Looking for some 19's for my '06 525i. Don't have 5k to spend on wheels, but am afraid of those beautiful inexpensive sets. Any suggestions to good quality wheels outthere that wont cost an arm and leg. Any thoughts or experiences with Replica M5 wheels. Please comment.
Not enough information to go on for now. Wheelwise, you really do get what you pay for -- or don't pay for. IMHO, BMW makes the best wheels out there, and it doesn't have to cost you $5k either. What size do you have now? If you're going up or down a wheel size, it's best to use the Plus One or Plus Two system. The rule of thumb is to deduct 10 points from the profile for every one inch INCREASE in wheelsize, while trying to keep the treadwidth the same. let me show you Let's say my original tires are 255/60R18. 255 = a 255 mm treadwidth, 60= a 60 series profile, 18 = an 18 inch wheel. So if I am going UP to a 19, ideally, you would want to go to a 255/50R19. The overall size of the wheel and tire will remain the same. You can fudge your treadwidth and profile sizes by 5 points without encountering too much of a speedometer error, but ideally, you want your new wheel and tire diameter to be roughly the same. The reverse is true if you're going DOWN a wheel size., which it doesn't sound like you're trying to do. Also, you should note that if you're increasing your wheel size, your ride is going to be stiffer. You can go down a wheel size if you want to soften your ride. Just make sure you try to keep your overall wheel and tire diameter roughly the same. From what I've heard, some people generally stay away from "imitation wheels" due to a variety of problems. They're often not built to the same build quality as BMW, aren't balanced properly, and are usually heavier. A few isolated incidents have also included surface imperfections perforating a tire upon hitting a bump, as well as aftermarket chromed wheels losing air pressure due to not fitting a proper seal against the rim to keep air in. Wheelcollision.com does a pretty good business in used and refurbished BMW wheels and have a large selection. http://www.wheelcollision.com Check the backspacing on your wheels, but generally nearly any 5 lug wheel except for the E39 5-series will fit your car. The E39 5-series (1997 to 2003) used a slightly smaller hub than other 5-lug BMW's. The backspacing is the distance between the center hub and the outer rim of the tire. Too little backspacing and your tire will hit your inner wheelwell and possibly shocks and suspension components. Too much backspacing and they will stick out too far. I'd like to hope that the roller skate look went out 20 years ago, and prayerfully isn't coming back. You can also visit Bavarian Autosport at http://www.bavauto.com Bavarian Autosport also has a print catalog of autoparts and wheels they can mail out to you at no charge. Other high quality wheel manufacturers include Hamann and Alpina. Again, these are high end manufacturers that make high quality wheels, so they're going to be anything but cheap. Last place you can look is on ebay at http://www.ebaymotors.com My preferred choice is to fit your car with another set of BMW wheels. A used set won't cost you much, and you can even check Roundel's classified section to see if anyone is looking to have another enthusiast take a set off their hands. One more thing: if you're going to buy a set, if you can afford it, buy five of the same model so that you can have a matching spare for the those occasions when you need to change a flat.
I have replica rims for 2 different cars and they've held up very well. you can also look for people who takeoff their OEM wheels by checking various BMW websites; you can usually score a great deal.
you mean bigger? that's something that can be fixed with hubcentric rings, they're pretty cheap off eBay the local Craigslist ads are also useful for finding rims and other parts
You're right the E39 hubs are slightly larger http://www.euromcars.com/parts/e34m5/wheels/st5nsw4.htm Make sure they are hubcentric rings though. Non-hubcentric rings will not seat the wheel properly against the hub, and could become a safety hazard! Aside from the E39, nearly any BMW 5-lug wheel will physically fit your hub. Just make sure you either check for compatible backspacing, or use hubcentric spacers to push the wheel out a little from your hub to give some space between the inner surface of the tire and your suspension. I wouldn't advise combining spacers and rings though. You can usually get a thicker ring that will do the same for both spacers and rings in one device. If you do use spacers, you may also want to consider using longer hub bolts.
