I have to replace a couple of wheels on the 2000 323ci convertible with 16x7 wheels and new Falkens 215 55 16. Can anyone shed some light on this? Need the offset measurement so I can get the right wheels for the vehicle. Made a bad mistake on my 89 525i. Wheels turned out to be for a 92 to 98 3 series at 15x7. Right size wrong offset. Thanks Dennis
If you call the Tire Rack, you will find that they devote much time and energy to figuring out proper wheel offsets for all sorts of models. . . they've never steered me wrong!
They are probably 35-40 mm, like most 3 Series wheels of that era. You ran into the problem because most larger BMWs (5, 6, 7, and 8 Series) generally ran 20-22 mm offset wheels. This means that the 3 Series wheels end up too close to the struts and suspension of the car and require spacers and longer lug bolts to use. Conversely, the 5, 6, 7, and 8 Series wheels will be too far out on a 3 Series and likely interfere with the fenders. There is no simple fix for this. The simple answer for you is to buy 3 Series wheels from an E36 or E46.
AFAIK, the offset for all non-M E46 is 47. You can find the offset stamped on the inside of your existing OEM rims.
