[keylime503]

Hi,

Full disclosure: I am a complete newbie when it comes to rims and tires so please forgive me. Apologize for the long post in advance, any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

Back in October I leased a 2015 428i Coupe. At the time I was really impatient and didn't want to wait for a custom order so I was picking between two similarly optioned F32s, one luxury line and one no-line. In the end, I picked the no-line simply because I didn't like the chrome accents and busy wheels of the luxury line.

Fast forward a few months. I've been reading f30post daily and have all of you to thank for a wealth of information gathered about my car. I've also gathered a bit of buyer's remorse when it comes to the no-line rims. In short, I can't stand them. They look extremely plain and every basic 320i on the street has them, and it's driving me crazy. I fully admit that I screwed up and should have been more patient when I got my car back in October, but it's too late for that.

So, I'm looking to get replace my rims with something that doesn't make me shudder every morning when I see them. I would like to stick to the OEM look and likely 18", maybe 19" (would love to hear pros/cons on this coming from 17" and also being a lease). Anyways, I have a ton of questions and if anyone can help me out, I'm eager to learn and get some advice! Appreciate all the help in advance!

1. As I mentioned before this is a lease that runs until 10/17. Is there anything I need to worry about in terms of voiding warranty (pretty sure I'm ok here) or dealerships giving me trouble? I intend to put the original 17" rims/tires back on the car before returning the lease of course.

2. I want to stick to OEM styles for the F32. So far I've seen style 397 (stock on sport-line), style 400M (stock on M-sport) and style 441M (option on M-sport). Will any/all of these fit on my no-line F32? 18", 19"? I don't think the dimensions of the wheel cavity are any different between the lines, but I could be wrong. Also, are the dimensions the same as the F30 (e.g. Will I have any issues getting rims from an F30 owner and putting them on my F32)?

3. I understand the TPMS system was changed by BMW around 3/14. I'm pretty sure I don't need to get TPMS for my new tires since I can just take the ones of my existing tires and use those, right?

4. What does the 'M' mean on the BMW OEM rim styles (i.e. Style 397 vs. 400M)? Is it just used to signify the rims that have the little M logo under the center cap?

5. Staggered setup. Coming from a no-line F32 with 17" wheels, any advice on staggered vs. non-staggered? Is one necessarily cheaper than the other?

6. What's the best place to look for lightly-used OEM rims? I've been checking out the classified boards on this forum and have found a good number of 400M's with tires all around $1000-1500. Is this what I should expect to pay? What about shipping?

7. Buying used rims/tires, what are the things I need to look out for, aside from the visually-obvious bent/cracked rim?

8. Wheel sponsors on the board. Can you help me out?

9. Installation. I would do it myself, but I don't have a garage to work in. How much should I expect to pay dealer/non-dealer to take off my existing wheels/tires, put on the new ones, align/rotate, and setup TPMS?

Again, really appreciate all the help. Thanks!

[keylime503]

bump, any thoughts?

[Blubaron79]

I got a set of 397's for winter off Ebay that were take offs from another BMW. I would recommend getting TPMS for both sets. It's a pain transferring them.

Look for a set of 19's. I think 441 or 442's. I can remember. Just poke around ebay. Also, someone had in a post yesterday that there is a site that sells refurbished BMW rims from accidents. I'll try to find that link.

[Blubaron79]

Here is the link. The first wheel on there. I think the 441. This is my second car with them. I love them!
http://www.allfactorywheels.com/brands/BMW.html

[keylime503]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

Here is the link. The first wheel on there. I think the 441. This is my second car with them. I love them!
http://www.allfactorywheels.com/brands/BMW.html

I'm a little hesitant to go with the refurbished rims to be honest. Would rather find someone on a forum like this who is taking their rims/tires off after a couple thousand miles because they are going aftermarket.

[Blubaron79]

Originally Posted by keylime503

I'm a little hesitant to go with the refurbished rims to be honest. Would rather find someone on a forum like this who is taking their rims/tires off after a couple thousand miles because they are going aftermarket.

Refurbished just means they were road rashed and re painted. A better option than a knockoff that is not going to hold up well.

[rolltidef32]

Originally Posted by keylime503

bump, any thoughts?

Ok, where to start....

Glad you now know to go with a Sport or M Sport Line, but if you'd only do this for cosmetics, maybe not.

Same for the tires. "Looks" are only part of the consideration here. Do you want to run Summer or No-Season rubber? TireRack.com would be a good start for you to see what sizes can fit your car. There are several options here.

Now to the lease. Just know that you'll need to return the car with those little 17's and with RFTs or it'll cost you a couple thousand dollars at the end. If you don't have a garage to store the 17's, this may not be such as good idea.

Lets say you can store the tires and wheels, you can spring for a set of rims and tires, again, this will be maybe $3000 or so for BMW rims, cheaper if you go aftermarket. But again, you have a lease, so why spend so much money for a car you'll give back in another 2 1/2 years? Yes, they can likely go on another future BMW, but that's if you go into another, or you can sell them for a nice loss.

Chalk this up as a hard lesson learned. In the future, don't be impulsive, don't buy or lease a stripper car; because all of that social capital you're looking for with the "cosmetics" of a cool car, just evaporated since a stripper car is so plain with such terrible rims.

Just another couple of years, time will pass quickly.

[keylime503]

Originally Posted by rolltidef32

Ok, where to start....

Glad you now know to go with a Sport or M Sport Line, but if you'd only do this for cosmetics, maybe not.

Same for the tires. "Looks" are only part of the consideration here. Do you want to run Summer or No-Season rubber? TireRack.com would be a good start for you to see what sizes can fit your car. There are several options here.

Now to the lease. Just know that you'll need to return the car with those little 17's and with RFTs or it'll cost you a couple thousand dollars at the end. If you don't have a garage to store the 17's, this may not be such as good idea.

Lets say you can store the tires and wheels, you can spring for a set of rims and tires, again, this will be maybe $3000 or so for BMW rims, cheaper if you go aftermarket. But again, you have a lease, so why spend so much money for a car you'll give back in another 2 1/2 years? Yes, they can likely go on another future BMW, but that's if you go into another, or you can sell them for a nice loss.

Chalk this up as a hard lesson learned. In the future, don't be impulsive, don't buy or lease a stripper car; because all of that social capital you're looking for with the "cosmetics" of a cool car, just evaporated since a stripper car is so plain with such terrible rims.

Just another couple of years, time will pass quickly.

I didn't mean to say cosmetics were the only reason I would want M-sport. It's just the glaring difference I see on my daily commute and thus sticks in my head the most.

I'm in California. It dipped below 50 degrees maybe 1 day this entire winter, so needless to say summer tires are just fine.

I'm aware I need to return the lease with the 17's and RFTs. My plan would be to store the 17s with the RFTs on them (yes I have room to store them) and then put them back on before returning the lease. Then, if I can sell the new rims/tires great! If not, I'm ok with that too.

Also, I'm not sure where you are getting $3000 from. I would certainly never spend 3k on a mod for a lease that's absurd as you mentioned. I've seen plenty of listings on this forum and others for wheels + tires in the $1000-1500 range and I figure another ~$100 to get them mounted at a shop (have a quote for $102 already).

[rolltidef32]

Originally Posted by keylime503

I didn't mean to say cosmetics were the only reason I would want M-sport. It's just the glaring difference I see on my daily commute and thus sticks in my head the most.

I'm in California. It dipped below 50 degrees maybe 1 day this entire winter, so needless to say summer tires are just fine.

I'm aware I need to return the lease with the 17's and RFTs. My plan would be to store the 17s with the RFTs on them (yes I have room to store them) and then put them back on before returning the lease. Then, if I can sell the new rims/tires great! If not, I'm ok with that too.

Also, I'm not sure where you are getting $3000 from. I would certainly never spend 3k on a mod for a lease that's absurd as you mentioned. I've seen plenty of listings on this forum and others for wheels + tires in the $1000-1500 range and I figure another ~$100 to get them mounted at a shop (have a quote for $102 already).

Price a set of BMW rims and tires, then take a look at some pretty good rims with good tires, then some average rims with average tires. You'll understand the pricing then.

My set of Go Flat Michelin Pilot Super Sports alone cost $1100 for 19' summer rubber. Decent rims may be $700 a piece, BMW rims are a bit more. Add all of that up, and you're close to or over $3K easily.

Overall, my point is that those people who you see with the actually "cool" looking BMWs, pay for the privilege. We made the careful and deliberate purchase of a Sport Line or M Sport because we knew we wouldn't compromise on driving a car not properly outfitted. This is a learning process, we all started somewhere. You're first BMW isn't perfect; so what?

You now are much more knowledgable and will make smarter future decisions with long term investments that cost a lot of money. Or so I hope you will....

[keylime503]

Originally Posted by rolltidef32

Price a set of BMW rims and tires, then take a look at some pretty good rims with good tires, then some average rims with average tires. You'll understand the pricing then.

My set of Go Flat Michelin Pilot Super Sports alone cost $1100 for 19' summer rubber. Decent rims may be $700 a piece, BMW rims are a bit more. Add all of that up, and you're close to or over $3K easily.

I should have clarified that I'm attempting to buy used wheels and/or tires such as the ones listed on the classified section of this forum. I have seen many postings for 400M rims + tires in the $1000-1500 range so while the OEM rims brand new from BMW Parts dept. may be $700 a piece, that's not my situation and I am not looking to do that. Furthermore, I figure I will have to buy new tires at least once over the course of my lease so it's not like I'm spending $1k+ on a new set of tires that I otherwise would not buy.

Appreciate all the advice!

[rolltidef32]

Originally Posted by keylime503

I should have clarified that I'm attempting to buy used wheels and/or tires such as the ones listed on the classified section of this forum. I have seen many postings for 400M rims + tires in the $1000-1500 range so while the OEM rims brand new from BMW Parts dept. may be $700 a piece, that's not my situation and I am not looking to do that. Furthermore, I figure I will have to buy new tires at least once over the course of my lease so it's not like I'm spending $1k+ on a new set of tires that I otherwise would not buy.

Appreciate all the advice!

I see. Well if you're getting used wheels, then have at it then. $1000 or so for rims and tires is worth it and will make you feel a bit better for the next few years.

However, what makes a BMW proper is the suspension, not just the wheels. Most important things you get with the Sport or M Sport is the suspension and either Sport Auto transmission or the manual.

Do that next time and you'll be driving a true Bimmer. Totally different feel of the car.

Good luck with the wheels.

[Midnightgray15]

I have a new 2015 428XI coupe and will be purchasing new wheels. I need help with wheel recommendations nd et ? im thinking of getting VMR wheels in 19 inch.

19x8.5 ET 35 (front)
19x9.5 ET 45 (rear)

are these a good setup for my vehicle?

Steven

[rgipson]

Regarding the BMW OEM wheels vs aftermarkets such as VMR, Avant Garde - Is there much quality difference or weight difference?