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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

2003 - 2009, roadster, coupe, facelift
Bobskih
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Bobskih » Tue May 18, 2021 11:51 am

Hi

Maybe a daft or divided opinion question but what are peoples thoughts on aftermarket wheels.

I'm due to to take my OEM wheels to be refurbished (as I still like them) but 2 of them maybe beyond repair so don't want to waste my money on them.

Thoughts from the group would be appreciated.



Just refurbed my calipers and I'm sure my car is faster since this. :D
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Last edited by Bobskih on Thu May 20, 2021 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by brillomaster » Tue May 18, 2021 1:12 pm

it depends on the wheel - you can get some bad aftermarket wheels (ie poorly made, heavy) or perfectly good aftermarket wheels. I've got aftermarket wheels on my daily driver and they're great.

though, if you wanted to keep the daisies, you could probably get hold of a decent set secondhand for the cost of having them refurbished - most people are looking to swap 17" daisies for 18" wheels. like these for example:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254949237345 ... SwLjxgfp-1

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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Zedebee » Tue May 18, 2021 1:51 pm

They’d have to very bad to not be repairable. That said, a full refurb seems to start at around £70 per wheel, depending on where you are; and you’ve got a good chance of getting a replacement set second hand for less than that.

As Brillomaster says, many 103 owners look to upgrade to an 18” wheel. 108s and MV2s seem most popular, and there’s a lot of love for 107s. You can see all the OEM wheel styles on www.bmwstylewheels.com
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Bobskih
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Bobskih » Tue May 18, 2021 2:11 pm

brillomaster, Zedebee,

Thanks for your valuable input, both given me food for thought.

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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by M1k3yC » Tue May 18, 2021 2:56 pm

Personally I like to stick to (or close to) wheel sizes and offsets that were offered with a vehicle from the manufacturer. That rules out some aftermarket choices for me. I've just ordered some new wheels for my E86 and went for genuine BMW but picked a style you don't often see. Pictures forthcoming when I get them. You have plenty of choice of wheels because a lot of 3 series wheels of that era have the same dimensions and offsets as wheels that came on a Z4. Lots of BMW wheels from other BMWs tend to fit fine, but might have different widths and offsets - not necessarily a problem, either. You'll see a lot of love for aftermarket CSL styles, too. Buy what you like the look of the most.
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Jakg » Tue May 18, 2021 3:32 pm

I'm not a fan of aftermarket wheels unless the car is heavily modified (from an appearance POV).
Functionally, some are heavy and some are crazy light, but typically people go for the former.
I think OE wheels work better with standard wheels, but they don't have to be from a Z4, plenty of other BMW wheels can look good.

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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Mr Tidy » Tue May 18, 2021 8:49 pm

For after-market wheels Apex and Veeman seem to get positive reviews on here.

But I've always stuck to OE BMW ones, even if I did put E89 wheels on my previous E86 and I currently have E89 wheels on my 3 Series!

I bought both those sets on here, as well as the 224s I've just fitted to my MC so it's well worth keeping a look out on the classifieds section.

Although I bought a set of F30 wheels with tyres for a previous E91 on Gumtree for £200 a few years ago as it had winters fitted when I got it!

At the end of the day it depends what you really want and how much you are willing to spend.
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by firebobby » Tue May 18, 2021 9:34 pm

Not a fan of aftermarket either, my Z had 103's when we got it, now sporting 107's...best wheel fr the classic Z4 :thumbsup:
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Bobskih » Wed May 19, 2021 10:20 am

M1k3yC, Jakg, firebobby, Mr Tidy,

Appreciate your opinions and the consensus seems to go down the OEM route, which I was leaning too in any case. I was wary about buying AM wheels and their quailty after a couple of years.

Lots of choice out there so a decision on design is the next big issue.

Cheers everyone!
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Zedebee » Wed May 19, 2021 11:19 am

Nothing to stop you customising OEM wheels
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Bmwz4ruby » Thu May 20, 2021 10:49 am

Had MV2’s on my E86 and they looked ok but need to be in good condition, mine were poor. I looked at refurb but decided money better spent in new aftermarket wheels, Bola FLC’s. They are light, well made and have great offsets for the E86 with no spacers needed. The MV2’s have horrible offsets for the E86.
Anyway I cannot fault the Bolas in any way.
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by mr.tourette » Thu May 20, 2021 11:04 am

I've no preference..as long as its a good looking wheel aftermarket or oe is fine
if its got tits or tyres..its trouble :D

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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Bobskih » Thu May 20, 2021 12:54 pm

Zedebee,
Look good in gold, what colour is the car?

Bmwz4ruby,
Those Bola's suit it well.

mr.tourette,
Thanks, I appreciate that some other forums are quite judgemental with AM choices. :D
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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by TheDan » Thu May 20, 2021 1:43 pm

I don't have a huge problem with aftermarket wheels, in fact there are some I love... looking at you CMWheels style 763Ms https://cmwheels.com/product/18-763m-m4 ... att-black/.

However, I am a firm believer that the correct OE wheel and a fresh refurb (powder coat) in a suitable colour can make a massive difference whilst maintaining the OE look.

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Aftermarket wheels - Yes or no?

Post by Bobskih » Thu May 20, 2021 2:43 pm

TheDan, Yes, like the black wheels against the grey/silver body. Your completed/wishlist has given my savings account a wakeup call :D
Bob

E85 2.2SE
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