So, as some of you remember, I more than a year ago I bought my coupe factory-equipped with M-Sports suspension (shocks and springs), M Sports steering wheel and - alas - no M Seats and tiny 17"wheels.
The 17" 200s do not look that bad, and the balance of the non-staggered setup is great.
I also don't think that my urban daily driver could go as low as the additional 15mm offered by Eibachs (although as soon as one of them snaps, I'll make that move).
Anyway, I've been unhappy with the runflat Bridgestones - the crashy ditch-finding scum that most of the civilised Zed users have burnt at the stake. I also needed separate winter wheels, as Warsaw can offer plenty of snow between December and March.
Of course, my first choice was the CSL look. Yet, it has been done so many times here, and it's easier to find a virgin in the club than a decent set here.
So I decided to do something that nobody had done before.
My rule numbah one was: NO MORE REPLICAS. I've had horrendous experience with them on other cars.
It so happened that the Italian manufacturer MAK Wheels (a popular brand on the continent) has just released their new model: MAK Munchen. A special model dedicated for BMW, reflecting the modern BMW styling language.
My previous experience with them has been nothing but good:
http://www.makwheels.it/defaultEng.asp
To quote the press release:
Mak Munchen Silver: An exciting new alloy wheel design exclusivity for BMW cars from Mak wheels of Italy. The Munchen is perfect for any BMW M3. M5, M6, BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series including the 5 Series GT, BMW 6 Series, 7 Series and X1 / X3. Available in 17x8, 18x8, 18x9, 19x8.5, 19x9.5 and 20x8.5 in direct fitments and perfect offsets for BMW, this alloy wheel is designed to be able use Original BMW bolts as well as the BMW centre cap, as such you can be sure of the perfect OE look for your car. (O.E. BMW Center cap compatible).
MAK alloy wheels are made in Italy ensuring the highest levels of quality and finish in all their alloy wheels. MAK Italy is a global manufacturer of alloy wheels and in 2011 produced 450,000 alloy wheels for worldwide distribution. Based at their Italian production site, in Brescia Italy, they use a totally automated production process with state-of-the-art technologies to produce super high quality wheels using the gravity production process.
.....
Anyway, it was a long wait before I received the wheels. It's a new 2013 model, so the demand is quite high.
The opened parcel looked like that:
It's easy to be deceived by the looks, so I weighed the wheel immediately - the result was 12.2 kg, about 0.4 kg more than OEM BMW 18" wheels. At half the price, I'm happy. The wheels come with a solid guarantee (3 or 5 years), so we'll see how easily it is to make them square.
The are many BMW offsets to choose from, but I went for the OEM look - all the wheels (8" front, 9" rear) stick out 12mm more than the standard BMW 18".
I also got an excellent deal on a set of Conti Sports 5 - just little used, 7mm all around, from another Bimmer user. It is the standard 18" staggered setup.
Reactions:
- the car is so much communicative, there is such a better cornering
feel than the standard runflat steel wall.
- no tyre noise to speak of... I finally enjoyed the exhaust note
- the launch traction at the traffic lights is a great deal better, and - fortunately - the understeer when turning in has not dramatically increased (it was my major fear)
:evil:
I'm tired after carrying all the tyres and wheels and driving them in the coupe (two runs!). Tired after my evening urban mother-of-all-hoons.
You probably know how happy I am.
But here are some phone pics.
I've ordered a set of BMW wheel caps, so please excuse me on that issue.
I hope that at least some of you will like the wheels and may be encouraged to follow suit.
The 17" 200s do not look that bad, and the balance of the non-staggered setup is great.
I also don't think that my urban daily driver could go as low as the additional 15mm offered by Eibachs (although as soon as one of them snaps, I'll make that move).
Anyway, I've been unhappy with the runflat Bridgestones - the crashy ditch-finding scum that most of the civilised Zed users have burnt at the stake. I also needed separate winter wheels, as Warsaw can offer plenty of snow between December and March.
Of course, my first choice was the CSL look. Yet, it has been done so many times here, and it's easier to find a virgin in the club than a decent set here.
So I decided to do something that nobody had done before.
My rule numbah one was: NO MORE REPLICAS. I've had horrendous experience with them on other cars.
It so happened that the Italian manufacturer MAK Wheels (a popular brand on the continent) has just released their new model: MAK Munchen. A special model dedicated for BMW, reflecting the modern BMW styling language.
My previous experience with them has been nothing but good:
http://www.makwheels.it/defaultEng.asp
To quote the press release:
Mak Munchen Silver: An exciting new alloy wheel design exclusivity for BMW cars from Mak wheels of Italy. The Munchen is perfect for any BMW M3. M5, M6, BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series including the 5 Series GT, BMW 6 Series, 7 Series and X1 / X3. Available in 17x8, 18x8, 18x9, 19x8.5, 19x9.5 and 20x8.5 in direct fitments and perfect offsets for BMW, this alloy wheel is designed to be able use Original BMW bolts as well as the BMW centre cap, as such you can be sure of the perfect OE look for your car. (O.E. BMW Center cap compatible).
MAK alloy wheels are made in Italy ensuring the highest levels of quality and finish in all their alloy wheels. MAK Italy is a global manufacturer of alloy wheels and in 2011 produced 450,000 alloy wheels for worldwide distribution. Based at their Italian production site, in Brescia Italy, they use a totally automated production process with state-of-the-art technologies to produce super high quality wheels using the gravity production process.
.....
Anyway, it was a long wait before I received the wheels. It's a new 2013 model, so the demand is quite high.
The opened parcel looked like that:
It's easy to be deceived by the looks, so I weighed the wheel immediately - the result was 12.2 kg, about 0.4 kg more than OEM BMW 18" wheels. At half the price, I'm happy. The wheels come with a solid guarantee (3 or 5 years), so we'll see how easily it is to make them square.
The are many BMW offsets to choose from, but I went for the OEM look - all the wheels (8" front, 9" rear) stick out 12mm more than the standard BMW 18".
I also got an excellent deal on a set of Conti Sports 5 - just little used, 7mm all around, from another Bimmer user. It is the standard 18" staggered setup.
Reactions:
- the car is so much communicative, there is such a better cornering
feel than the standard runflat steel wall.- no tyre noise to speak of... I finally enjoyed the exhaust note
- the launch traction at the traffic lights is a great deal better, and - fortunately - the understeer when turning in has not dramatically increased (it was my major fear)
:evil: I'm tired after carrying all the tyres and wheels and driving them in the coupe (two runs!). Tired after my evening urban mother-of-all-hoons.
You probably know how happy I am.
But here are some phone pics.
I've ordered a set of BMW wheel caps, so please excuse me on that issue.
I hope that at least some of you will like the wheels and may be encouraged to follow suit.
really suits your car . great choice 
