I purchased a set of 18inch mesh beyern wheels for my e39...without sports package. Have you guys heard anything good or bad about these wheels? Should I have gotten staggered even thoug I don't have sports package? And What's the deal with getting a bigger lip wheel in the back than the front? Thanks for the answers. -T
Staggered wheels the deal with the staggered wheels is that they were standard on the M5 version of our cars, which at 400 hp needs extra tire surface to make use of the additional power. When I upgraded my wheels I did go the staggered route. Prior to this upgrade if I turned off the traction control I could easily break the back end loose in corners with the throttle. Now I cannot do so and the power I get coming out of turns is fantastic. No wheel spin = more forward thrust. A couple notes: the tires cost more, lower profile + wider = $$$. Also, I kept my stock wheels and have snows mounted on them. Not sure where you live, but the staggered set up is horrible with a capital H in snow. Personally, I recommend the staggered set up
Sounds good. I think I only get 1.5 inch lip in front and back. I'm not sure if the 3inch lip would have made a difference in the rear? Also, rotating tires must be a no go with staggered wheels right? I'm assuming with the 18inch beyern wheels I purchased, i will get better performance then my stock 16inchers. I will probably keep the all weathers on my stock wheels for the winter. I live in CT, but during massive amounts of snow, I will probably break out the SUV. Do snow tires really make that much difference? -T
Snow tires make all the difference! All season are really no seasons. The rubber in snow tires is softer so they stay soft in very cold temperatures, which results in better traction. Also the tread is much deeper on snow tires allowing for the snow to be thrown from them once they rotate off the pavement. This allows for clear treads when they rotate back around for duty on the road. So snow tires give better grip. Once you drive a set of snow tires you will never go back to all seasons. Also if you go the route of snow tires, put them on all four wheels. You need to be able to stop and turn as well as accelerate! One last benefit to snows is you can have true summer tires during the warmer months and they will last longer b/c they are only on the car 8 or so months.
Beyern wheels are very nice & the staggered look is a great look on the E39. Since I have a 530i and drive conservatively, I didn't go with a staggered wheel when I replaced my 16" factory wheels with 17" style 42s. I wanted to be able to rotate the tires, which isn't possible with the staggered wheels. Since I live in the Midwest, I took the old 16" wheels and had Bridgestone Blizzaks mounted on them, even though I drive our old Toyota Avalon in the winter most of the time. You made a nice choice.
I too like the Beyern mesh on e39s. Personally I have been thinking about swapping out my stock 16" style 33s and putting a set of staggered wheels on my 540IA just for the summer months. I personally like style 65 & 66. But I can't find anything convincing about any added functional value. Unless you are pushing it to the limit, it's just about the look. And with the added weight, I'm afraid you just put more wear & tear on the stock bushings, so with those bigger wheels if you haven't done so already you probably should be looking to upgrade to those expensive performance bushings. Oh, and about snows, I use Nokian WRs. These make an amazing difference in snow & wet conditions.
I'm new here and may I shift the conversation a little bit? Can someone tell me why the BMW CCA logo doesn't appear with my user name on the left side like the rest of the members when they post? Is there something in the profile setup I need to do? Catbert (oOO \ (||||)(||||) / OOo) Mine: 2003 530i Mrs. Catbert: 2003 325xit Iowa - The Great State of Excitement
It might be because you are new here, and it takes a few days to be sorted out. I've seen a number of new members commenting upon this - search for these threads and solutions. It may be hard to remedy the situation with your post buried in this thread.
Thanks for the response. Actually, the 18 inc Mesh Beyern I bought are REAL light. I was surprised, and they look GREAT! I wish I would have gotten deeper dish wheels, but I can't complain they look awesome. Next time I will go staggered.
The wheels on your car look to be deep dish. Is that a staggered setup? I think I should have gotten a staggered setup for my Beyern, because they are not as deep as yours.
Ditch thoughts of stagger on an E39. One of the best mods you can do for an E39 M5 is to run rear 9.5"/275s all around. A set of 3mm spacers is all it takes to get enough strut clearance up front, and the scrub radius is within 1mm of the stock 8" front wheels. It's one of the numerous things you need to do to get decent handling out of an E39 M5. To answer questions up front, no, by itself, it doesn't go far enough to balance out the suspension which is tuned for terminal and horrible understeer by BMW. I'm running Dinan springs, Konis, rear sway bar, monoball thrust bushings and Ground Control camber plates. With all of this including running -2.3 degrees camber up front, the car is just about balanced out. Without the stupid stagger, you can also rotate tires too which is really important on the M5 especially. (did the same thing on my 03 330i...running rear 8.5/255s all around). Regards,
If you could send/show me pics of the wheel setup you mean, that would be great! I think mine are 8.5 all around. But it's not deep dish like I see alot of other wheels.
Yes I was! Thanks for the pics, what size are your lips? 1.5 inch or 3 inches? My Beyerns are suppose to be 1.5inch, but they sure don't look it.
