I had my wheels refinished this winter and want to try spacers to beef up the look. I have the performance package and stagered wheel. Does anyone have any experience with this? Max size is 30mm which is what I want to run.
I recently had a tire shop recommend 18mm in the back and 15mm spacers in the front on a 335xi with custom machined and painted M3 wheels. Here are some concerns I am aware of: you will need a new alignment, the 30mm spacers may wear down your bearings faster because more force is applied on them, and you need to check if you have enough clearance so the wheels don't rub on a sharp turn. You will also need longer bolts, but not too long, they have to be the perfect length. I was personally wondering about whether or not to stagger mine if I did it. Subaru's need to have same size spacers all around because of the 50:50 power distribution. I have it on good authority from my professional rally racing friends that different size spacers will negatively affect the differential on such cars. Lamborghini is ok with wider stance in the rear because it has a 75:25 power distribution. My car has 60:40, and I assume yours is similar. No one at the dealership has been able to answer my questions about this. The tire shop, like I said recommended a slightly staggered 3mm difference between rear and front, but I am hunting for a second opinion. 30mm seems like a lot. If you do get spacers, make sure they are hub centric and high performance alloy. -Bartek-
