[Blue Angel]

I've searched and searched and can't find anything concrete... this is the best thing I've found and it's about as vague as can be: from a BMW Press Kit in July 2008:

"The widened track of the new BMW 3 Series especially contributes to its powerful appearance. Depending on the model, the track of the rear axle has been widened by up to 24 millimetres by means of a new wheel carrier and other modified details."

What is a "wheel carrier"? Is this the suspension "hub" that supports the wheel bearings/brakes and connects the suspension links? What are the "other modified details"?

Can anyone tell me how exactly the rear track was widened on the e90 LCI sedan and by how much compared to the previous e90 sedan? I see posts like this one regarding a 2007 e90:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=498879

...and I wonder if the rear wheels in that package will even work on my 2011?

When I research front and rear track specifications for the cars I keep getting the same specs, F=59.1" and R=59.6" regardless of which year of e90 the article is referring to?

[MassBimmer]

Preferred offset for pre-LCI models with a 9.5" rear wheel is in the low 30's
Preferred offset for LCI models with a 9.5" rear wheel is in the high 30's / low 40's

[Flyer]

The LCI is 8 mm wider. I have 9.5 rear wheels at et30 and needed a very slight roll. That's with 265/30/19 Conti DWS tires. Folks are running mid 30s ETs on LCIs with no roll and they are nice and flush in the rear. Hope this helps!

[reprod]

I wonder if the rear-track for the LCI coupe has also been changed...

[John_01]

As you suspected, the wheel carrier is the part that connects the rear wheel bearings and suspension links. European specs in metric are as follows:

Rear track pre-LCI = 1513mm
Rear track LCI = 1529mm

According to the European specs, some LCI models have rear track up to 1535, and front track of 1506mm. I think that is because BMW released some 16" wheels for the base model in Europe with ET31 offset instead of ET34, so the track becomes 3mm wider on each side.

The LCI reclaims a few mm of rear fender space because I think the rear fenders come partially rolled from the factory. So maybe the fender space is reduced by 5-6mm, not 8mm.

[Blue Angel]

Beautiful! Thanks alot everyone!

So it sounds like the LCI track is wider by 8mm/side, and the fenders are rolled a bit to give a bit of clearance. 5-6mm isn't a whole lot, less than 1/4". Still good to know as there's no guarantee the tight rear setup of a pre-LCI car will work on an LCI.

Now for my most important question... What does LCI stand for?

I've heard of MCE (Mid Cycle Enhancement), but I've never heard the term LCI?

[MassBimmer]

LCI = Life Cycle Impulse or Improvement

BMW seems to be one of the few that use this terminology