225/50/R16 on Style 42's and they rub?

[gte024h]

So I picked up a set of Style 42's with brand new Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50/R16 tires. They look like this:



The offset on these wheels is 46mm and the size is 7x16".

When I turn full lock to the right and the suspension is on the right is unloaded somewhat (typical of a hard right turn) the tire rubs against the chassis on the right inner side. It doesn't do this when turning left.

So I have a couple of questions:

What is the correct offset for the 16x7 wheels that came with the sport package?

If the steering rack is off center due to the tie rods being unequal length, is it possible to mask such a setup by removing and reinstalling the steering wheel at the center position (i.e. is the steering shaft keyed to prevent off center installation or is it a simple spline)?

[gte024h]

I dug into this a little more and found that my steering rack is centered (within 1mm) when my steering wheel is centered so if I'm rubbing it's due to having too much offset in the wheels or too much travel in the steering rack. I didn't want to mess with wheel spacers so I explored the second option.

It turns out that for cars equipped with the Sport package and late model cars (not sure the cut off date) BMW calls for the use of M3 style reinforced steering joint locking plates. These plates are thicker than the standard locking plate, but can only be used with "hex style" steering joints. The added thickness reduces the steering rack travel slightly. My car had the reinforced locking plates (even though it is not a Sport) but when I replaced my tie rods I switched to the thinner locking plates. I'm going to try these thicker locking plates. If they don't reduce steering travel enough, Turner Motorsports sells a set of collars that can be installed on the rack to reduce the travel even more.

[spidertri]

Those wheels and tires are the same dimensions as the stock sport package wheels. You are correct in using the thicker lock plates for the rack, that should clear the situation up. Mine is an active and had the thicker plates as well.