Looking to achieve the perfect wheel & tire fitment for your BMW E46? Our E46 Fitment Guide is your go-to resource for navigating the world of wheel and tire setups, suspension adjustments, and body modifications tailored specifically to the iconic E46 chassis including 318i, 323i, 325i, 325iT, 328i, 330i including xi models. Whether you're aiming for a sleek and aggressive stance or optimizing performance on the track, our guide provides expert insights, recommended sizes, and tips for achieving the ideal fitment. Unlock the full potential of your E46 with our comprehensive Fitment Guide, ensuring a head-turning appearance and enhanced driving experience. We offer Forged wheels such as the VS-5RS, SM-10RS, EC-7RS as well as Flow Formed models such as the ARC-8, SM-10, EC-7 and FL-5. If you’re looking for fitment information for the E46 M3, head over to our E46 M3 fitment guide.
Bolt Pattern
5x120mm
Center Bore
72.56mm
Lug Seat
60° Conical
Thread Pitch
M12x1.5mm
Easy upgrades for street-driven cars
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.
Recommended for most types of street and performance driving. Allows proper front-to-rear tire rotation to extend tire life & improve handling balance.
Staggered Setups Maintains stock-like handling characteristics, tires can only be rotated left to right. Maximizes both front and rear tire width.
Aggressive fitments focused on appearance
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. The fitment below is very aggressive and can require extensive modification to make it work without rubbing. Be prepared to trim or cut areas of interference.
Square Setups Recommended for most types of street and performance driving. Allows proper front-to-rear tire rotation to extend tire life & improve handling balance.
Wider fitments for enhanced performance
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.
Square Setups Recommended for most types of street and performance driving. Allows proper front-to-rear tire rotation to extend tire life & improve handling balance.
The ideal SPEC E46 wheel setup
Staff Pick:
Narrower Option:
Our wheels are popular for winter use because of their unmatched caliper clearance. We recommend a square fitment in order to allow front-to-rear tire rotation, although staggered fitments can also be used.
Square setups
Front & Rear: 18x8.5" ET35 or ET38 with 225/40-18 winter tires
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.
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 E46 Suspensions Known To Reduce Inner Clearance (includes but not limited to):
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.
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.
Fill out our Fitment Recommendation form Call us: 925-245-0773 Email us: support@apexraceparts.com