[oxfordgreen]

I am posting this for all of you who have been looking for a pair of M Parallels for your e39 M5's, 540i's, etc. I looked for months to find a cheap used set of OEM M Parallels, since a new OEM set costs over $2000. What I found was...pretty much nothing. 7 series M Parallels seem to be a dime a dozen, but to find a good used set for an e39 was frustrating. The few used sets that I did find (on ebay or craigslist) were going for $1200 - $2000 in less than good condition. So I started looking aftermarket and searched all of the BMW boards for some up to date info on companies such as lakeshorewheelandtire or discounttiredirect ...not a whole lot of info on what these aftermarket M Parallels look like or how they perform. Anyways, to make a long story short, I took a leap of faith and bought a set from Discounttiredirect. I posted some high res pictures below for anyone else who is considering purchasing aftermarket M Pars but can't really tell what they look like from the crappy pics that are currently on the web. I paid $530 for a staggered set of M Parallel replicas (made by Voxx). They came balanced with a set of Hankook v12 evos for $1180 (shipping and lugs included).

Fit and finish - excellent
Ride quality - excellent
Hankook v12 Evos - excellent (pretty much on par with my last set of PS2's)

Hopefully this info will save new buyers some time and frustration with trying to find a set of these wheels for an e39...

Adam

 

[balmo]

wow, that's a great find!

 

[Roman "Wicked"]

Are those 18 or 19? Nice look anyway! Those Hankook v12 is probably my next tires

 

[///mfizzle]

Wow thanks for the info! They look great on your car!

 

[uniesse]

Why not buy the OEM E38 examples and have them bored out?

 

[kosmo]

the look nice. can you tell us how they hold up and keep us posted? tks

 

[Roman "Wicked"]

And some sizes would good (also tire sizes and rim width).

 

[JCM55555]

Look like 18"s to me....I think they would look a lot better in 19", but I still like them. Great buy!

Beautiful pup too!

 

[oxfordgreen]

rear tires - 265/35/18 wheel width - 9.5" offset - 25

front tires - 235/40/18 wheel width - 8" offset - 13

I've had them on for a few weeks and so far they have held up nicely. I put them on a bit early for New England weather so I've been washing them every few days to minimize salt build up. I also waxed them before I put them on the car so they clean up pretty easily. I'll check back in a couple of months to keep you posted.
Adam

 

[Lunker325]

Thanks for posting. I need to either refinish my winter wheels or buy 4 of the 18x8's for a winter set up. I wonder how these will hold up to winter conditions and all the salt.

 

[cab]

Would love to put a set of these on the wife's 530i

 

[Roman "Wicked"]

But why smaller tires than in original? Does it mean that diameter is smaller too? Just asking because planning to change my 65s with pars....

 

[josiahg52]

Why not buy the OEM E38 examples and have them bored out?

Beacause, as it was alluded to in the original post, acquiring E38 rims (which are only available in 18x9" for the rear), labor to bore them out and the refinish (used wheels) that may be required can get very expensive. This is an alternative for those who don't mind spending money on a decent/good (time will tell) replica, as an alternative. These look very good, in my opinion.

-Josiah

 

[josiahg52]

But why smaller tires than in original? Does it mean that diameter is smaller too? Just asking because planning to change my 65s with pars....

It looks like he went with 10mm (< 0.5 inches) narrower tire. The aspent ratio stayed the same but because of the narrower width, the overall diameter does change; by less than 1/2" nominally, though.

-Josiah

 

[WaldoM5]

excuse my ignorace, but will these fit e39 M5? i thought that 540i & m5 wheels weren't interchangeable because of hub size?

 

[M55555]

$1382 shipped for 4x 9.5s (all around) and 4x Hankooks (275/35/18) seems pretty reasonable.

 

[josiahg52]

excuse my ignorace, but will these fit e39 M5? i thought that 540i & m5 wheels weren't interchangeable because of hub size?

The E38 and the E39 have different bore sizes (72.6 vs. 74.1mm, respectively). The 540i and the M5, both being E39's, have identical bore sizes (74.1mm). These wheels will fit an M5.

-Josiah

 

[WaldoM5]

The E38 and the E39 have different bore sizes (72.6 vs. 74.1mm, respectively). The 540i and the M5, both being E39's, have identical bore sizes (74.1mm). These wheels will fit an M5.

-Josiah

thanks for the clarification.

 

[ND4SPDLSC]

Found my answer.

 

[ND4SPDLSC]

Double post.