F30 3-Series Staggered Fitment – Wide and Mildly Aggressive

Article updated on: 4/25/2023

NOTE: Since this article was first written, we have developed a more aggressive track fitment for the 3 Series using 18x9 ET30 or ET31 front wheels. Our 18x9 ET42 EC-7 has also been discontinued. Read about our recommended F3x fitments on our guide here.

If you want a wider, more aggressive, and spacer-free fitment and your F30 isn’t too low this is a great setup for you. What’s wrong with low cars? Nothing; but our F30 is at 25.25” (this is low) in front and we get a little rubbing on the fender liner. It looks great, and we think the minor rubbing is worth it, especially since there are no other compromises*. We could always choose to raise our F30 a bit or use 235/40 tires in the front, but probably won’t. To us, it’s perfect just the way it is.

Our F30 came with 17X7.5” wheels with 225/50 tires. By moving to the 18×9 and 18×9.5” wheel package we are able to run 245/40 and 255/40 tires front and rear, while saving 13 lbs. over the original wheel and tire package, even with larger and wider wheels, and wider tires. This weight savings is significant as it is rotational mass, which impacts performance far more than static weight. The new tire sizes are not only a great width** for our upgraded setup but they are a near-perfect overall diameter for the F30, which is taller than the previous previous 3 Series.

Please contact us with any questions you may have.

Using a 9.5” wheel in the rear in combination with the 9” wheel in front allowed us to use a wider 255/40 tire in back and add more concavity with a profile 2 EC-7. The staggered setup is more aggressive looking and works well with the F30.

As a test, we drove our F30 328i, lowered on KW V3s (http://www.kw-suspension.com/us/kw_variant_3.php), with the new wheels and tires on an over 700 mile round trip to Bimmerfest 2013 in Pasadena, CA. It was remarkable how much nicer the car was when we would do the “Look Back Test.” It also got a lot more looks. There was no rubbing in the front*** that we could hear and that was with 3 people and luggage in the car. Although we know it contacts the fender liner in front there is absolutely no rubbing in the rear with this specific tire and wheel size.

THE RUBBING

Once the tire wears away at the plastic in the fender liner, the rubbing stops as the front tires self-clearance themselves. We know that sounds a little silly but life is about compromises and the low ride height and wider tires look so good.

We believe the rubbing would be reduced on F30s that are not as low as ours at 25.25” and you could choose to run a 235/40/18 which could reduce or eliminate the rubbing.

* This is a direct fitment with no spacers required front or rear ** By using a 235/40/18 tire on the 9” front wheel you will reduce the risk of rubbing the fender liner. *** We now know there was some minor rubbing. Staying at a 25.25” or higher ride height could significantly reduce the rubbing or completely eliminate it

SPECIFICATIONS

• Car/chassis: 2013 F30 328i.
• Wheel model: EC-7, Race Silver, 18X9” ET42 Front and 18X9.5” ET43 Rear.
• Tires: 245/40/18 front and 255/40/18 rear Toyo Proxes T1-Sport.
• • A 235/40/18 tire on the front, 18X9” ET42 wheel would likely eliminate the minor rubbing
• Suspension: KW Variant 3 Coilovers.
• Camber: -0.7 degrees without camber plates in the front and -2.0 degrees in the rear.
• Ride Height: 25.25” front and rear.
• Spacers: None.
• Fenders and body modifications: None.
• Brakes: OEM. No clearance issues
• Clearance
• • Front: Rim – Strut; 7mm, Tire – Perch: 4mm, Tire – Fender: 3mm.
  • Rear: Rim – Strut; 45mm, Tire – Strut; 41mm, Tire – Fender; 5mm.

DETAILS: TIRES, SUSPENSION, CAMBER PLATES, SPACER, BRAKES

TIRES

In comparison to the 225/50/17 stock tires, the 245/40/18 and 255/40/18 on this fitment are significantly wider. The TOYO T1 Sport isn’t a particularly meaty tire but it doesn’t run narrow either. You can feel comfortable choosing almost any non-extreme summer or R-compound tire in these sizes, knowing they could fit. Some makes and models of the same size could run wider and cause inner and outer clearance issues with their wider arc when turning or under compression.

SUSPENSION

KW helped us with our F30 project by sending us their V3 Coilovers. We fell in love with them because they’re a high quality, street-oriented system that is very comfortable and controlled while having great high performance characteristics. You can use them in their default setup from KW for the street or dial up the rebound and compression for track use and high performance driving.

This fitment, with the V3s on the F30 has 4mm of clearance from the tire to the lower spring perch in front and 41mm in the rear. There is no issue with spring clearance.

NOTE: The KW V3’s use progressive, conical springs. Progressive springs have a V shape and can reduce inner clearance because the spring grows in width from the bottom up. This can cause fitment issues with the tire hitting the spring. Additionally, there are some coilovers that may cause issues with the tire hitting the spring or lower spring perch because of a long spring that pushes the lower perch down to the widest part of the tire and sometimes below.

CAMBER AND CAMBER PLATES

Adding negative camber (camber angle) with camber plates is almost always recommended to customers looking to run a wide, meaty tire in the front of a BMW. As of writing this (07/`5/2013), there are no camber plates available for the F30 that we can recommend.

We currently run a 245/40/18 on our F30 with -0.7 degrees of camber. In examining fitments and mounting wider wheels on the front we can see a 255/35/18 easily fitting if we had camber plates. Although we would have to test it, it looks like -1.5 degrees of camber would be plenty to get the wider tire to clear. If we raised the ride height by ¼-½”, used a shorter and straight-wound (linear) main spring, and added -2.5 degrees of camber, it wouldn’t be surprising if a 265/35/18 fit. We’ll test these and let you know in another article.

OTHER BENEFITS OF NEGATIVE CAMBER

Additional negative camber balances a BMWs handling and significantly increases its performance. Racers typically run an additional -1 degree of camber on the front compared to the rear, sometimes more. From the factory, BMWs typically have +2 degrees more camber in the front compared to the rear. Although this is done to give you early warning in the front tires when you’re going a little too fast in corners it biases grip to the rear tires. By adding negative camber to the front you can more perfectly balance a BMW’s handling by creating similar levels of grip, front and rear.

Wider front tires also contribute to perfectly balanced handling on a BMW. If you want to run aggressively wide tires in the front, negative camber (commonly referred to as “more camber”) is almost always necessary to help clear the front fender by tucking the wheel under it.

SPACERS

This is a spacer-free fitment. The fitment is as flush as you can get without the tires rubbing or requiring you roll your front fenders. There is no functional need to push the wheels out more with these summer tire sizes.

BRAKES

Although we are using the non-Sport OEM brakes this fitment was tested with StopTech’s 345 ST40, 355 ST60, and the 380 ST60 BBKs for the 335.

• Tested with Stoptech 355 ST60 and 355 ST40s for an F30 335 (http://stoptech.com/products/big-brake-kits) with over 5mm of clearance at the spoke and rim.
• Tested with Stoptech 380 ST60s (http://stoptech.com/products/big-brake-kits). Requires a 5mm spacer to clear the rim. This setup isn’t possible to run in the front unless camber plates are used with approximately -2 to -3 degrees of camber.
• At the date – 08/02/13 – of writing this article StopTech does not produce a BBK for the F30 328i but will soon.

WRAPPING IT UP

Much wider tires, better performance, concavity, better aesthetics, are all reasons why this fitment is a great choice. If the 1 minor drawback of rubbing on the front fender liner isn’t ok with you, we feel it could probably be eliminated by raising the car a ¼-½”, although we would have to test this to be sure. You could also choose to run the 18X9” ET42 EC-7 up front with a 235/40/18. You could also use the 235/40/18 on our 18X8.5” ET35 EC-7, which looks exactly like the 18X9” EC-7 with a 245/40/18. Please contact us with any questions you may have. If you would like to purchase this fitment visit the F30 APEX Wheels page on the APEX Race Parts Website .

Tom M.

Tom is a BMW Fitment Expert at APEX Wheels. Prior to joining the company in 2019, he worked for BMW of North America as Fleet Manager: Portland (OR) for the ReachNow car-sharing program, and as Warranty Administrator/Loaner Fleet Manager at BMW Portland. In addition, Tom has extensive training in BMW TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) as well as in-depth knowledge of all BMW chassis and their wheel fitment options, with and without aftermarket brake and suspension upgrades. His high-performance driving experience includes autocross events in southern Oregon and track days at PIR in his 2004 E46 330i with 17x9 ET42 APEX ARC-8 wheels. Vehicles he owned prior to indulging his passion for BMWs include a 1989 Jaguar XJ6 and a 2006 S197 Ford Mustang. Fun Fact: Tom is a huge Formula 1 fan. Have questions about wheels for your BMW? Use our contact form and ask for Tom.