Going for lighter wheels. How does this look?

[Autobahn335i]

That track looks like a lot of fun! Hmm, to bad it's a four hour drive away from me. Running at Spa-Franchorchamps is top priority for me this year. But I need a set of semislicks as there are some high speed corners which indeed eat tyres, like you noticed at Zandvoork. I was thinking about a 235/18 square setup.

How did you like the JB4 btw? I found the power to be too much on/off and brutal on the racetrack, which made me switch back to the Procede which is way more linear.

If you want a cheap and very effective suspension mod, I recommend the M3 front wishbones and control arms. They add a bit of camber (much needed at the track) and tighten up steering response. It's really one of the best mods for our cars!

[DavidV]

I have the same problem with Spa.
It is a 3.5 hour drive. But I'll be there this summer though. 'We have a trackday planned for june 21.
I never driven the real circuit myself before, only sims. I have been driven around there some laps though.

I never was a big fan of a square setup for tires.
The rear needs more traction then it gets from 235 width to perform well. I understand you will be more neutral in corners, but that will only affect you in low speed corners.
On high speed corners where you keep power on the rear is more loose with a square setup. Everything happens much faster when you drive at 100mph+
If I can choose where I could go off it would be in a low speed corner. Less chance to write your car off.

Actually, funny you ask about the JB4.
With the new software I have no issues regarding throttle responce or controllability.
Most of the time I myself get too enthousiast on the go pedal myself if the rear breaks, but that has something to do with tire traction as well.
I'm still on street tires. I plan to use my old rims for trackdays, and put some sort of semi-slick on them. Still hesitating between the Michelin Pilot Cup and Toyo R888 for tire chioce.


If I do change the wishbones and control arms, will these fit on a 135i as well as om a 335?

[CoreyWB]

Good decision. the F14's look great. However, those are some heavy wheels.
I recommend Advan RZ's on 1-Series, not sure why but they only look good on 1-Series. Light weight and good look.
Attachment 14066

That looks mean! Great setup. I would also look at HRE or ADV.1 track spec's.

[DavidV]

If you want a cheap and very effective suspension mod, I recommend the M3 front wishbones and control arms. They add a bit of camber (much needed at the track) and tighten up steering response. It's really one of the best mods for our cars!

Are these the parts you meant?

M3 front upper control arms (thrust arm, tension strut) (31102283575 and 31102283576)
The upper control arms eliminate the fluid-filled stock bushing which is very prone to leaking the fluid and cease being effective. The solid rubber M3 bushing is also a bit stiffer for more precise steering and control.
M3 front upper inner bushings (31102283579)
M3 front lower control arms (wishbone) (31102283577 and 31102283578)
The M3 lower control arm has a sealed inner bearing instead of the rubber-isolated stock bushing. The bearing allows the lower arm to rotate freely instead of binding up. It's also a bit longer and curved slightly to give more negative camber (adds .75 of negative camber).
M3 headlight adjusting rod (37142283867)
Replaces the stock rod on cars with adaptive headlights.

[Autobahn335i]

Are these the parts you meant?

M3 front upper control arms (thrust arm, tension strut) (31102283575 and 31102283576)
The upper control arms eliminate the fluid-filled stock bushing which is very prone to leaking the fluid and cease being effective. The solid rubber M3 bushing is also a bit stiffer for more precise steering and control.
M3 front upper inner bushings (31102283579)
M3 front lower control arms (wishbone) (31102283577 and 31102283578)
The M3 lower control arm has a sealed inner bearing instead of the rubber-isolated stock bushing. The bearing allows the lower arm to rotate freely instead of binding up. It's also a bit longer and curved slightly to give more negative camber (adds .75 of negative camber).
M3 headlight adjusting rod (37142283867)
Replaces the stock rod on cars with adaptive headlights.

Yes these are the parts. But you don't need the "front upper inner bushings" as the bushings are already mounted in the tension struts. HP Autowerks sells all the parts as a set with a bit of a discount. You might want to compare with the prices the BMW dealer gives you.

An alignment is required immediately after the installation.
And then it'll feel like you got a new car

[DavidV]

HP Autowerks sells all the parts as a set with a bit of a discount

Which is fine if you live in the USA. But getting them here would probably be a lot more expensive I guess.
I'll give my brother in law a call. He works at a BMW M dealership in the parts department
Thanks.

[Autobahn335i]

Which is fine if you live in the USA. But getting them here would probably be a lot more expensive I guess.
I'll give my brother in law a call. He works at a BMW M dealership in the parts department
Thanks.

Yes unfortunately the Euro value has gone down quite a bit lately which makes shopping parts in the US more expensive But if you manage to get the parcel in without customs (50/50 chance here in Luxembourg) you can still score good deals.

Have fun at the track!

[654]

18" 8.5 (front) weighs 17.6lbs
18" 9.5 (rear) weighs 18.4lbs
That's not really heavy? Could not find lighter rims tat look good and are available for overseas shipping...
Compared to my BBS rims I probably lose 7lbs+ per corner minus some weight for wider tire.

Those are really light, even too light? For compromised strength, I mean.
I went with APEX EC-7 as they are a bit heavier than their ARC-8 and because of it, should be even stronger. I think Volk RE-30 is the lightest strong wheel, but quite expensive, and found APEX EC-7 being reasonably priced, quite light and probably strong enough to avoid the need of replacing any of them ever.

When it comes to tires, I remember Sport Auto testing Michelin super sports and they did not do too well in the test. From the generic tires the PSS was good only in dry, but on the other hand, if you want dry performance only, there are even better tires for dry that suck on the wet. The tire technology develops each year, and half of the summer is passed already, so if you can, I would wait for the next year and better tires to emerge.

[DavidV]

Those are really light, even too light? For compromised strength, I mean.
I went with APEX EC-7 as they are a bit heavier than their ARC-8 and because of it, should be even stronger. I think Volk RE-30 is the lightest strong wheel, but quite expensive, and found APEX EC-7 being reasonably priced, quite light and probably strong enough to avoid the need of replacing any of them ever.

When it comes to tires, I remember Sport Auto testing Michelin super sports and they did not do too well in the test. From the generic tires the PSS was good only in dry, but on the other hand, if you want dry performance only, there are even better tires for dry that suck on the wet. The tire technology develops each year, and half of the summer is passed already, so if you can, I would wait for the next year and better tires to emerge.

I went to Spa Francorchamps with them and really put the wheels thrue a wringer strenghtwise. I do not believe I will put this amount of stress on them in a stress setup as they get in Les Combes or au Rouge (potholes excluded...) They held up perfectly and give very responsive steering.

The tires, I've read very contradicting tests about them.
I ordered them anyway, and actually they perform even better then I expected them to.
In dry weather I have tons of traction (I can accelerate WOT with almost no wheelspin, it really made the car come alive), and in moist conditions or even in soaking wet conditions
I have better traction with these tires then I had with my old PS3's in dry conditions, not even to speak of the RE050A's the car came with.
I am very pleased with them and would highly recommend them for daily use if you had to make a choice for new tires.

[654]

I went to Spa Francorchamps with them and really put the wheels thrue a wringer strenghtwise. I do not believe I will put this amount of stress on them in a stress setup as they get in Les Combes or au Rouge (potholes excluded...) They held up perfectly and give very responsive steering.

The tires, I've read very contradicting tests about them.
I ordered them anyway, and actually they perform even better then I expected them to.
In dry weather I have tons of traction (I can accelerate WOT with almost no wheelspin, it really made the car come alive), and in moist conditions or even in soaking wet conditions
I have better traction with these tires then I had with my old PS3's in dry conditions, not even to speak of the RE050A's the car came with.
I am very pleased with them and would highly recommend them for daily use if you had to make a choice for new tires.

What tire sizes did you go with? Did someone buy those for you in the US or did you manage to buy those directly from a Michelin retailer in the US? I believe your tires don't have the European acceptance markings for the inspection though, but I guess I could go for inspection in the fall with winter tires on already...

[DavidV]

What tire sizes did you go with? Did someone buy those for you in the US or did you manage to buy those directly from a Michelin retailer in the US? I believe your tires don't have the European acceptance markings for the inspection though, but I guess I could go for inspection in the fall with winter tires on already...

I had them bought thrue Tirerack and shipped to the Netherlands through a local car repair shop.
They are indeed not sold in the EU in the size I wanted.
I have 235/40/18 in the front and 265/35/18 for rear tires.
But the funy thing is, there are EU acceptance markings on them.
Maybe they have the same print on all sizes due to exchanging tires US/EU for different tire size, IDN, but there are EU markings on them.
Thread about the update

[654]

I had them bought thrue Tirerack and shipped to the Netherlands through a local car repair shop.
They are indeed not sold in the EU in the size I wanted.
I have 235/40/18 in the front and 265/35/18 for rear tires.
But the funy thing is, there are EU acceptance markings on them.
Maybe they have the same print on all sizes due to exchanging tires US/EU for different tire size, IDN, but there are EU markings on them.
Thread about the update

Funny indeed that they have the acceptance even though they are try not to hvae them available in Europe...

[654]

You made me quadruple check myself

This looks like an E-mark to me.

Attachment 19456

Yes, I believe it is the official E acceptance. In the E2, the number 2 is for France, which makes sense since Michelin is French and the acceptance is acquired in France.

[DavidV]

Yes these are the parts.

I got them in this saturday.
I'll try to get them installed this week

[Autobahn335i]

I got them in this saturday.
I'll try to get them installed this week

Very nice!

Please post how you like them!

[ModBargains.com]

The Forgestar F14 wheels are an excellent choice. They're rotary forged, are super strong, and are light weight. It's great for an everyday street driven vehicle and will definitely hold up for your track events as well! Here are a couple pictures of the Forgestar F14 18" wheels in the Brushed Titanium finish on our project 135i for you to check out!

Specs:

Front: 18×8.5 - Falken FK452 235/40/18
Rear: 18×9.0 - Falken FK452 265/35/18

[Curtis17]

Very nice..

It sounds pretty good. I think you should use these wheels. they are better then the other old wheels. They have a nice and rich look. I am sure you will feel also the difference when you drive the car. Please post the performance of the wheels when you use these wheel. I like these. You have great choice.