Aftermarket Wheels - advice

[craigdm]

So, after 35+ years of motoring I've taken my first steps into upgrades with a Superchips Remap. Next for the new steer I'm looking at the possibility of changing the 19" wheels (with run flats) currently fitted for 18" versions (with normal tyres). The 19" look great, but the ride really is too hard for my local roads (and old back!), and I quite fancy changing to black wheels.

So, first question: Will a wheel change really make that much difference to the ride?
Next, can anyone suggest a decent website for the wheels/tyres.
What options do I have regarding the size of tyres? is it best to stick with a proven setup?

Next, is there a decent demand for selling the 19" wheels, which I believe are 326's?
What price would I expect and where is the best place to list them?
The rears had brand new tyres fitted for the MOT a couple of weeks ago, the fronts are okay.

TIA

 

[mr.tourette]

18s will help some, tyre choice will help too.. Dunlop sportsmaxx rt2 are one of the best rated tyres for comfort.. I actually went up from 18 to 19 and the dunlops on 19s rode just as good if not better than michelins on 18s. Sizing is going to help too so increasing sidewall height will give more cushion effect.. iirc the e89 uses 225.35 fr and 255.30 rear.. You can try 225.40fr 255.35 as used on the e85.. Combine those with a set of dunlops on 18s and you should get a more comfortable ride.. Your other option may be to change out the msport springs for se springs.. The se car on 18s and even 19s rides really well on non run flat rubber

 

[john-e89]

It’s a shame you can’t have a drive in an E89 on quality non run flats, I’ve no doubt you’d stick with your current wheels and save yourself some hassle selling. The heavier 35i/is cars are so smooth and simply night and day on them compared to run flats, so yours would be even softer.

 

[R.E92]

The hard part of upgrading wheels is finding a wheel with the right PCD and offsets that's forged and doesnt cost £800 per wheel.

The best wheel choice for the E89 is genuine BMW 437M wheels, they are strong, light and can be picked up for between £500 and £800 a set depending on condition.

Most aftermarket wheels you see for sale will be gravity or low pressure cast and in my opinion are a huge downgrade for any vehicle.

Some wheels use a casting process called "flow forming" ( or sometimes deceptively referred to as "flow forged") which is still casting but produces a stronger result. I believe a lot of the lower end BMW wheels are done using this method so this should be the baseline for any wheel change.

The problem is that a set of flow formed wheels will probably cost you more than the forged BMW 437M wheels.

 

[sumotan]

Well can't comment on 437M but my original Bmw 18s weighs a ton which were made in Turkey btw. Replaced them with Vertini Magic Concave 19's which are lighter.

 

[Roddy]

Well can't comment on 437M but my original Bmw 18s weighs a ton which were made in Turkey btw. Replaced them with Vertini Magic Concave 19's which are lighter.

I recently changed my stock 18s for 437M 19s with non run flats, and honestly I find the ride has improved.

OP I would be tempted to try different tyres, non run flat, on your 326s

 

[craigdm]

Unfortunately the dealer put a brand new pair of run flats on the rear to get it through it's MOT just before I bought it. I'd be loathed to swap those out, unless there's a market for as-new tyres?
Might have to do a few burn-outs to get through them!

 

[brillomaster]

yes theres a market for as new tyres. swap them out for non-run flats, and put the others on ebay. secondhand run flats are still worth a surprising amount, for some reason...

 

[tiglon]

To offer a slightly different point of view to other responses...

From my own experience, the 17 inch wheels with SE suspension and runflats on my 30i were infinitely more comfortable than my 35is with 19 inch wheels and non RF michelins. Given your comments about your back etc, I don't think you'd be happy with the ride on my 35is and for that reason I would suggest sticking to your original idea and also getting smaller wheels. My priority is grip, so my setup is perfect for me, but it certainly isn't the most comfortable.

Runflats certainly make a difference to ride quality, but they aren't the only factor. Don't forget, sporty suspension with big wheels has always resulted in comparatively poor ride quality, before run flats were even a thing.

IMHO, smaller wheels will make more of a difference than switching to non-RFs.

 

[Zforbes]

I just dumped the runflats yesterday, non-runflats fitted to the same wheel as you have. Not done many miles but my initial thoughts are the non-runlats are not noticably different on comfort. Tramlining has improved though compared to the Bridgestone RE050 RFT.

Not sure how old or worn your fronts are but I found the tramlining got worse as the tyre wore down.

One problem i do have though, the tyre fitter informed me that one of my wheels had an airline crack in it I'd checked the rears before taking it as it's always the rears that crack so was gobsmaked to hear this but it's actually a front one thats cracked

I'm now looking for a front wheel to replace this with :thumbsdown:

 

[Ole gits rule]

I just dumped the runflats yesterday, non-runflats fitted to the same wheel as you have. Not done many miles but my initial thoughts are the non-runlats are not noticably different on comfort. Tramlining has improved though compared to the Bridgestone RE050 RFT.

Not sure how old or worn your fronts are but I found the tramlining got worse as the tyre wore down.

One problem i do have though, the tyre fitter informed me that one of my wheels had an airline crack in it I'd checked the rears before taking it as it's always the rears that crack so was gobsmaked to hear this but it's actually a front one thats cracked

I'm now looking for a front wheel to replace this with :thumbsdown:

Quite a few on eBay starting at £100 but will need a refurb or some which look mint but ar £250 +

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334112755591?epid=1509339070&hash=item4dcaac0f87:g:JbwAAOSwpqVhFuBv

 

[Zforbes]

I just dumped the runflats yesterday, non-runflats fitted to the same wheel as you have. Not done many miles but my initial thoughts are the non-runlats are not noticably different on comfort. Tramlining has improved though compared to the Bridgestone RE050 RFT.

Not sure how old or worn your fronts are but I found the tramlining got worse as the tyre wore down.

One problem i do have though, the tyre fitter informed me that one of my wheels had an airline crack in it I'd checked the rears before taking it as it's always the rears that crack so was gobsmaked to hear this but it's actually a front one thats cracked

I'm now looking for a front wheel to replace this with :thumbsdown:

Quite a few on eBay starting at £100 but will need a refurb or some which look mint but ar £250 +

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334112755591?epid=1509339070&hash=item4dcaac0f87:g:JbwAAOSwpqVhFuBv

Thanks for looking I've seached ebay but thought it better to see if any fellow furum members had anything lying about as these are usually ditched for cracked rears, don't want to hijack the OP's thread, I have a wanted thread in marketplace

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=131050

i'm not desperate yet as the car won't be used for a week or so

 

[BeardyJon]

I upgraded my wheels from 18" to 19" and went with non-runflats and the car runs far smoother and more comfortable now with the 19s than it did with the 18s. So the key difference is the tyres. Go with the non-run-flats first and see how you feel. I got Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric 5s all round and they're a really great tyre. They're no MPS4s but they're not as pricey either.

Also, I've picked up a couple punctures with the non-runflats and they hold pressure long enough to drive to Kwik-fit, even if they not supposed to be run-flats, so I'm not massively concerned about not having a spare.