Hello all, Im looking into getting some lighter-than-stock aftermarket rims for my 135i but am really concerned with rubbing. Is any out there running an aftermarket set up that has no rubbing? Also, what are your thoughts on painting or powder coating rims? Thanks guys!
I had similar questions on my 06 M3 when changing wheels. I emailed Mike Miller of Roundel's Tech Talk. He told me that the ones that he had the most luck with were BBS, Breyton, and OZ wheels. I went with the BBS (black) CH wheels and have been very happy. Painting and/or powder coating would be fine but I'm betting it all depends on proper prep work by a reputable company. Edit. Go to Tire Rack (www.tirerack.com) and enter you car and other information and you'll see what wheels/tires will fit your car without rubbing. That's how i got my BBS CH wheels.
Rubbing has nothing to do with wheels being aftermarket or not. Rubbing has everything to do with getting wheels and tires that fit the car you are putting them on. I put a set of Forgestar F14 wheels on my M3 which are the same 18" diameter as stock, but 1" wider. But because they were ordered with the correct offset, they fit perfectly, and fill the wheel wells nicely with a aggressive looking setup. The easiest way to determine what will fit your car is to go to the Tire Rack website (or call their sales support line) and plug in your year and model. It will only show wheels and tires that will fit your car. Pick anything on the list, regardless of of brand and it will fit without rubbing. You can get the same service from many other places. Any reputable wheel/tire retailer will help you size the wheels and tires correctly. Personally, I love my Forgestars. They are light, inexpensive, and good-looking. However, when I bought them, ModBargains was the only retailer to sell them, and I wouldn't recommend ModBargains at all.
This is where im a little confused... I was going to get the O.Z. Alleggerita HLT off of tire rack. The problem with these is that they are only offset 40mm. From everything I can tell this is simply not enough for the 135i.
Not enough? What do you mean by that? Tire Rack tends to be conservative with their wheel and tire sizing. You should never have a problem with anything they recommend. However, if you want a very aggressive fit such as wider wheels or an offset that has the wheel "stick out" more (yet still not have any fitment/rubbing issues), then you won't get that option from them. However, you could call Tire Rack and the guys there are pretty good at explaining fitments, and perhaps they could work with you on something more aggressive that the website isn't offering, if that's what you are looking for. Otherwise, you might want to go with a less mainstream outlet and work with a retailer that deals with modified cars to get the most out of your wheel and tire sizing.
If I recall correctly, the Tire Rack folks test all their wheel & tire fitments on vehicles to ensure there will be no rubbing or interference of any kind, in both street and more spirited driving. So, in that sense, their recommendations may be conservative, but that's the only way to do it for customers to have faith that their recommendations _will_ fit. Sure, it's possible to bump up the base wheel specs TR recommends, but you'll also be stepping into unknown territory as to what might catch or rub; could be slight and insignificant, or maybe not; that's the gamble.
I'm enjoying the BMW Performance rims/tires (style 269/Dunlop RF), they were a bit pricey. I had them put on when I purchased the car so was able to work that into the deal so the price didn't sting so bad. Much nicer look over stock, the weight is less though I'm not sure on the exact weight reduction. These are 18" dia, 7.5" front, 8.5" rear width. Plus no warranty issues.
The most optimally configured wheels are the Apex Arc 8 with a newly available 18x8.5 ET45/and the 18x9.5 ET62. These are a barrel roll forged rim with a cast center, just over 18 lbs. The lightest wheels seem to be the Rays VG2 forged at 18x8 ET40 front and 18x9 ET50 rear. Check me on the latter. These are around 17 lbs. VMR and Forgestar also make wheels in 1er friendly offsets. Unfortunately BBS and OZ Racing leave us in the cold.
