[jemmie]

I just bought a 2000 M5 with 25,500 miles from someone. The car shakes at certain speeds -- I knew about this before I bought it. Car inspector says wheels are bent. The wheels are aftermarket Alutecs and would cost $640 to repair.

I have had bent wheels "unbent" before on another vehicle and they never run true again so I am looking at buying a new set of wheels and probably a new set of tires. I called the dealer and they said the OEM size is 8"x18" and 9.5"x18".

I have found 8.5"x18" and 9.5"x18" from a 740i. Would I have problems using those? I have also found 8.5"x18" and 10"x18" -- can I use these? How important is half an inch width? If the width of the wheel varies by 1/2", will the width of the tires have to change as well?

Where is a good place to buy wheels for an M5? And has anyone had experience with the various "replica" wheels on Ebay?

Thanks.

 

[Jayson]

While the width matters your forgetting other things, such as offset and the hub. The 745 wheels will not even go on. When it comes to wheels dont' go cheap thats a main cause of wheels bending the cheaper it cost the cheaper the strength. Why not just get the factory wheels and be done they look great.

 

[jemmie]

Thanks for the info.

From my experience with another vehicle, I'm not convinced that the factory wheels will withstand bending from road hazards at all or even better than aftermarket wheels. In fact, I believe that is why the previous owner changed to aftermarket wheels -- the factory wheels bent. Now the aftermarket wheels bent as well.

In addition, I am not paying $2625 for a set of M5 factory wheels from the dealer that will probably be bent again. That's a non-starter.

So does anyone know other sources besides tirerack.com, discounttires.com, etc. for M5 wheels?

While the width matters your forgetting other things, such as offset and the hub. The 745 wheels will not even go on. When it comes to wheels dont' go cheap thats a main cause of wheels bending the cheaper it cost the cheaper the strength. Why not just get the factory wheels and be done they look great.

 

[ard]

In addition, I am not paying $2625 for a set of M5 factory wheels from the dealer that will probably be bent again. That's a non-starter.

If your opinion is that the factory wheels are just as weak as ALL aftermarket wheels, who are we to argue?

(Just FYI: You do realize that going to larger rims (19+) will increase bending potential.)

I picked up two brand new rear rims for $700. I've seen fronts ranging from $200-300 each, new or near new.

Prices on this board for full sets have ranged from $1100 to $1500 approx.

I also know of a dealer that sells brand new wheels for $507 and $472, front and rear, respectively.

You don't need to spend $2600+, but you do need to SHOP.

Good luck.

A

 

[jemmie]

I don't recall using the term "all aftermarket rims"; That's because I didn't. Neither did I say I am going to 19" rims; That's because I'm not.

I'll check the boards out. If I can get new factory set for $1100-$1500, I'll do it. I am skeptical that I can find that deal. And I'm not interested in buying "near new" rims because my experience is that people often sell slightly bent rims that shake at certain speeds as "near new" as their appearances can be "near new".

Thanks for the info.

 

[ard]

I don't recall using the term "all aftermarket rims"; That's because I didn't. Neither did I say I am going to 19" rims; That's because I'm not.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

You will discover that high quality aftermarket rims that have the same or greater strength as compared to factory will exceed your "non-starter" price of $2600.

You will also note that I said FYI... FYI means For Your Information- it is a parenthetical comment meant to provide additional information not directly related to your initial question.

You're new to this board- I suggest you reading a few hundred posts to get a sense of what is an appropriate 'tone' to take in your posts. We are not like many other boards you may visit...

Finally, you should first shop for the WHEEL (based on specs, looks, strength, reputation, etc), then figure out where to buy it. But that's just a suggestion- do what you want.

 

[M5_SMG]

Way to straighten him out

 

[Jayson]

You may not be convinced the factory rims are strong enough but you dont' even have them on the car so how do you know? Ive banged some large pot holes and mine are fine. 2600 bucks for wheels really isn't even close to being expensive. Ive paid 5-7 g's for good high quality wheels for other cars. But if you are decided to go aftermarket check out the ACS type 3's one of my favorties, course they run around 6k. Hamann has nice quality wheels as well. BBS is a board favorite and a racing favorite course i think they look cheap on the car. But to each their own.

 

[CSBM5]

The factory rims are extremely strong and also a decent weight for their size compared to other makes factory wheels. You will have to spend at least as much in the aftermarket to get anywhere close to the factory wheel strength...as for replicas, all the ones I have seen are inferior in quality and they weigh more at the same time.

One web source for factory wheels is bmwwheels: http://www.bmwwheels.com/bmwwheels_detail.asp?ws=65&Series=E39 . Looks like a brand new set is $1958 through them -- probably a good bit cheaper than most local dealers will sell them for.

 

[M5_SMG]

I'd go a nice set of breytons ... though I might be biased :1:

 

[jemmie]

Thanks. I'll check that site out.

Is there an objective test for how strong wheels are? Seems like it's not difficult to design a test with repeatable, measureable results.

BTW... I notice you have an 850R. I have a 1996 850R sedan. I had wheel issues with that as well and had to actually go to 16" wheels...

The factory rims are extremely strong and also a decent weight for their size compared to other makes factory wheels. You will have to spend at least as much in the aftermarket to get anywhere close to the factory wheel strength...as for replicas, all the ones I have seen are inferior in quality and they weigh more at the same time.

One web source for factory wheels is bmwwheels: http://www.bmwwheels.com/bmwwheels_detail.asp?ws=65&Series=E39 . Looks like a brand new set is $1958 through them -- probably a good bit cheaper than most local dealers will sell them for.

 

[madyspop]

How about some HRE 547r's, email me at [email protected] if you want some pics.

 

[rvacha]

The OEM wheels are actually quite bulletproof. IMHO the main reasons people replace them are:
1. They want a different look
2. They want to reduce unsprung weight
3. The finish has been damaged - they have proven hard/impossible for many repair shops to fix

I have different wheels for reason #1. I went with Fikse which has been a favorite with the E36 M3 crowd for years for their weight and durability and my experience has been no different. I drive on some of the crappiest roads in the US and I have been both impressed and a happy customer

Ray

 

[Frits]

The tyre size is not 'fix' for a certain width of wheels. E.g. I'm running on 10*18 at front, with 225/40/18. Other people would use 10*18 at the rear, maybe with 285/30/18. The smaller the size of the tyre, compared to the size of the wheel, the more carefull one should drive.
Half an inch isn't a big deal. I'm riding 10*18 at front, and 12*18 at the rear axle. 10*18 at the front fits without any adaptation to the car. 12*18 at the rear obviously not.

I've been driving 3-piece wheels for 4 years now, always deep-dish. Those wheels are not at all bullet-proof, they bent rather easy. I've never damaged any of these wheels. You should be aware you're not driving a SUV, but a sports vehicle with low profile tyres.

For me, the solution is easy: I never let my girlfriend drive any of my cars...

 

[Jayson]

The tyre size is not 'fix' for a certain width of wheels. E.g. I'm running on 10*18 at front, with 225/40/18. Other people would use 10*18 at the rear, maybe with 285/30/18. The smaller the size of the tyre, compared to the size of the wheel, the more carefull one should drive.
Half an inch isn't a big deal. I'm riding 10*18 at front, and 12*18 at the rear axle. 10*18 at the front fits without any adaptation to the car. 12*18 at the rear obviously not.

I've been driving 3-piece wheels for 4 years now, always deep-dish. Those wheels are not at all bullet-proof, they bent rather easy. I've never damaged any of these wheels. You should be aware you're not driving a SUV, but a sports vehicle with low profile tyres.

For me, the solution is easy: I never let my girlfriend drive any of my cars...

I can't belive your running a 225 on a 10" wide wheel. :confused3 ouich

 

[M5_SMG]

I had 245 on a 9.5" wide and the tyres were way way way too small

 

[Frits]

I can't belive your running a 225 on a 10" wide wheel. :confused3 ouich

Yup, over here in Europe, you can see that often. In Germany, I've seen cars with 225 on a 10.5 or 11 inch wheel. You got to be carefull not to damage the wheels while driving, but apart from that, there's no problem. I've driven on the Nurburgring with my M3, which has 235/40/17 on an 11" rim at the rear, and you couldn't feel the tyre was rather small while driving.

The reason for mounting these small tyres, is that the tyre will be stretched around the wheel, so the 'wall' of the tyre follows about the same line as the wheel arch of the car. This way, wider wheels can be mounted on the car, and the car can be lowered, without 'rubbing'.

 

[CSBM5]

From a tire engineer's viewpoint, when the rim width exceeds the section width of the tire, you are stepping out onto hollow ice. The likelyhood of a dramatic deflation event (tire bead coming unseated) goes up significantly. You are giving up numerous factors of safety designed into the tire/wheel bead interface...one "incident" may make it seem not worth it. Also, depending on the tire used, the contact patch will be improperly supported by the too-wide wheel resulting in reduced ultimate tractive force.

 

[Frits]

Well, believe it or not, I've driven at least 100k kms with tyres mounted like that, with cars with 300 or more HP, and I've never had any problem driving like that. I hear that comment over and over again, but nobody has ever been able to give me concrete examples of people having crashed their car because of that. I don't want to attack you, but can you give me an example?

 

[CSBM5]

No, what I'm giving you is simply information related to engineering factors of safety. Whether one chooses to ignore such while waiting to find an example to show why its crazy to ignore factors of safety in a mechanical design is an individual decision.