I want to get the 19" twist spoke wheels from BMW for my 335i. The price the dealership is quoting is wayyyy too much, $4300 CDN. Do I have any other options here to get these authentic BMW wheels? Or am I stuck constantly scanning craigslist and the like?
i assume you're speaking of style 230 and going OEM is your only option. no replicas of that style currently exist. you maybe lucky and find someone who's getting rid of theirs if you keep searching
Yes those are the ones I am looking for. I guess I will keep searching. It's not like the stock 17's are unsightly! Thanks.
Yes KrisT, those are the ones. They look really great. I love a 5-spoke because you can see the calipers, as well as they would probably be less work to clean. I am kind of new to the 'sports car' club, so I had another question. How easy is it to bend a 19" rim? What I mean is, with 19" wheel being very low profile, would I have to be paranoid about hitting potholes etc? I plan on taking my new 335i up to our place north of Toronto in the summer, and the roads are paved, but they are pretty sketchy in places. Is it a big risk?
Yes. My brother had 19's on his E39 before he sold it and it was pretty bent. A moderate pothole will probably be unkind to your wheel, so if you can avoid potholes then by any means do it. This is the problem with huge wheels like 19's; they're too easy to bend in places like where I live where there are potholes galore, most of them the size of craters.
i wouldnt say its a BIG risk, but its obviously a risk. i've been running 19s for a few years now as my daily driver and havent bent a rim (although i have hit a few potholes).
I guess the type of tire matters too. My brother was running barely legal tires, as in near slicks, and were softer than your average street tire.
I will have a set of 19" style 230's (2nd photo) for sale as soon as they're fixed - assuming they can all be fixed. I went in for my first service at 14500 miles on my '08 335i (sport suspension), knowing I had an impact bubble on the sidewall of my right front Bridgestone Potenza RE050A runflat tire. I was informed by service that I not only needed a set of 4 new tires but that all 4 of my wheels were bent as well - radial and some lateral runout on the right wheels; radial runout on the left. As a first time BMW owner (and first time poster on this forum) all of this came as quite a shock to me and I was pretty upset that all my wheels were already bent and some might not even be repairable. I was always wandering what damage was occuring when I hit a pothole and the car would make a very loud bang like the suspension was completely bottoming out Eventually, after complaining to BMW NA customer relations (completely unsympathetic and not very knowledgeable or professional entry level types) and discussing it with my local CCA chapter president and the management of this BMW dealer, the service manager told me that while none of this would be covered by warranty they would do everything possible to rectify the matter and that I could name my own price for the new wheels. He also recommended 17" BMW wheels (style 105 I like (1st photo) - I know they are Z4 wheels) with 225/45 front tires (non-RFT) and 255/40 rears because he said 18" rims can also be bent. Do I really need to go all the way down to 17" wheels and 40/45 tire sidewall aspect ratios to avoid bent wheels? The dealer cost for a set of 4 of these wheels is almost $1300, how much should I offer to pay? I hate to stick the dealer with a loss on the wheels when I feel BMW is responsible for offering a combination of wheels (19") and tires (RFT's with 30 and 35 aspect ratios) that is way too susceptable to serious wheel damage. My style 230's are staggered: 8" and 9" wide (I think) and the new wheels are staggered 8" and 8.5". He said he also would get my wheels fixed for me by an unmentioned 3rd party and pass the bill along to me with no markup, at which time I will sell them instead of putting them back on my car. He also offered to give me a 1 year guarantee against damage on the tires if I buy them from him and is recommending Michelin Pilot Primacy for long treadware. The research I've done on these tires isn't that impressive and I'm leaning toward Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires. I don't think I want to put runflats back on my car as I didn't like the rough ride of the originals - I know much of the poor ride was due to the aspect ratio of the sidewalls due to the large wheel diameter. If I continue with the negative wheel cambers that my new car had I don't think any set of tires will last much longer than my first set, as they were all worn down on the inside shoulders. My preference would be to stick with OEM 18" BMW wheels (style 189 star spoke -3rd photo of 19" style 199 version) that are specific to the 335i but I don't want to keep fixing bent wheels. Does anyone know if these 18" wheels are susceptible to damage if they have non-RFT tires on them? I'd appreciate any feedback from anyone as this whole experience has been very frustrating and I'm getting tired of researching forums like this for answers but I'm also determined to get my next setup right.
A couple of things: You don't have too much choice regarding size because of the size of your brakes. Those things are huuuuuuuge! Also, I don't want to believe that all four of your wheels are bent. I suggest you take it to get a second opinion because while the dealer might seem to be nice by offering you these things, it would still mean paying out of your pocket, and they *might* just be after your money. I find it hard to believe that all four of your wheels are bent. What kind of roads do you travel? If you frequently travel on roads that have lots of potholes, then I recommend the smaller size wheel, say 18". I don't know if 17" will be sufficient, but if it is then I guess you could also get that, though the 17" wheels aren't as good looking as the bigger ones. Also make sure that your tire pressures are spot on because having too low of a tire pressure could make the difference between a bent wheel and just a rough feeling inside the cabin. Properly inflated tires might also help with your treadwear issue, though if you have more negative camber it probably won't matter that much. I just threw the tire pressure idea in just in case you missed it. Good luck with your wheels and I really am curious about what someone else has to say about your wheels being or not being bent.
I did get a second opinion on the wheels from Motomotion, an automotive wheel refinishing business in Medina, Ohio on the same day I got the diagnoses from the dealer. They confirmed the damage to all four wheels with a visual inspection and determined that the right side wheels damage extended beyond the flange area into the barrel. This was found due to some side to side wobble. I drive primarily in NE Ohio but have been up and down the east coast and as far west as Chicago with the car.
if you gotta pay for your own wheels, then check over on e90post b/c people are always taking the stock rims/tires off and getting something bigger/better. i've seen people that almost gave away new stock 189s with RFT
