BMW E36/7 E36/8 Z3 M Wheel & Tire Fitment Guide

Looking for the perfect wheel and tire fitment for your E36/7 E36/8 BMW Z3 M? Our E36/7 E36/8 Z3 M Fitment Guide is your go-to resource for finding the wheel and tire specs that suit your needs. Our Flow Formed Wheels provide Apex styling and fitments at an affordable price. Options include the ARC-8, SM-10, and EC-7 models. Our Forged Wheels offer greater strength and durability at reduced weights. Forged options include the ARC-8RT, ML-10RT, SM-10RS, EC-7RS, and VS-5RS. This guide is specific to the E36/7 E36/8 BMW Z3 M. If you’re looking for wheels for your E36/7 E36/8 Z3, check out our E36/7 E36/8 BMW Z3 Wheel and Tire Fitment Guide.

These fitments prioritize (in order): 1. Ease of fitment 2. Aesthetics 3. Performance

Ideal for the driver who wants a no-nonsense direct bolt-on fitment. These fitments are a small step up from stock wheels and tires, and offer a small but noticeable performance improvement.

Staggered Setups

Maintains stock-like handling characteristics, tires can only be rotated left to right. Maximizes both front and rear tire width.

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 17x8.5" ET40
• Rear Wheel Size: 17x10" ET25
• • Available in ARC-8 design only.
  • Popular fitment.

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 235/40-17
  • Rear Tire Size: 275/40-17
  • Direct fit

• Wider Alternative:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/40-17
  • Rear Tire Size: 275/40-17
  • Additional front negative camber may be required with compounds that run wide.

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 18x8.5" ET35, ET38 (ARC-8), ET40
• Rear Wheel Size: 18x10" ET25
• • Available in ARC-8, ARC-8RT, EC-7, SM-10, ML-10RT, VS-5, VS-5RS
  • 3mm spacer recommended with ARC-8RT, ML-10RT, VS-5, VS-5RS.

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 235/40-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 275/35-18
  • Alternative rear fitment: 18x9.5" ET22 with 265/35-18 tires.
  • Additional negative camber may be required up front with tire models that run wide.

These fitments prioritize (in order): 1. Aesthetics 2. Performance 3. Ease of fitment

Ideal for the driver who wants to fill out the wheel wells with the widest possible rubber and perfectly flush offsets. Sometimes these fitments are a direct bolt-on, but often times require small spacers, negative camber, or rolled fenders for the sake of dialing in the perfect blend of function and form.

Staggered Setups

Maintains stock-like handling characteristics, tires can only be rotated left to right. Maximizes both front and rear tire width.

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 17x9" ET30
• Rear Wheel Size: 17x10" ET25
• • Available in: ARC-8, VS-5RS

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 235/40-17
  • Rear Tire Size: 275/40-17
  • Front negative camber required.

• Wider Alternative:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/40-17
  • Rear Tire Size: 275/40-17
  • Significant additional front negative camber dialed in via camber plates required

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 18x9" ET30 or ET31 (EC-7)
• Rear Wheel Size: 18x10.5" ET22
• • Available in: ARC-8, ARC-8RT, EC-7, EC-7RS, SM-10, ML-10RT, SM-10RS, VS-5, VS-5RS
  • Popular fitment.

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/35-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 275/35-18
  • Front negative camber required.

These fitments prioritize (in order): 1. Performance 2. Ease of fitment 3. Aesthetics

These fitments are effective for both performance-oriented street cars and weekend track warriors. The suspension type, alignment settings, and tire brand/size can be changed accordingly to work for either scenario.

Staggered Setups

Maintains stock-like handling characteristics, tires can only be rotated left to right. Maximizes both front and rear tire width.

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 17x9" ET30
• Rear Wheel Size: 17x10" ET25
• • Available in: ARC-8, VS-5RS
  • Popular fitment.

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 235/40-17
  • Rear Tire Size: 275/40-17
  • Front negative camber required.

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 18x9" ET30 or ET31
• Rear Wheel Size: 18x10.5" ET22
• • Available in: ARC-8, ARC-8RT, EC-7, EC-7RS, Ml-10RT, SM-10, SM-10RS, VS-5, VS-5RS

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 235/40-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 275/35-18
  • Front negative camber required.
  • Rear 285/35 tires may also be used.

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 18x9" ET30 (VS-5RS) or ET31 (EC-7)
• Rear Wheel Size: 18x11" ET25
• • Available in: EC-7, ML-10RT, VS-5RS

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 255/35-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
  • Front negative camber required.
  • Rear rolled fenders may be required.

Identifying Suspension Types

If you’re using coilovers, see the image below to identify which type of coilover spring you have, as it may effect your wheel fitment.

Aftermarket Suspensions Known To Reduce Inner Clearance (includes but not limited to):

• Bilstein PSS9 & PSS10
• KW Height-Adjustable Spring (HAS) kit
• KW Variants
• KW Clubsports
• Öhlins Road & Track

Concavity & Face Profiles

Each of our wheel designs is available in two or three different levels of concavity, which we call Profiles. The Profile is dictated by the width and offset, meaning wide lower-offset wheels will have more concavity, while narrow higher-offset wheels will have less concavity.

About Camber Plates

Adjustable camber plates do more than just aid in wide wheel and tire fitment. They provide increased grip and reduced tire wear by spreading the load evenly during cornering. Learn more in our blog article, The Positives of Negative Camber.

Big Brake Kit Clearances

We have tested many brake kits with the wheels listed in this guide. Please email us with any questions related to brake clearance, we’ll be happy to help.

Still have questions?

Fill out our Fitment Recommendation form Call us: 925-245-0773 Email us: support@apexraceparts.com