| Car: | BMW | 3 Series | E46 | SE | Saloon |
| Engine: | M52 | 0 | Inline 6 | N/A | Petrol |
M3 CSL Replica wheels
The M3 CSL is a beautiful car; and the wheels in particular set it apart from the standard M3. The CSL wheels are very complimentary to the E46 shape and just a touch sportier than the MV2. I like the CSL wheel so I purchased a set of replicas for my coupe bearing in mind that the genuine CSL has flared arches and dished wheels with a large offset to suit, and the replicas that I purchased have a different offset for the standard bodyshell so, I wasn't entirely hopeful that I could achieve the look I was going for.
The CSL has 235/35/19 front and 265/35/19 rear where the replicas are 225/40/18 all round.
When the wheels arrived and I trial fitted them and this difference in size and offset translated into a very different looking wheel, so I sold them on.
The customers car had the 16" SE wheels, I'm not sure why manufacturers release wheels like this but they do and I've no doubt it's to draw people towards ordering the sport package. This trend hasn't changed with the E90, in fact the SE wheels are now even worse!
The replica wheels are a straight swap with the OEM SE wheels, so in around 15 minutes the car is transformed. The photo shows the car fitted with the new wheels; the suspension will take a day or so to settle but the difference is still striking.
© Mark Stewart, Friday 19th May 2006
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