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Will 18" Aero wheel fit a car with Performance big brakes?

Discussion in 'Model 3: Driving Dynamics' started by EESP, Feb 17, 2020.

  1. EESP

    EESP Member

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    Anyone know if the 18" Aero wheel has got this small additional "lip" machined out so they can be mounted over the Performance big brakes? I know they will fit clearance-wise, but don't know if they'll need to be machined or if they are all good to fit over that stupid extra lip on the big brake cars..
     
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  2. DirtyT3sla

    DirtyT3sla Member

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    Aeros will not fit, but many aftermarket 18s fit the performance brakes.
     
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  3. dsgerbc

    dsgerbc Member

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    No they won't fit, even if you machine a step hub into it. They do not have wide enough barrel to clear rear brake calipers. You can probably file your calipers, but I'd advise against it.
    See here, for a list of 18" wheels that do fit.
     
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  4. Orwell

    Orwell Member

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    Fits with 5mm spacer and minor shaving of calipers front and rear.
     

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  5. dsgerbc

    dsgerbc Member

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    Did you count the number of lug turns? I't must be over 7.5. It's probably fine, cause the P3D+ has an extra couple of mm of safe spacer room, but you'd want to make sure. Also, we aware that a service center may refuse to touch your car for anything that needs wheels off due to spacers.
     
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  6. Sclew

    Sclew Member

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    Just buy FastEV aero wheels
     
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  7. neutronjeff

    neutronjeff Member

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    What about any of the after market brake upgrades under 18 Aeros?
     
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  8. Orwell

    Orwell Member

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    Depends on which one. The 365mm upgrades won't fit. Some of the Racing Brake kits fit even with their big rotors. Better to get a template from the BBK manufacturer.
     
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  9. Orwell

    Orwell Member

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    Yes plenty of turns of the lugs.
     
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  10. dsgerbc

    dsgerbc Member

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    I'm sure people would appreciate it if you could post pictures of where you shaved the calipers and how much of the lug tread is sticking out of OEM aeros w/5mm spacer on a P3D+.

    Those are a good option, but one can frequently score OEM 18" take-offs with tires, sensors, and aero covers for the cost of new wheels shipped. I'd like to see how much shaving was involved. For science, mostly. Got two sets of EV01s ;)
     
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  11. Orwell

    Orwell Member

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    No need to see where to shave the caliper.

    Just stack sticky backed sand paper onto the inside of the wheel and spin it around until about 2mm of clearance is achieved. The wheel and sand paper shaves the exact areas needed. No guesswork or figuring anything out required. Sorry no pictures. There are more than 7.5 turns off the lug nuts. No pictures.

    Precisely, I got this new set of wheels, tires, and TPMS for $400 bucks.
     
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  12. dsgerbc

    dsgerbc Member

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    That's resourceful.

    A picture of front/rear wheels w/o aero covers would still help others assess how much shaving is necessary.
     
  13. ElectricIAC

    ElectricIAC Devil’s Advocate

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    I hate to think of the extra wear and poor consumption during this process...but that is intriguing compared with the overall cost of a good, lightweight set of forged 18’s (MW03)
     
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  14. MasterC17

    MasterC17 Active Member

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    The P3D+ rotors are only 3mm thick compared to base rotors at 8mm thick. So with a 5mm spacer on a performance rotor, the rotor protrudes the same amount in both cases. Therefore, the lug threads would be exactly the same.
     
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  15. Orwell

    Orwell Member

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    Since the covers take 2 seconds to take off, I took some pics
     

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  16. Orwell

    Orwell Member

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    #16 Orwell, Feb 26, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2020
    On my 18x8.5" Weds Sport TC105N the clearance is even closer and shows sign of scoring on the inner barrel of the wheels.

    With the OEM 18" wheels the clearance is about 1mm more and so far shown no signs of scoring. The aero covers likely help in keeping debris out as well.
     
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  17. krusen

    krusen Member

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    @Orwell , thanks for your post and guidance. I've got a set of Aero's from my prior M3 that I would like to be able to use on my new P3. Now that it's a couple months later, have you run into any issues since the initial discussion. Was there a particular spacer brand/style you needed to clear the P3's hub?
     
  18. krusen

    krusen Member

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    #18 krusen, Jun 8, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2020
    I ordered some 5mm spacers, did a bit of grinding and was also able to re-use my aero's. Thank's @Orwell for the tips. I put an album together with a bunch of pics of the process I used. 18 Aero's on 2019 M3 Performance PUP. No changes (other than the spacers) were needed on the front wheels. Threads still show on the back side of the bolt. A plumb bob hanging from the fender edge shows the 18" tire's sidewall is 5mm farther out than what's present with the 20's.

     
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  19. Yokatta

    Yokatta Member

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    Krusen nice post. Does anyone know what paint color to match the calipers? I really want to run the Aeros on my P3D in the winter, but I think it will drive me. It’s when I’m running the 20”.
     
  20. Yokatta

    Yokatta Member

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    Just curious, you mention 5mm spacers, but your link is for 3mm spacers. And the ones in your photos look like 3mm. Which did you end up using?? Thanks again for the great pics!
     

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