I have an '88 M6, and am looking to get rid of the TRX package when my tires finally wear out later this year. I'm interested in the Beyern Mesh 17x8". First, does anyone own these and what do you think of them? Next question, I can't seem to find offset info for these wheels anywhere. I believe they will fit an E24 with no modification necessary. What size tire will I need to go with to make it fit without rolling fenders? Final question, if I do that, how far can I drop the car when I redo the suspension and get rid of the self-leveling nonsense? I'd like to go with the Bilstein Sport package, but it drops the car 1.25" and I'm afraid that will screw up my wheel/tire choice. Thanks for your help!
I have 3 81/2 x 17 1000 Milla wheels that were on my '88 M6. Nearly new. Totalled the car hitting a deer a few years ago. Perfect shape. THey worked great. Call Tire Rack. They really know their stuff. That's where I got these. George Ripplinger
http://felgenkatalog.auto-treff.com/ This website lists all of the wheel style that BMW has had, including what cars they went on and all of the wheel stats. The off set (ET) for the E24 22mm. Not sure on the Beyerns, but there is a tire and wheel forum over at bigcoupe.com that may have that information discussed. There is a lot of discussion on this topic that I've seen on other forums. I think that the only stock BMW wheel that will require hub-centric rings is the E39 wheels. I am planning on going with ASA AR-1 17x8" wheels at the end of the summer. I don't think that these will pose an issue, and I certainly hope not! I'm looking to do the suspension in the future, so keep us posted and let us know how it goes! Good luck! Alex
I understood that the offset on E24's was 20 mm might want to check that, also the big cpe site is good for information, I don't think most of the guys recomend going larger then a 16" wheel and the center ring is 72 mm but you can get rings from tire rack.
I just changed my metrics out and the offset was 20mm. The only source for the TRX tires wanted $400 a piece and I got wheels and tires for less than that. I stayed with a 16 inch so the guages are still good.
The speedometer will be correct so long as you get a wheel and tire package that is the same overall height as stock. For instance, a 225/50-16 (stock E28 M5 size) is the same over height as a 225/45-17.
I think 16" wheels are a good compromise. Anything larger and it will require a decent wheel style and proper clearance between the tire and the fender to look good. I have some old 16" 5-spoke Fittipaldi's and they look great (and somewhat period-correct) on my E24. Otherwise, the Style 5 wheels are a great choice. I have 17" on my E39. The hub bore is larger than the E24 so you'll need the hub-centric rings (from Tire-Rack as one source).
I had a set of Borbet Type CBs (16x7 w/ 205/55/16 Dunlops) on my '85, but they just looked too tiny, even though the outside diameter was the same as the TRXs that came off it.. I found a set of Beyern style Five wheels for cheap (18x8.5 and 18x9.5), and when fitted with the right size rubber they look pretty nice. 235/45/18 front and 255/40/18 rear. They are the same OD as the original TRXs.
The biggest problem with Beyern wheels (and many aftermarket wheels, in fact,) is that they are very heavy, which has a negative impact on acceleration, braking, handling, and NVH.
