Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[SnakeyJ135]

Hey guys,

I bought this about 2 months ago, 2009 e82.

It's got 18" alloys, rears are wider and the rears have 245/35 R18 tyres on.

When I purchased I didn't notice that the n/s/r alloy had a weld repair from where it had cracked in the inside edge.

A month later a new crack developed on the o/s/r alloy in the same way, so I had it repaired and hoped for the best.

Now the worst has happened... the n/s/r alloy that had the repair in the past has developed 3 new cracks, all around the inside edge.

I've decided to go for new wheels instead but am wondering if I should go for 17's with bigger profiles?

What options are there for tyres and wheels if I were to drop to 17's?

It is a shame because I really like how it sits on these 18's but I don't want to get new 18's with the same profile tyres and then the same thing happens.

What are your thought guys?

Thanks
J

[MightyMouseTech]

What kind of wheels? Sounds like weak aftermarket wheels.

First rule of rims:
-light
-cheap
-strong

Pick two.

[SnakeyJ135]

Hi mate.

(Edit- they're style 264 wheels to be exact)

They're original BMW wheels, though I have been told that BMW use a high quality strong alloy, however the downside is that it makes them brittle. Apparently it's common for genuine BMW and Merc alloys that are run with low profiles to get cracks.

Cheaper alloys aren't as strong but they bend more as opposed to cracking.

So I'm not sure what route to go down really so just after a bit of advice... do I stick with the idea of a new set of 17" BMW wheels with slightly taller profile tyres... or go for cheaper aftermarket 18" wheels knowing that they're less likely to crack (but might buckle instead) 🤷🏻*♂️🤷🏻*♂️

If I got 17's what tyre sizes are we recommending to keep the ratios the same? The rears will be wider.

Thanks

[asbrr]

You could always look at a used BMW 18" replacement from eBay. The cars are old enough that there should be a good used selection. I would never advocate for cheaper aftermarket wheels, if you're spending the money spend it on something strong (aftermarket or OEM).

You could also upsize your widths a bit to add some more sidewall (albeit not much) to 225/40/18 front and 255/35/18 rear.

If the roads in your area are absolutely horrendous then consider 17". Roads around me are terrible and I've had some really bad hits, my BMW 18" are just fine. It could also just be the previous owner had a very harsh/abnormal impact.

[tracer bullet]

Agreed to the above, these wheels don't normally have issues, I am thinking the previous owner did indeed have something unusual happen and the repairs didn't work well. I'd consider one or more replacement stock wheels if they aren't expensive.

[kr3678]

This has been the worst car I have ever owned with regards to tire wear and wheel damage. I have cracked two of the 264s so far. One on the front and one on the rear. I now have a total of 6 wheels in my personal inventory, with one cracked front wheel waiting to get repaired. One more cracked wheel and I will probably replace the wheels with something aftermarket.

The car has been fitted with 215/245 RFTs since new (originally RE050s, now PZeros), which may be contributing to the problem. I am at the point of needing rear tires again. A quick check at the local tire store tells me the 245s in a RFT are just about non-existent now. I am leaning towards a full set of Michelins in the 225/255 combination and foregoing the RFTs.

The car is my wife's daily, so I can't really say whether she has been abnormally rough on the wheels. But she only puts about 6k miles a year on the car and this has never been a problem with her in our 34 years of marriage.

[ShocknAwe]

I had terrible luck with the stock 261/4s. Bent 3 broke 1, happened on a second set. Switched to quality aftermarket wheels and never looked back. My current Apex wheels have taken an unholy beating and are completely unscathed.

Buy some quality forged or flow formed wheels with proper offsets and you'll be fine. 18/19" are perfectly suitable for this chassis and there's no reason to switch to 17s except for track. Post what you're thinking of getting here and we can help with fitment and quality feedback.

[gjm120]

Any opinions or experience with OZ wheels?

They make wheels that should work on 1 Series and they are fairly lightweight.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by gjm120

Any opinions or experience with OZ wheels?

They make wheels that should work on 1 Series and they are fairly lightweight.

OZ make good wheels. Never found any I wanted to run style size but they're quality.

[BMWCCA1]

You guys do understand that you have a BMW so you can actually steer around obstacles in the street, and potholes? Right?

Next month I will have owned BMWs for 50-years. Can't remember ever breaking a wheel.

[NorthernDancer]

17 years, never broke a wheel.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

You guys do understand that you have a BMW so you can actually steer around obstacles in the street, and potholes? Right?

Next month I will have owned BMWs for 50-years. Can't remember ever breaking a wheel.

Try avoiding a 3" lip that stretches across the whole road. How about potholes that take up your whole lane? Or, whew, potholes that go down to the sand under the road filled in by water and are invisible during daily rains?

I'd like to DD your roads. They sound great. 🙄

[Angry3]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

What kind of wheels? Sounds like weak aftermarket wheels.

First rule of rims:
-light
-cheap
-strong

Pick two.

Good advice, agree with the "Pick 2" reasoning.

That said, the cast style 264 OEM wheels are also one step above garbage, and if you run them with the stock RFTs it's not a question of whether your wheels will develop stress cracks and structural bends, just how many and how many new wheels you'll be paying for.

I had 2 fronts and 3 rears replaced under warranty, and am prepping to fork out for a new rear wheel to replace another cracked rear 264. Been running PSSs and PS4Ss for the past 7 years or so. It's on me, should have spent the money when the car was newer to buy a good set of CSL reps (And the long gone Perf Exhaust), and junked the stock RFTs after the first go-round with them. Or shopped for a backup set of 264 take-offs. The factory cast wheels suck, and I live in the Mid-Atlantic. I'm sure there are northern owners who have replaced more factory wheels than I have.

I'm well familiar with the roads I drive on, construction in my area is a constant, and both of the other local owners I know have also replaced multiple factory wheels. I'm sure somewhere there are a few long-time owners who haven't...

Cheers all. 🍺