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2002 / E21 - Hubcentric?


Mucci

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I'm having some wheel adapters made for my car which will be getting E21 hubs up front. I'm seeing conflicting information as to whether the E21 hubs require the wheels to be hub-centric or lug-centric. Is this method based on the hubs or the wheels? And late-model 2002 rear drums are lug-centric correct?

 

For instance, could I have the adapters made to fasten to the E21 hubs in a lug-centric manner (conical holes) same as the rear? 

 

Here is the adapter prototype for attaching VW/Porsche "wide-five" wheels.

 

 

114298874_638422973698434_3616534696151191372_n.jpg

1975 2002 - US Spec, Taiga Green

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E21's had lug bolts and hubcentric wheels.

 

2002's have lug nuts and lugcentric wheels.

 

E21 wheels work on 2002s but are the wrong offset.

 

Some 2002 wheels work on E21 hubs, but you have to pay attention

to the size and depth of the centering diameter.  If it's bigger,

yes, centering rings can be used.

 

fwiw,

t

no conflict

"I learn best through painful, expensive experience, so I feel like I've gotten my money's worth." MattL

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Most people who use the e21 hubs for the big brakes use studs to match the rear, so yes. You can buy them Here. As far as I know both 2002, e21 and e30 have 57.1mm hub bore and conical nuts or bolts.

 

Just curious why are you adapting these wheels to fit a 2002? What are the dimensions and offset?

 

Don't forget to factor your adapter into your offset calculation. The factory 2002 13x5 wheels are +28, e30 bottle cap 14x6 are +35, tirerack recommends +25 for 15x7 and 16x8 and +28 for 15x8. Basic rule of thumb is if it fits an e30 it should fit a 2002 with smaller tires. For more info look here.

Edited by 2002iii
More info
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So to clarify, there wouldn't be an issue with converting the E21 hubs to be lug-centric? 

 

Already worked out all the offset numbers in CAD and had the wheels custom made to spec. Final offsets are ET12 and ET20, 15x7in wrapped in 175/50's. 

 

 

 

 

1975 2002 - US Spec, Taiga Green

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Yes you can convert to lugcentric, but I would recommend having the hub bore made 57.1mm also just for safety. That's a lot of stress to put on only 4 studs.

 

Why different offsets?

 

Those tires are a smaller diameter and skinnier than the factory tires for a 2002, they will throw your speedometer off quite a bit and not give you as much grip.

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23 minutes ago, 2002iii said:

Yes you can convert to lugcentric, but I would recommend having the hub bore made 57.1mm also just for safety. That's a lot of stress to put on only 4 studs.

 

Why different offsets?

 

Those tires are a smaller diameter and skinnier than the factory tires for a 2002, they will throw your speedometer off quite a bit and not give you as much grip.

 

Just for the sake of argument, the factory 2002 setup is lug centric, so I can't see that running on E21 hubs with studs would be any different. One might argue that there's a reason BMW went to hubcentric setups on later cars, but 99+% of 2002s run just fine for decades with the original setup. But perhaps there's a difference between splined and screw-in studs that I'm not taking into account. 

 

And while 175/50 is shorter than the factory tires on an '02, it's not narrower - most 2002s came with 165r13 (except for early cars with bias-ply 6.00-13, and the Turbo with 185/70r13).

 

-Dave

Colorado '71 2002

'17 VW GTI Sport
'10 Honda Odyssey Family & Stuff Hauler

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21 minutes ago, 2002iii said:

Yes you can convert to lugcentric, but I would recommend having the hub bore made 57.1mm also just for safety. That's a lot of stress to put on only 4 studs.

 

Why different offsets?

 

Those tires are a smaller diameter and skinnier than the factory tires for a 2002, they will throw your speedometer off quite a bit and not give you as much grip.

Yea good idea. I can cut them to 57.1 as well, just making sure I'm not missing something crucial about hub vs. lug-centric.

 

Why different offsets and tires? Because stock ride height, narrow track and balloon tires don't excite me.

 

...and I saw this photo 10ish years ago and haven't been able to get it out of my head.

 

5822014824_49ceacb99c_b.jpg.ce9c2c12519d

 

However my sizes and offsets are a little different. 

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1975 2002 - US Spec, Taiga Green

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22 minutes ago, dlhoovler said:

 

Just for the sake of argument, the factory 2002 setup is lug centric, so I can't see that running on E21 hubs with studs would be any different. One might argue that there's a reason BMW went to hubcentric setups on later cars, but 99+% of 2002s run just fine for decades with the original setup. But perhaps there's a difference between splined and screw-in studs that I'm not taking into account. 

 

And while 175/50 is shorter than the factory tires on an '02, it's not narrower - most 2002s came with 165r13 (except for early cars with bias-ply 6.00-13, and the Turbo with 185/70r13).

 

-Dave

99% of 2002s aren't running wheels with adapters and I find more safety is always better.

 

I was comparing to the early tires size so you are correct on the width.

 

A 195/55r15 is the correct size for the speedometer and only has a little more sidewall but is wider and easier to find. I always go for performance and safety first, then think about style. Too each his own and please don't take any offense, I'm only curious and trying to help.

Edited by 2002iii
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