New Shoes

[Wiles]

more photos per requests.




Took off the runflats and went to Super Sports
New rims are 19 x 8.5 offset 35 and 19 x 9.5 offset 38
Tires are 235 35 19, and 265 30 19 Michelin Super Sports

No rub and front outside edge is same as stock, rear is slightly better fill of wheel well but no rub and looks great, in my opinion.



ride is better than runflats, and grip is incredible.

[SchweiZ4]

Nice shoes, Congrats!
They seem to fit pretty well on your Z4 feet

btw: need to change those yellow rings

[VailM3]

They arent 326's the are M6 wheels? Either way looks great.

[APDspider]

Originally Posted by VailM3

They arent 326's the are M6 wheels? Either way looks great.

They look like the M6 wheels...

How much did you pay??? That's what I want to know. The breakdown.

[BMWZ4RIDER]

Looks Nice.

I have 296 wheels with RFTs and when thet RFTs are dust, I plan on changing to a more open wheel design like your new shoes. Same as above- What Mfger and how much?

[SgtGigglebox]

351M Wheels?

[teagueAMX]

Love it!

[CedarZ4]

They look like 355 style (M6) wheels, albeit poor replicas. OEM 355 are 2-toned/gunmetal, while these look like plain hypersilver. I think hypersilver really takes away from the 355 wheels, but as long as OP likes them, that's all that matters.

Don't know the specific brand and model the replicas are from, though.

[Moo]

Originally Posted by CedarZ4

They look like 355 style (M6) wheels, albeit poor replicas. OEM 355 are 2-toned/gunmetal, while these look like plain hypersilver. I think hypersilver really takes away from the 355 wheels, but as long as OP likes them, that's all that matters.

Don't know the specific brand and model the replicas are from, though.

There are also 2-toned reps like these:
http://www.oemwheelsplus.com/bmw/19-...heels-set.html

[Wiles]

Originally Posted by CedarZ4

They look like 355 style (M6) wheels, albeit poor replicas. OEM 355 are 2-toned/gunmetal, while these look like plain hypersilver. I think hypersilver really takes away from the 355 wheels, but as long as OP likes them, that's all that matters.
...

They are two tone machined and hyper silver much line the wheels I took off. They are not replica exactly but more pseudo replica wheels. They are pretty nice looking, and are not expensive, so I am happy with them.

[jts1981]

Nice!!

[Zedfor]

Very nice. Now come show them off at ZFest 2013!

[Wiles]

Updated original post with better photos per requests.

[jparnes1]

Does anyone have concerns about using aftermarket wheels that sell for about $150 per wheel? I mean, isn't is likely that you get what you pay for and these wheels, because they are so cheap, are probably made with inferior materials and workmanship? Or am I being overcautious?

[Wiles]

No worries here. You know BMW is not paying retail prices for the tens of thousands of mass, pun intended, produced wheels. The oem wheels are soft, heavy and some seem to crack. I would say the inexpensive wheels are not light, but the balanced with less weights than the oem wheels. I think they are fine for street use.

If you we're looking for super light forged track rims I would expect to pay a lot.

[hiltonfa]

Good looking wheels, I have the same on my car except mine are gunmetal and silver

[CedarZ4]

Originally Posted by jparnes1

Does anyone have concerns about using aftermarket wheels that sell for about $150 per wheel? I mean, isn't is likely that you get what you pay for and these wheels, because they are so cheap, are probably made with inferior materials and workmanship? Or am I being overcautious?

It could be the post-purchase rationalization in me as I just got aftermarket wheels, but I too was concerned about the cheaper aftermarket wheels, especially since mine will be seeing a lot of rough roads daily so I did some research. I do not claim to be any wheel expert, far from it, but to my understanding there are a few ways of making wheels. Cast wheels (gravity cast, low-pressure cast, high-pressure cast) and forged wheels.

Forged wheels are the most durable but also come with a significantly higher cost. Unless you are using your car for continuous hard track days (in which case forged wheels are recommended), forged wheels is not necessary (in terms of safety and practicality) for normal use, even with occasional spirited driving.

Then there are the 3 cast methods. Gravity cast and high-pressure cast have a lower production margin, but the wheels are also less ductile, which essentially means they are weak. These are the wheels you should stay away from, as they really aren't capable of sustaining day to day driving on today's high-powered vehicles, especially not on a BMW. Low-pressure cast is the type of wheels you want, as these are cheaper than forged (and more expensive than the other 2 cast method) but are strong enough for daily + spirited uses. Well known manufactures like BBS, and even OEM BMW wheels (speculations they are BBS wheels as well) also use low-pressure cast.

So, with that said, I figured if I bought from a named company (not your daily eBay special wheels that cost $100 each) that uses a low-pressure cast, then they should be solid enough (and more importantly safe enough) to meet my daily commute needs and occasional on-ramp adrenaline rush. Some examples are Avant Garde, VMR, Alufelgen, etc. The problem with eBay is, well... it's eBay. Even if the seller claims that they are low-pressure cast, for $100-$150, I really doubt it. And even if they are indeed low-pressure cast, they will be very very low quality ones. At least the middle ground aftermarket producers (mentioned above) have a longer history and a company it stands behind... ebay wheels are the wheels I would stay away from. For something that important, I would not scrape the bottom of the barrel. Better to be safe than sorry. I think wheels that go for $250-$300/wheel is a good middle ground to be at. Of course, others will disagree, but let's be honest, as long as these wheels won't miraculously shatter into a million pieces going over a speed bump, the possibility that it cracks easier than forged wheels but at 3x cheaper price seems worth it to be. I'm not putting myself at any more danger, just maybe the hassle of having to buy a new wheel to replace the cracked one. If anything, I think what is more important is getting the right rubber for the occasion. Don't go around your off-ramp at 75MPH with your winter tires and changing them when they need to be replaced.

[Innovative AutoConcepts]

Looks amazing. =] needs lower! hehe

[Moo]

Originally Posted by CedarZ4

It could be the post-purchase rationalization in me as I just got aftermarket wheels, but I too was concerned about the cheaper aftermarket wheels, especially since mine will be seeing a lot of rough roads daily so I did some research. I do not claim to be any wheel expert, far from it, but to my understanding there are a few ways of making wheels. Cast wheels (gravity cast, low-pressure cast, high-pressure cast) and forged wheels.

Forged wheels are the most durable but also come with a significantly higher cost. Unless you are using your car for continuous hard track days (in which case forged wheels are recommended), forged wheels is not necessary (in terms of safety and practicality) for normal use, even with occasional spirited driving.

Then there are the 3 cast methods. Gravity cast and high-pressure cast have a lower production margin, but the wheels are also less ductile, which essentially means they are weak. These are the wheels you should stay away from, as they really aren't capable of sustaining day to day driving on today's high-powered vehicles, especially not on a BMW. Low-pressure cast is the type of wheels you want, as these are cheaper than forged (and more expensive than the other 2 cast method) but are strong enough for daily + spirited uses. Well known manufactures like BBS, and even OEM BMW wheels (speculations they are BBS wheels as well) also use low-pressure cast.

So, with that said, I figured if I bought from a named company (not your daily eBay special wheels that cost $100 each) that uses a low-pressure cast, then they should be solid enough (and more importantly safe enough) to meet my daily commute needs and occasional on-ramp adrenaline rush. Some examples are Avant Garde, VMR, Alufelgen, etc. The problem with eBay is, well... it's eBay. Even if the seller claims that they are low-pressure cast, for $100-$150, I really doubt it. And even if they are indeed low-pressure cast, they will be very very low quality ones. At least the middle ground aftermarket producers (mentioned above) have a longer history and a company it stands behind... ebay wheels are the wheels I would stay away from. For something that important, I would not scrape the bottom of the barrel. Better to be safe than sorry. I think wheels that go for $250-$300/wheel is a good middle ground to be at. Of course, others will disagree, but let's be honest, as long as these wheels won't miraculously shatter into a million pieces going over a speed bump, the possibility that it cracks easier than forged wheels but at 3x cheaper price seems worth it to be. I'm not putting myself at any more danger, just maybe the hassle of having to buy a new wheel to replace the cracked one. If anything, I think what is more important is getting the right rubber for the occasion. Don't go around your off-ramp at 75MPH with your winter tires and changing them when they need to be replaced.

Nice write-up. I wonder what kind of manufacturing method was used for the infamous OEM 296's.

Meanwhile, you can get high pressure casted wheels from a well-known retailer. Not forged cast, but can't argue with that price.

[rking117]

nice...

[jparnes1]

Originally Posted by Moo

Nice write-up. I wonder what kind of manufacturing method was used for the infamous OEM 296's.

Meanwhile, you can get high pressure casted wheels from a well-known retailer. Not forged cast, but can't argue with that price.

The 296's were not a casting issue, but rather a design issue. They solved the problem by beefing up the metal thickness.
I also think you're missing the point. Forged wheels are not cast, they are forged. And high pressure cast wheels are not what you want.
I'm just not comfortable riding with these inexpensive wheels. Chances of catastrophic failure - low. Chances of wheels bending or cracking - higher. And since I run non-rft's, I don't need the increased risk of getting a flat, which my mobile inflation kit won't help with in this type of situation.

[Moo]

Originally Posted by jparnes1

The 296's were not a casting issue, but rather a design issue. They solved the problem by beefing up the metal thickness.
I also think you're missing the point. Forged wheels are not cast, they are forged. And high pressure cast wheels are not what you want.
I'm just not comfortable riding with these inexpensive wheels. Chances of catastrophic failure - low. Chances of wheels bending or cracking - higher. And since I run non-rft's, I don't need the increased risk of getting a flat, which my mobile inflation kit won't help with in this type of situation.

No, I'm not confused about forging vs casting. The point I was making is that high pressure cast > low pressure cast > gravity cast (typical "ebay" reps).

And jury's still out on whether 296's were forged or not (probably not).