What Really Fits Your E90/E92 - E9X Fitment Guide

When choosing wheels for your 05-13 BMW 3-Series, just because something works doesn’t mean it ‘works’. In other words, just because it fits, doesn’t mean it looks right.

Like what you saw? Want a set for yourself?

BMW made four body styles during this gen, a sedan (E90), a wagon (E91), a coupe (E92) and a convertible (E93). All of these share nearly identical fender arches, wheel wells and basic fitment requirements - meaning wheels that fit a sedan will also fit a coupe, convertible, etc. But…the overall dimensions and body lines are a little different, meaning the same set of wheels may not look as good on each body style.

Each car needs special attention to get it looking right, especially when selecting the rim diameter. 18-inch wheels are the most common. We’ll take a look at some of these, but also other sizes so you can get inspired for your own build. First, here are some basic specs that are the same across the E9x platform.

Basic fitment info
All models of 05-13 BMW 3-Series use a bolt pattern of 5x120mm . Typically, wheel diameters range from 17-20 inches. We’ve seen larger diameters (19 & 20”) used mostly on wagons and sedans, but there are outliers (see E93 examples below). Normal rim widths range from 8 to 9.5 in the front and 8 to 10.5 in the rear, and the best offsets are between +20 and +45.

Hold on, XDrive and LCI owners read this!
Ok, so not all wheels will work on all models. Vehicles equipped with XDrive, for example, need special attention before you mount just anything. In order to not blow out your transfer case, the rolling diameter of the wheels needs to be the same front to rear . Rolling diameter is the overall diameter of your wheel, rim & tire. This means that a staggered setup is fine, as long as the overall diameter is within a tight tolerance front/rear. This applies to all vehicles except the E93 convertible, where XDrive wasn’t an option.

The prescribed wisdom is that a max difference of 2% rolling diameter should be used front-to-rear . An easy way to calculate this is with this simple tool.

LCI sedan and wagon owners, your vehicles are also slightly different - but not by too much. The rear track width is +8mm, meaning you have slightly less tire-to-fender clearance. All vehicles we’ll cover in this post are non-LCI. To adjust for the track width, simply add +8 to the offset of the examples below. Easy enough.

E90 (Sedan)
The sedan version of the E9x has the same wheelbase and trackwidth as the others, however, it’s slightly shorter and wider than the coupe or the vert. In addition, at 55.9”, it’s about 2” taller than the coupe/vert. The effect is a preference for 18 or 19” wheels for this body style. Let’s look at both.

Really, 18s look good on every 3-Series of this generation. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if we said that 18-inch is the most common diameter of aftermarket wheels for the E9x chassis.

E91 (Sports Wagon)
Also called the ‘Touring’ in European markets, the wagon is wide and tall, a lot like the E90. Because of this, you’ll see similar sized wheels to the E90. 18 and 19-inch diameter wheels are common, but some owners don’t shy away from 20s for the Touring body style. Here are some examples of 18 and 19s, again, but this time with different aesthetics.

E92 (Coupe)
At first glance, the coupe might appear overall smaller than other body styles, but that’s not the case. Along with the convertible, both are overall about 3.5” longer than the sedan or wagon. There are some obvious differences. The doors are longer and also frameless. The coupe and vert share unique headlights and taillights. Altogether the body lines and panels are a bit different. So, what wheels look good on a coupe?

There is also a 2-piece version of the CH-R, the CH-R II, if you prefer multi-piece wheels. Between the two, there are countless options for finishes, sizes and specs.

E93 (Convertible)
Other than the roof and trunk lines, the E93 convertible isn’t too much different than the coupe. The CH-R and TE37 options from above will also apply here (as they do in pretty much any application). Rather than show more of the same, we’ll suggest some more budget-friendly options here. Of course, these are perfectly usable on a coupe as well.

[ThreepieceUs]

Which car should we do a fitment guide on next?

[ujt]

So the wagon xi guy runs different height tayers killing xdrive?

[Rumblingbelly]

What do you guys think about going for 225/50/17 for winter tires instead of the original 225/45/17 ?

[cameroncormier]

i couldt fit a 18x9.5 + 35 in the rear of my e90 xdrive lci. so i got kansei tandems that are 18x9.5 +22 squared on 245/35/18 perfect flush no roll or pull lowered 1.5 inches

[RedVegas]

Where can I find the e91 wagon with s65 swap? What’s their @? I need more information on how they fit the wide ride tires.

e90 pre 18x9 255 35 all around, ET30 front/ET20 rear is ok??

[tabout]

3:38 that’s not an m3, different front end

[EverydayPhotographer]

I don’t fully understand the extra 8mm offset for LCI owners, a little lost on that part.. can anyone elaborate?

[confidential]

So can I slap 18" in my E90 with stock suspension?

[TedGraves-lngs]

18 inches is enough unless of course you're packing 24!!

[alveydoug]

Many years ago, the BMW Car Club of America found that lap times were better with a few driving lessons, rather than non-OEM wheels. There’s also the problem of breaking wheels on potholes. Oh yeah, you’re in the “Wheels and Tires” business…

[crispcarguru]

friends don't let other friends roll fenders on their car, don't do that.