ALL about BMW wheels on a Thirdgen Camaro IROC Firebird Trans AM


I reference TGO member cal30_sniper on this since he's had some sweet looking rides using the M Parallel OE BMW wheels. He sort of pioneered the idea for me.

Ive ran BMW wheels daily (and to the track) but mostly to and from work for several years now.

The main issue is that theres seriously a lack of choice in our sizes. Do a search.. take a good long look see, and when u type in 5x4.75" you are limited to Torque Thrust and Vette wheels, Cragars etc...

Im making information available about more choice in wheels.


for instance: cal30_sniper got wheels that belong a 2001 7 series with the sport package :

Front 18x8 ET +15 (with 10mm hubcentric front spacers)
Rear 18x9.5 ET +25

BMW 5 series will have a larger hub bore but same size wheels ... either will work.



This is only to provide information Ive learned and applied over the years.

BMW wheels and Aftermarket BMW wheels offer an immense range of choice. Mesh wheels and Five stars and all sorts.
5x120 will bolt right on. Yes they bolt on (With Exception to weird offset wheels and our front hubs which i will get to in a moment)
The M Parallel wheels bolted on my car with no problem and with only the need of a hubcentric ring built into a 8mm spacer, which was only to keep it centered not

to space it out. Without this bit of space u lose the centercap since the fbody wheel hub sticks out a bit.

BMW rims are all over so be sure to find them with a low offset so they will bolt on with minimal hassle.
Search for wheels that fit older 5 and 7 series mid 1990s thru early 2000's. These will have lower offsets and some will have a nice staggered setup.
Our offset is basically close to 0 .

for example: Find wheels with a 74.1 hub centerbore if you are able to.

Get all 4 wheels from the same source/car and you will need to keep in mind hubsize, seriously since ours is like 70.3 for the E39 5 series for instance will be 74.1. and the 7 series will be 72.5 its a pain in the wazoo to mix and match if you get them from different sources. Be sure to go on ebay and get a hub ring for the rear. Its 70.3 to whatever u need to shim it. that way it lines up centered and not off to one side when u bolt it up..

My scenario for example involved 70.3 to 74.1 rings and this works for both drum and disk in the rear.

The Front:

U need a hubcentric spacer or an adapter depending on whether its an aftermarket bmw wheel or a stock OE style wheel. stock M Parallel wheels will have a +20 offset from the getgo so u need to only shim it to clear the space for the centercap to be put on.

in my case Ive found that a 5x120 8mm hubcentric spacer will work. (74.1 to 74.1) (they can be gotten from ebay) now if u dont care about center caps it will bolt on. however it looks a little wierd without it. The Front hubs on these cars suck since that hub bearing snout sticks way out, its a odd design.

You cannot use the same hubbrings from the rear on the front end. The hub on the front of the car has a hub and rotor all in one giant peice. It tapers down and at the base its actually slightly larger than 70.3 at times. Furthermore the rotors are not made perfect some are larger and taper down at a slightly different rate. In this case a spacer with a hubcentric ring
built into it is the best idea. 8-10mm should do it, if that doesnt clear then try 12mm to allow that centercap to stay on.

The spacers you get might not always seat down the base of the hub properly. The width is not exact when they mold or create these stock rotors/hub assemblies that you get from the local parts store. And furthermore the hub base on the car ..if its stock and hasnt been replaced in a while then rust also makes it larger around and the spacer wouldnt seat. get a sanding pad or anything to sand it down or grind it down smooth where it should be.

one other thing of note when dealing with spacers on the front.. if you have stock brake setup on the front end, sand it down and clean the hub and the base and all around the lug studs.

Note an adapter/spacer that says 70.3 gm to 74.1 hubcentric adapter since the hub snout will catch on the lip of the inside of the spacer and wont slide all the way down. you can open it up but then theres not much material left if any to be useful for "hubcentric" so basically you have a spacer without the hubcentric ring to center the wheels when they go on.)


**IF your wheel will not fit over the hub, (meaning the hub snout wont poke thru the centerbore of the wheel deep enuf or in the case where the centerbore is too small in the wheel and it needs to be spaced out to clear the nub. You can get by with a 1 inch 5.75" adapter found on ebay all day everyday to shim it out a inch and still be able to bolt the wheel on the car. dont get the hubcentric.
When i say adapter its not just a spacer. IT bolts to the car, then the wheel bolts to the spacer/adapter. Its got its own set of lug studs pressed into it and comes with lug nuts and is to be installed and torqued down just as a wheel would be. This is better sometimes if you need a thick spacer opposed to a regular spacer that just slips on and then thats it, leaving you with less thread engagement and the lug nuts wont have material to grab onto.
Basically Adapters need to be torqued down and then put the on wheel and then torque Those down as well. *

I personally dont run adapters with BMW M Parallels. They bolt on however U do need to make it centered with hubcentric rings. those can be easily found on ebay just measure what U got against the new wheel's centerbore.


Spacers, can change scrub radius, increase tire wear and reduce wheel bearing life, so keep that in mind those things could eventually occur as well as fender damage. A safer idea is to get wheels with the correct offset to eliminate the need/cost for spacers altogether.

If you have to get it spaced out then always use the smallest spacer or adapter you can get by with.

Note:
The REAR DOES NOT NEED, SPACERS, OR ADAPTERS unless the wheels you bought has the wrong offset. Corvette wheels need them.
Again it should only need HUB RINGS

The BMW wheels should BOLT ON with just hubrings. measure and compare each to be sure you buy the correct sizes from ebay.



~~~~~~~BMW wheels with big brake setups~~~~~~~

Sites like bigbrakeupgrade or flynbye or any other big brake conversion will somewhat alter these instructions. a hat rotor will slide onto a hub and shim up a bit of space between the hub and the wheel. So. lets take that into account. My experience for example. I have C6 brakes and I knew I needed to shim that space and keep the wheel centered Annnnndd be able to keep a
center cap to hide that ugly grease cap on the hub. I tried a 7mm which was too thin and the cap wouldnt pop on.. a 8 looks like it would be the bare minimum with the cap barely able to be pushed in all the way but 10 or 12 may be better it depends on what brakes you currently run. thier cheap so I buy multiple sizes and play around with it.)


Also consider Thread engagement.
This is important,. dont go getting a half inch (25MM) spacer and stick it on. Theres probably not enough threads to hold the wheel on safely.

I may edit to this later on as I continually experiment

Land Rover, Range Rover and Jaguar XJ will have wheels that may also work however they usually have wayy wrong offsets
Offsets are the thing to look out for, it needs to be close to stock as possible to reduce making major modifications to wheel wells or large spacers.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BMW Wheel information~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camaro size = 0 offset and 70.3 hubsize probably gonna need 70.3 to 74.1 hubring

Note: (E38 7 series use 72.5mm hub size)
Current working setup 18x8.5 +13 front 18x9.5 +15 Rear 74.1 Hub Bore for

E39 bmw 5 series late 90s

all wheels off these BMW's will work on 4th gens
*318i
92-99


323i
98-00


325i, 328i
92-05


330i
01-05


325i, 325xi, 325ci
2006+


330i, 330xi, 330ci
2006+


Z3 2.5i, 3.0i
96-02


Z4 2.5i
03-Up


Z4 3.0i
03-Up


X3 2.5i, 3.0i
04-Up


X5 3.0i, 4.4i
00-01


X5 3.0i, 4.4i, 4.6is, 4.8is
02-Up

----------------------------

all wheels off these bmw's will work on thirdgens

BMW
525, 528, 530, 540
89-96


525, 528, 530, 540
97-03


525i, 530i, 545i
04-05


525i, 525xi
2006+


530i, 530xi
2006+


550i
2006+


M5
01-03


M5
2006+


645i, 650i
05-Up


740i, 750i
77-01


745i, 760i
02-Up


870Ci, 850Ci
92-97



Must use low offset wheels for thirdgens to avoid gigantic spacers.


References : https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/wheels-tires/550753-bmw-m-sport-18-a.html

 

I should provide more pictures to give an idea of what BMW mesh style rims look like whether its drum or disk. on and off the car . hopefully this can give others an idea of what mesh wheels would look like and might help thier decisions.

 

 

Very interesting. Thanks for the post. They look great and look like they belong. Just change out that center cap to say Camaro!

 

First the warning; Running 5x120 wheels on 5x4.75" (120.65mm) will side-load the studs, and eventually lead to broken studs.

Search on 5x120 and you should get far more than "hardly any" results. Google says 576 results here on TGO alone...

Here is a thread for modifying wheels from 120 to 120.65 spacing: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/whee...t-pattern.html

 

as stated in the original posting, this thread is not designed to start a debate on safety. This only for info on BMW wheel fitment and various methods of making it work for those who are interested and know whether its right for them or not.
Feel free to start a new thread somewhere else discussing bolt pattern safety if you would like, but please dont jack mine up.
Thanks.

 

It's a good thing you're attempting to provide information regarding hub-centric spacers, especially given the mis-match of stud spacing.

Since you may have missed it, he did post a method of making 120.00mm (bmw) wheels fit on 120.65mm (third gen) hubs. If you don't find that relevant to the subject at hand, you may want to re-think your level of expertise as an internet wheel maestro.

 

all these negative vibes . i wanted to post info to help ppl get some nice wheels. im in the wrong for doing this appearantly.

 

actually now that i remember, they can just buy a hubcentric adapter for 5x4.75" to 5x120 or even have one custom made.
but that drilling and modifying wheels post yall mentioned.. ive seen awhile back.
its definitely something alot of folks arent able to do themselves. lets not discourage. if this post is deemed that bad report it . take it down. i just didnt want folks trolling it up and discouraging folks like on facebook or yellowbullet...
i see the concern. it sounds awful. i was worried at first a few yrs ago but its really not that bad in practice. ive run em for several years.

then i remember when i started..theres these things called wobble nuts. alotta VW guys use them. their weird but they work well too.
a half a mill difference can be mitigated with an adapter and more folks can have more awesome choices for wheels.

 

Sorry if this thread didn't go the way you wanted. The "public" of public form doesn't always cooperate.

One last touch on safety: there are several ways of doing this "right";
a) hubcentric w/ wobble nuts
b) modify wheels to 120.65
c) re-drill hubs/axle flange to 120
d) adapter/spacer from 5x120mm wheels to 5x4.75 (120.65mm) hub and/or axle flange

a,b,c allows use of 0 or close to zero offset wheels
d requires high(er) offset wheels for the 1"+ adapter

Fortunately, I love the look of the 85-87 stock 16" wheels, so I am not highly motivated to replace them. However, the dwindling options of 16" rubber, the 245/255 limit on the stock 8" wheel, and some great looking wheel alternatives, I am paying attention to what else is out there.

Most aftermarket wheels fall into a) cheap, heavy (and possibly unsafe for racing), b) REALLY expensive, or c) Paul_Huryk's CTS wheels.
That leave factory takes offs. Going up in size, whether larger diameter or width, has been mostly limited to 4th gen Camaro, of Corvette wheels.
BMW factory wheels and that aftermarket has some great options, but have to address the 120 vs 4.75 issue. Trying to list the available options for factory take offs, or in general, available sizes and offsets, what if any spacers are needed, is a very useful resource in opening all choice to include 5x120mm wheels.

 

yep theres alot of ways to do it. most folks dont have the ability to cut. if your able to thats good. otherwise get the wobbly nutz and roll on lol

 

ya the 16 is limited in tire sizes.. just not enuf market anymore i suppose. then again most new cars come with big wheels from the factory.

 

Berlyn0963...good info on the write up, thanks for posting.

Good to know BMW wheels can fit on 3rd gens...with a bit of minor modification or alternatives...

Provides new wheel options for personalizing our cars.

 

will these fit my car without spacers? 91 firebird stock suspension with front ls1 brakes and stock rear end with drums.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/XXR-531-18x8...xWBbiM&vxp=mtr

 

OK, so Berlyn0963, I thank you for taking the time to put together that information.

I'm not entirely clear, though.

My Formula is stock, with drum rear brakes.

If I wanted to run these, on all 4 corners, can you tell me what I'd need to do?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cosmis-Racin...dTjkwh&vxp=mtr

If the 18 x 10 just wouldn't work on the front, they have 18 x 9

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cosmis-Racin...8AAMXQuCdTjk7D

 

Please reply Berlyn!!!! Sean of why such a big difference in price? By the way wheels are killer.

 

$585 for 2 of the 18x10 (or $1170 for 4) versus $1062 for the set of 4 18x9s. That's (only) an extra 10% or $108 to step up from the 9" to 10" set.

 

you can use the 18x10 all around. The rear would require an adjustable panhard bar some hammering and about a 1/2 or 3/8 spacer.


the front will need a 7/8 " spacer and some extra camber.


you can use a 295/35 but its all realm close and some extra work may be needed

 

Also keep in mind you will lose some turning radius, aftermarket a arms from UMI is what I use and it helped gain some clearance and radius back. Tires are more expensive and if this is a more DD oriented car it may not be a good idea.

 

sorry i havent been here to reply in a while.
ive been on MuIIet militia and thirdgen f bodies world wide on facebook groups discussing bmw wheel fitment...
i personally have not used any wheel wider than 8.5inch up front. theres so many options and spacers available. have fun with it and be mindful that sometimes tires can wear different or wear quicker than normal.

 

anyone else with experience running extremely wide wheels can chime in and help offer info and options. i once ran a one inch spacer for 2 yrs with a 8.5 inch wide front bmw wheel. currently running 10mm hubcentrics with an 8inch wide bmw wheel. it just depends on offset. and backspace. its good to check those to be sure what spacer or adapter is necessary.

 

or switch to all front sizes as well

 

 

scored these and they fit perfect. Do you know what size hub centric rings these use, says online the hub is 72.5, but I only find 72.62? rs212, et13 17x8.5

 

They look pretty damn good Berlyn, nice job.

 

Do you have a full side pic of the camaro in the last set of pics? And what did those wheels come from? I like those!

 

Their 5 series but 7 will also work if u buy the right hub rings for the rear and some hub centric spacers for the front. bolt pattern is the same the issue is the hub opening being bigger than the stock hubs on our cars. other than that it bolts on like anything else.

 

no you are not wrong and thank you,i found your advice and detail incredibly helpful and i am immensly thankful.i am looking at some bmw wheels and contemplating right now

this is the add info :5x120 bolt pattern,ET20 offset,74.1 hub bore. 235/40R18 tires BMW 525,528,540,M5,318,320,325,328,330,M3

bmw rims

 

.

 

I have a tool I will rent out for a small fee that will drill the seats for 5x120.65. Of course I will need a deposit to make sure I get it back and shipping costs covered as well.

The bolt pattern is really so close, just redrill the seat and all is good in the world. There are a few threads where people have made tools to do it.

 

im in Canada,not California unfortunatly.can you show me the tool or private message me,im a machinist and can make just about anything

 

There is a link above to one where a rear axle was used to build a jig. The one I have uses a front hub and a pressed in guide with a similar 60* cutting head.

 

thanks,it actually appears to be 0.012" per side which is 2-3 human hairs.im pretty confident this will work fine with a hubcentric ring if needed.0.01" is sweet diddly and probably will not even create stud clearance issues.

 

(deleted)

 

i got them and put them on,went for a cruise.they feel great,look awesome and handle well.these look a lot better on my car than that other camaro.
$380 was more than the cost of the new rubber for my 16" rims and thats what i paid for these rims with NEW RUBBER.......

 

Did that tool work out well for you?

 

I haven't stumbled across any 3 piece BMW wheels I have wanted yet! I'm a bit overloaded and need to downsize about 6-7 sets of rare wheels before I begin my hunt again, definitely looks like it will work like a charm though!

 

I actually just found a set and now am making another tool.

 

picked up another set from a bmw but these are bbs lm reps.