The e39 5-series is 74.1mm.
But I think that was the only exception.
Correct.
ALL BMW wheels were not 72.6mm bore - see e39 above. As far as I know the rest were.
E39 wheels work but need a spigot ring.
I’ve a set but used them yet.
As for wear of bushes and fulcrum points etc. I’ve run various offsets and spacer for over 10 yrs and 60k miles.
Car is on 140k plus miles.
Can’t say any bushes or wheel bearings have worm prematurely- maybe when I’ve done 100k more I’ll know..
At this age any Z3 suspension needs refreshing regardless of wheels / mileage
I’ve used the offsets and spacers to give not just looks but also the feel I want (ie wider on track and less so on road wheels). Wheel size and width can have a big difference in feel - my preference is non staggered set up (same width all round on 17s).
Doesn’t look as nice as some wider and bigger 18s I’ll admit!
Ride is nicer with some sidewall in the current roads so you idea for 16’s should be comfy.
Will not be shape around the track but I’m guess that’s not your aim…
And before the other old chestnut comes up, yes my insurers know. Get a proper classic issues that gives agreed values and and lets you send a full list of your mods
And yes I’ve actually had a claim with non ‘genuine’ wheels on the car and the car was inspected by an assessor and claim successful.
Again it wasn’t the ‘meerkat’ insurer but a classic car agreed policy - Classic line in my case but I’ve heard good things about Footman James.
Adrian flux is another.
They are brokers that use insures you can’t access via meerkats.