I was looking to get some 18's. I originally wanted some hamann hm2's , but they are so common, plus pricey. If I can get a good deal on them then I'd still be interesred, but I was wondering what wheel brands some of you guys llike for your e46. I dont relly know much about wheels, so I need your help. Besides hamann and ac schnitzer any other brands you guys like or would recommend for a black 2004 325 coupe? I saw these rims online. Fittipaldi force. They looked pretty clean. Any opinions?
Best wheels for BMW?
- Thread starter pydo82
- Start date
Get BMW rims, or at least excellent replicas that are made for BMW's. Watch out for big heavy rims, alot of the 'style' rims you see may 'look' like those $3-4k rim packages, but they weigh alot more.. Which will kill your launch and overall accelleration.
You're in the right catagory w/ Hamann or Ac Schnitzer. You also can almost always find a good set of M wheels that some M owner swapped out that you can get at a good price. M wheels can beef up any non-M bimmer and give it a tougher look instantly.
And lastly, keep in mind that you have to CLEAN them.. Some of the newer ones with bolts all the way around, can be an awful pain to clean, and I think we all know what brakedust on a bimmer is all about.
You're in the right catagory w/ Hamann or Ac Schnitzer. You also can almost always find a good set of M wheels that some M owner swapped out that you can get at a good price. M wheels can beef up any non-M bimmer and give it a tougher look instantly.
And lastly, keep in mind that you have to CLEAN them.. Some of the newer ones with bolts all the way around, can be an awful pain to clean, and I think we all know what brakedust on a bimmer is all about.
Advantages and disadvantages, of course! ![[:)]](/images/smilies/smile.png "Smile [:)]")
An advantage of staggered rims (bigger/wider rims in the rear vs the front) is it allows you to run a wider tire in the rear, which gives you better launch and less wheelspin if you step on it (more rubber to the road). It allows more of that awesome bmw engines power to reach the ground. Honestly, (imho) unless you have a 330, or M car of some sort (IE: a big engined BMW) then it's gonna be more of a 'looks' thing than anything. (You won't get much of a performance enhancement from putting staggered wheels on a 325 for instance, but it does look more aggressive!)
A disadvantage, is that you now have 2 different sized tires on your car. Forget wheel rotations, you will eat through tires faster than if you have the same size all around and can get an occasional rotation out of them.
18x8 is a good conservative size (When I say conservative, I mean you won't have to even consider 'rolling' your fenders). 18x8 wheels should support 225 and 235 width tires, which will fit easily and snugly under a 3 series. You can get larger and wider ones on the car, but then you have to consider rolling the fenders, and in extreme cases, a widebody kit.
(I'm running on 18x8's w/ 225/40/18's all the way around).
If you decide to do a suspension upgrade in the future (drop your car), then again the size of your wheels will come into question again. If they are super wide now, you may need spacers in the future or a fender roll to move them out further from the car (to avoid rub in the wheel well). With 18X8's, you should be ok to do any sort of drop you like (Again, it's 'conservative' which to me just means it's what 'should' be on there).
Hope this helps, again just my opinions and discoveries as I've played with my car.
An advantage of staggered rims (bigger/wider rims in the rear vs the front) is it allows you to run a wider tire in the rear, which gives you better launch and less wheelspin if you step on it (more rubber to the road). It allows more of that awesome bmw engines power to reach the ground. Honestly, (imho) unless you have a 330, or M car of some sort (IE: a big engined BMW) then it's gonna be more of a 'looks' thing than anything. (You won't get much of a performance enhancement from putting staggered wheels on a 325 for instance, but it does look more aggressive!)
A disadvantage, is that you now have 2 different sized tires on your car. Forget wheel rotations, you will eat through tires faster than if you have the same size all around and can get an occasional rotation out of them.
18x8 is a good conservative size (When I say conservative, I mean you won't have to even consider 'rolling' your fenders). 18x8 wheels should support 225 and 235 width tires, which will fit easily and snugly under a 3 series. You can get larger and wider ones on the car, but then you have to consider rolling the fenders, and in extreme cases, a widebody kit.
(I'm running on 18x8's w/ 225/40/18's all the way around).
If you decide to do a suspension upgrade in the future (drop your car), then again the size of your wheels will come into question again. If they are super wide now, you may need spacers in the future or a fender roll to move them out further from the car (to avoid rub in the wheel well). With 18X8's, you should be ok to do any sort of drop you like (Again, it's 'conservative' which to me just means it's what 'should' be on there).
Hope this helps, again just my opinions and discoveries as I've played with my car.
thaks for the input man. I learned a lot which is why I joined this board to begin with. I think Im going to buy 18x8.5's all the way around. hamann hm2. Found a pretty good deal on em. One more question. Any tire recommendations? I hear yokahama avs sports are good, and pirelli pzero rosso? Someone told be to check out goodyear and michellin bit I havent really heard about their performance tires much. Thanks again man. really appreciate the input.
A/C worries
For the first time this season I decided to use the a/c.When I turn it on I heard a whistling sound coming from the vents and the system initially blew cool air from the left vents and warm air from the right ones.Now it just blows warm air.I had the system recharged last summer.Could it be a leak or something more serious?If its just a leak I could replace any hoses or lines myself,however to recharge the system I may need some help.Is the gas sold in auto parts stores to recharge the system and if so,will I need any special tools to DIY?
Thanks all.
For the first time this season I decided to use the a/c.When I turn it on I heard a whistling sound coming from the vents and the system initially blew cool air from the left vents and warm air from the right ones.Now it just blows warm air.I had the system recharged last summer.Could it be a leak or something more serious?If its just a leak I could replace any hoses or lines myself,however to recharge the system I may need some help.Is the gas sold in auto parts stores to recharge the system and if so,will I need any special tools to DIY?
Thanks all.