I just picked up a set of 17x8 and 17x9 BMW style 32’s for my E36. The face of the rims have a fair about of chips and generally just dont look that great. What options do I have for a DIY treatment on these? Im not sure what they are made out of or what type of finish is on them but i would like to strip them myself and repaint the centers and polish the lip. Suggestions?
17x8 on all four corners. 215/40/17
17x8 and 17x9. Still running 215/40/17
Also, I HATE stretch with a passion. What width is recommend for an 8" wheel and for a 9" wheel. I dont want tire bulge either like a fat chick at the beach. I want it to fit right.
Edit: Sorry for the insanely large pics. Changed to links
Bump. Weekend is coming and I wanna get these done by Monday
For re-finishing the wheels if you are not sure what they are made of I would take them to a shop. I believe Buffalo Metal Finishing (883-2751) or BFG (362-0888) can help you? If I remember correctly someone on here got their chrome wheels done for like $100 a piece at BFG a few years back…?
As far as the tire sizes; I was look at a 17x8 and 18x9 combo. The info I got was that a 215 works perfectly on a 8" rim and a 245 or 255 looks good on a 9" rim with 255 being optimal. But if you have a tire picked out I would contact the MFG and see what they recommend for your setup.
Hope this helps.
I have 8"front, 9" back… tire size will depend on offset… I’ve got 225 tires all around with rolled fenders and I can still rub a little, but I’m lowered.
aircraft/industrial grade remover/stripper will take the oem powdercoating off. It may take a few rounds and some elbow grease but you’ll get them stripped. Use a plastic scraper as well, it won’t leave scratches that you’ll have to sand & polish out later. Mechanical tools help too- like abrasive fiber wheels on an air grinder, etc
dunno if it helps at all but I had 245s/275s on my 8.5"/9.5" vette rims and they looked perfect- sidewalls were totally flat against the outer lip
so I would say you probably want something in the area of 235-245s on the 8"s and 255-265 on the 9"s
Dont bother stripping them unless you want them all polished.
The stripping is a HUGE pain in the ass and amount of labor. If you spent the same amout of time at a JOB as you would working on these you could get a pimp set of NEW wheels.
Sand fill and paint the wheels if you must and strip just the lip if you want those polished.
You will NEVER get the same adhesion as the OEM finish so it is wise to keep it as a primer.
TRUST me on this. I have done it before.