I am close to ordering a M3 coupe in Alpine White and am wondering if I should order it with the 19" optional wheels Any thoughts would be appreciated - I plan 1-2 drivers schools a year - no winter use but Pittsburgh has some rough roads and an occasional pot hole ! THANKS Russ DeJulio Pittsburgh,Pa RUSSM535il@aol.com
My two cents on wheel size Eighteen-inch tires will almos certainly give you more compliance than nineteen-inch rubber bands. Nineteen-inch wheels are basically a cosmetic deal; there are actually better tires available for eighteens! (Can you say "Michelin Pilot Sport Cups"?) Steve Dinan wanted to do eighteens for the Dinan M3, but the marketing department assured him nineteens would be in higher demand. . . . That being said, I have eighteen-inch M3 wheels for the M roadster, mounted with autocross rubber, but for real life, I run nineteen-inch Dinan wheels just because I think they look Way Bitchin'. . . .
I have the 19"s and they look awesome, but I have bent one so far on a pothole. Advice: if you go w/ the 19"s get the rim insurance. The insurance cost me $500 and the rim would have cost me $750.
Good call as you'll save about $400+ everytime you change your tires which was at 8K for my rears. I figure when I go in for my second service (16K) I will need all 4 changed if not sooner.
When the e92 first appeared on the car show scene, it looks like they fitted the 19" e46 BBS CSL / M3 comp package wheels. They looked great on the show car - anyone held on to a set to rock on their e90 / e92? Size appears to mimic the 19" OE set at 8.5 in the front and 9.5 rears with some offset exceptions... I opted for the 18" wheels this time - I liked the carbon finish with the carbon fiber roof and had a set of BBS RS-GTs (black diamond) from my e46 if I wanted to run 19" in the summer. I put the BBS wheels on yesterday and they don't have the same appeal on the e92 as they did on the e46 so I'm considering getting a carbon/matte black painted set of the CSL wheels - any obvious issues there with fit/performance that I'm not thinking of?
Personally I like the new 18 inch "brake dust colored" wheels. If I was to order a new one that is what I would get. It would be nice to see the new M3 get the 19" wheels that came with the Competition Package on the E46 M3 at some point though.
I agree. I like the 18's as well and I also love that finish it came with. It's not easy to say which looks better because they both look hot! I just think for track purposes the 18's might be better, but correct me if i'm wrong guys! Nik
M3 Euro Delivery Discounts ? I agree its definately going to be 18"'s I plan on buying the car using Euro delivery . I last bought a BMW that way in 2000- I paid the dealer listed price - since auto sales are so slow now does anyone know any dealers selling for less then the Euro listed price or any which offer free air/ hotel nights for a M3 order ? THANKS ! Russ DeJulio russm535il@aol.com
I like the new 18s, since its a newer design, I didnt opt for the 19s since it reminds me of my older e46 M3
Brake dust doesn't appear as much on Anthracite Better tire selection and more slip angle on higher profile tires. Below 40% profile tire breaks out quikly especially in rain. 19" is for looks.
get a second set My thinking is that wichever you like the look of best go with that one and then if your going to do some dedicated track then have 18's for that
I did Euro delivery for my M3 in March. There were no discounts or free airfare. There was free beer in the lounge at BMW Welt.
Sounds great I plan on going 3-10 or 4-10 and also picking up a m3 coupe Good luck with your car ! Russ
I did Euro Delivery recently (August) and it was awesome! Took delivery of an E92 Space Gray M3 with the 18" tires specifically because I plan on changing out the wheels eventually so I didn't want to pay the premium for the 19's. However, there's also the added benefit of having the 18's for the track Russ, if you haven't already done ED, check out my trip blog (read backwards for the proper order). It was one of the best vacations I ever had. Took my 10-year-old along which resulted in some great bonding time.
18" or 19" I'm getting a new M3 soon too. After not paying attention since shortly after I got my E46 M3 in 2002, I've recently been lurking on the M3 Internet chat sites (absorbing information). It seems like m3post is the most active now. You can see lots of pictures of cars in all the colors with different wheel combinations. There is also a very good forum there on wheels and tires. Something to remember is that the 18" standard wheels (which I've heard are made by BBS) are cast. The 19" wheels are forged (made by Fuchs). Both wheels are high quality, but on balance the forged wheels are likely quite a bit stronger and definitely should take a much bigger blow without failing. I'm going to guess that the manufacturing method largely offsets the decreased tire cushion as far as damage vulnerability goes. My E46 originally came with 18's, but after a couple of years I got some 19" OEM take offs. The car rode a little harsher with them, but not a big difference. What really changed was the appearance. The 19's just drew your attention to the car. I just loved the way the wheels looked on the car (vs the 18's). I think the current 19's do the same thing for the E90-93 M3's. All that said, I ordered my new car with the 18's because of cost, ride, and better tire availability. Plus, there are enough people that buy new cars and then get new wheels and tires within the first few hundred miles that there are new to nearly new full sets of 19" BMW wheels and tires out there currently priced from $1,800 to $2,300.
