problem.  
We're talkin' mm's here.

2. The 9" rim works on the rear of the '96 and up cars but could be a 
problem on the '95's because they don't have the little notch in the 
muffler seam to give the extra clearance for the factory 8.5" rims.  
Only applies if you have the stock '95 muffler though.

3. The 8.5" rims have no clearance issues on the front but the 9" rims 
will require spacers to clear the upper spring perch.

Before I decided on 8.5's I did some research of my own.  I sketched all 
the rim width/offset combinations together on a sheet of paper using a 
line for the hub and the measured offsets from this hub.  I found that 
all the Fikse combos placed the outer edge of the rim at the exact same 
place in relation to the fender.  If you look at the Fikse part #'s this 
makes sense.  Fikse uses a part number that's a combination of the inner 
and outer rims used to make the wheel.