# BMW Wheels vs. Aftermarket/Replica/Refurb (Which to get?)



## OBS3SSION (Oct 1, 2002)

Dilemma: 330i with sport package comes with M68's with are okay, in my opinion. But my wife and I really like the bolted cross spoke II style 42's much better. (Why can't BMW just give you a choice of wheels instead of sticking me with something I don't want.)

The only problem is that BMW wheels are comparatively much more expensive than similar wheels elsewhere.

I can get the BMW Cross Spoke II 42 for $555 list, and my dealership is offering 15% off list.

Or I can get aftermarket BBS RX which is a similar design without the bolt around the edge for $275 from a place like Tire Rack. Alternatively, Edge Racing has Rondel R58's which look like the BBS/BMW wheels for $198 each.

Then there are replica wheels like the ones Edge Racing sells, the Replica X302's which have the bolted pattern and even displayed with BMW caps for about $237. I've seen replicas elsewhere too, usually for a good deal less then BMW's price.

Lastly, refurbished. I only mention it because they are out there. But honestly, I want nothing to do with refurbished wheels. For some reason, I'm only imagining wheels that have been pulled off wrecked cars that could have structural fractures and other flaws that could make them dangerous.

So... what are the pros and cons of buying wheels? Any suggestions on what to get and where? Should I stick with BMW, or go with one of the alternatives? I'd hate to save a few hundred dollars only to jeopardize the car's performance and safety.

For reference, here's the BMW wheel I like most:


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

You get what you paid for.

Replicas and cheap knock-offs are just that...Cheap. Usually their construction sucks, the wheels aren't perfectly round or they're badly balanced requiring a lot of wheel weights to properly balance them out. Worse, some of them are very weak in structural rigidity and will bend or shatter on potholes.

I've got style 71 replicas and although I'm happy with them, I've come to realize that these replicas will never measure up to the real OEM stuff. The replica's I got from The Wheel Exchange are good structurally, but the finish is starting to show a lot of pits and striations on the paint. Also they're significantly HEAVIER than the OEM style 71s...3-4 lbs heavier in fact.

If you're willing to live with the possibility that your wheel is going to be softer than OEM or name brand wheels, and are not going to be going over potholes significantly larger than a few inches deep, replicas are great alternatives as daily wheels. However, I agree BMW OEM wheels are unreasonably expensive. If you REALLY like the cross spoke style and must have the multi-piece look, try BBS RX-IIs or BBS RG-Rs. Both are significantly lighter than BMW OEM wheels and the RG-Rs are about the same price as the BMW wheels and up to 10 lbs lighter.

Or you can just wait for the PureSports group buy on forged wheels.


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## jeffnnj (Feb 6, 2003)

You can always get the best of both worlds and buy mine....

<img src=http://members.aol.com/jeffnnj/rims1>

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20749


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## Cliff (Apr 19, 2002)

The HACK said:


> *If you REALLY like the cross spoke style and must have the multi-piece look, try BBS RX-IIs or BBS RG-Rs. Both are significantly lighter than BMW OEM wheels and the RG-Rs are about the same price as the BMW wheels and up to 10 lbs lighter.*


FWIW, RG-R's are one piece:










RS-GTs are two piece, but I have heard they will be priced in the same range as LMs.


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

It's going to be hard to find 2-piece quality wheels for less than $500. 
RXIIs are the closest in looks to the OEM BMW wheels you like and like Hack said they are lighter. The staggered setup for your 330 will run you $2,148 from Tire Rack, IMO very decent price.
RX is significantly cheaper with similar looks.

RXII:


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

I'm comfortable going with either OEM or respected brands such as BBS. I'm even wary of brands that have a reputation of bending, such as Breyton and SSR. 

However, the Style 71 replicas are tempting, since I could save about $1,200 over OEM on a set. But since I live in the Northeast and track my car sometimes, I don't think it's worth it to me to take chances. There's nothing else I'd rather spend money on, except another BMW.


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## JonW (Jan 6, 2002)

FWIW, I've heard nothing but good things regarding the quality of BBS wheels. (I'll be getting myself a set of BBS RK's in a month or so.) In terms of quality, I would not put them any lower than BMW wheels from what info I've collected. And Tirerack sells them at very competitive prices. Just a little more info for you. Good luck.


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## supercharged (Feb 18, 2003)

my OEM rims were pretty banged up and I had to decied on new/refurbished rims I finnaly deceided to go with having my OEM rims straightened an powder coated cosmo black like the car. I am very happy. Just can't adequatley replace these 20 spokes for cheap. The refurb cost me $600 for 5 rims including the spare. One good BBS or SSR would cost that much


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## Emission (Dec 19, 2001)

Here is how I look at wheels.

Buy the wheels you want, then take very good care of them. When you are 'done' with them, mount the OEM wheels back on the car and sell the aftermarket wheels.

You should be able to get at least 50% of the new cost of the wheels when you sell them used. This means you will recover at least 1/2 of your investment (or looking at it a different way, the wheels are 1/2 price).

Say the BBS wheels cost you $500 each ($2000 a set). Used, you should be able to get $250 each for the wheels (especially with some old rubber on them). 

Buy the wheels you really want!


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## Artslinger (Sep 2, 2002)

BMW makes such nice looking quality wheels, I cannot understand why some people replace their BMW wheels with after market wheels. :dunno:

And another thing, If I'm buying a used 10 year old BMW I would definitely want the original BMW rims on the car. If for whatever reason you are replacing the wheels on you car, save the rims and when selling the car put the original wheels back on. This is especially true on a car like the 330 ZHP which will someday be considered a collectors car.


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## supercharged (Feb 18, 2003)

what I've seen thats also nice is newer and larger facory bmw rims on older bmw cars


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## JonW (Jan 6, 2002)

Artslinger said:


> *BMW makes such nice looking quality wheels, I cannot understand why some people replace their BMW wheels with after market wheels. :dunno:
> *


Well, everyone has different tastes. For me, I'd like a second set of wheels so I can have a summer and a winter setup. For summer, I'm looking for wheels that are lighter than the ones that came with the car, strong, and will allow for some wider tires. Sounds good to me.


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## JonW (Jan 6, 2002)

supercharged said:


> *my OEM rims were pretty banged up and I had to decied on new/refurbished rims I finnaly deceided to go with having my OEM rims straightened an powder coated cosmo black like the car. I am very happy. Just can't adequatley replace these 20 spokes for cheap. The refurb cost me $600 for 5 rims including the spare. One good BBS or SSR would cost that much *


I guess that's one way to minimize the ugliness of brake dust.


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Artslinger said:


> *BMW makes such nice looking quality wheels, I cannot understand why some people replace their BMW wheels with after market wheels. :dunno:*


They're too heavy. They cost a ludicrous amount of money.


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## Artslinger (Sep 2, 2002)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> *They're too heavy. They cost a ludicrous amount of money.  *


To heavy, maybe for the track but for everyday driving... no bent rims.

$$$... wheels come standard with every new BMW.:dunno:


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Artslinger said:


> *To heavy, maybe for the track but for everyday driving... no bent rims.
> 
> $$$... wheels come standard with every new BMW.:dunno: *


Yeah, but I needed more wheels anyway. And the OEM wheels weren't wide enough, either.

If my car had come with, say, Type 44s or M68s, though, I'd probably have picked up some steelies for winter. I'll agree that the standard rims are pretty good for most things. However, when paying out of pocket for new rims, the BMW ones are way overpriced for what you get.


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## OBS3SSION (Oct 1, 2002)

Some of the comments above mirror my thoughts and concerns about replicas. Looks like my best bet is to go with one of the (overpriced) BMW wheels, or with a reputable brand aftermarket wheel like BBS.

Personally, my biggest gripe with most car brands is the inability to choose a wheel style that you like. What is usually the first, and most noticeable customization many people do to a car to personalize it to their liking? Wheels. BMW has a huge selection of wheels available, more than any other manufacturer I've seen. 

So why can't we have a choice... especially since most cars are built to our exact specifications in every other regard? Hell, I was even able to order a color that isn't supposed to be available in the US. But when I ask if I can get the style 42's instead of the 68's, they say no way, no how.

I know, I know... it's probably all a marketing thing. Let them buy the car with the cost of the wheels included. And if they want different BMW wheels they can pay for wheels a second time, and they make more money.

Instead, now I'm contemplating buying something other than BMW wheels because they are so expensive. Sure, my first choice would always be OEM products. Hell, if I were loaded, I'd take 2 sets of 42's just so I had spares. But I'm not. I'm forced to balance my budget... and a set of 17" BBS RX's look pretty darn close to the BMW wheels I like... at half the cost.

I had the same problem with my Passat. I wanted OEM wheels, but they were obscenely expensive compared to comparable aftermarket wheels. I chose a wheel from Mille Miglia that most people actually thought was a stock VW wheel. But I always knew it wasn't. Regarding selling the aftermarket wheels when you're "done" with them... I know. In fact, I sold 95% of the mods and accessories I put on my Passat for 50-75% of what I paid for them new.

Now I also seem to have the dilemma of what to do with the stock 68's. Do I sell them to help pay for a new set, or do I keep them to put back on at lease-end. At this point I don't know yet if I'm walking away from the car at the end, or will buy it outright. If I replaced the wheels with another set of OEM wheels, I wouldn't really worry about not having the stock 68's. However, I'd be less comfortable selling the 68's if I got something aftermarket.

Dammit! None of this would be a problem if I was just given a damn choice to begin with! *grumble grumble*


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

PhilH said:


> *I'm comfortable going with either OEM or respected brands such as BBS. I'm even wary of brands that have a reputation of bending, such as Breyton and SSR.
> 
> However, the Style 71 replicas are tempting, since I could save about $1,200 over OEM on a set. But since I live in the Northeast and track my car sometimes, I don't think it's worth it to me to take chances. There's nothing else I'd rather spend money on, except another BMW. *


Phil, I've tracked my car with the style 71's from The Wheel Exchange and they've stayed true and round. However, if you live in the rust belt, the finish WILL get damaged since the paint finish is clearly inferior to OEM wheels.

As far as the tracks are concerned, I think I will probably go with a lighter wheel regardless. The replica 71's DO make fine daily drives though.


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## powerdrift (May 21, 2002)

PhilH said:


> *I'm comfortable going with either OEM or respected brands such as BBS. I'm even wary of brands that have a reputation of bending, such as Breyton and SSR.
> 
> However, the Style 71 replicas are tempting, since I could save about $1,200 over OEM on a set. But since I live in the Northeast and track my car sometimes, I don't think it's worth it to me to take chances. There's nothing else I'd rather spend money on, except another BMW. *


Although Breytons do have a reputation of bending on bad roads, I'm not sure where you got your information about SSR wheels bending easily. SSR wheels are not cast wheels like most OEM BMW wheels, Breyton, or most BBS wheels. They are semi-solid forged wheels. They are a step below forged wheels like iForge, Fiske, Volk forged, BBS forged, HRE, and Kinesis wheels but a step above the majority of cast wheels.

I've seen statements from Will Turner saying that SSR wheels bend easily. This simply isn't true. They may bend easier than Fiske, iForge, HRE, or Kinesis wheels, which *IS* true, but they are definately a lot more durable than a lot of cast wheels on the market.

The wheel from SSR that is rumored to bend easily are the SSR Competitions. If this is true, it would be because this wheel is light and not a truely forged wheel. You can't have an extremely strong wheel that is so lightweight and still have it cost around $500 a wheel. I used to own a set of 17' SSR Integrals and even with all the poor road conditions in Boston, they have never bent, and I have hit a lot of pot holes and speed bumps because I didn't see them. On the other hand, I've bent all 4 BBS RC's in a little over 5 months just from driving around town.

For a track purposes, I would go with wheels that are stronger than SSR, but for evreyday driving, SSR are plenty durable enough as are a lot of other brand of wheels such as BBS, Breyton, Hamann, Ronal, etc.

Sorry for the long post, but I had read a lot of false comments and assumptions from too many forums about SSR wheels being too soft for daily use.


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

powerdrift said:


> *I used to own a set of 17' SSR Integrals and even with all the poor road conditions in Boston, they have never bent, and I have hit a lot of pot holes and speed bumps because I didn't see them. On the other hand, I've bent all 4 BBS RC's in a little over 5 months just from driving around town. *


Good to hear from someone who has owned both. I think I've crossed the 18" SSR Competitions off my list due to too many complaints of bending on the internet, but the SSR GT3s still tempt me...

It truly surprises me that you would bend four BBS RCs.  That's the first I've ever heard of that, and a lot of local PA BMW owners have them.


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