New Wheels for my BMW 335

[bigbootch]

Hi all,

I have a 2007 BMW 335 coupe with the sport package (front 18x8 225/40, rear 18x8.5 255/35). A one-sentence summary of what happened to me: I valet'd my car at a high-end restaurant, the valet really really scratched up my wheels (but no other damage), got some money, now I am looking to buy a new set of wheels and tires. I don't know too much about this stuff.

After browsing through tirerack.com, I have a few questions that perhaps some of the more auto-savvy OOTers might be able to help me with.

1. There is a very wide range in prices, from like $200 all the way up to $1000 per wheel. I see keywords like "forged" and "multipiece." Are the super expensive ones worth getting, or are the cheap ones OK? Keep in mind that I don't take the car to the track or anything, marginal difference in performance doesn't really matter to me. I AM concerned more about cosmetics (e.g. they don't peel or fade in color or something like that) and reliability (they don't warp from too much heat or something).

2. As far as installation, can I go to any reasonably reputable place and trust them to do a good job of [whatever is involved in installing wheels]? From what I understand, there is a bit more to it than just bolting it on (balancing, wheel alignment, I dunno what else). Could I take it to whatever shop that tirerack.com recommends?

3. On that note, as recommendations on where to purchase? Is tirerack.com ok?

4. Anything else that I should know?

-bigbootch

[bigbootch]

Also, any recommendations on wheel size (I am considering front 19x8.5 and rear 19x9.5) or brand? I'm not really sure what the high quality reputable brands are.

[blinden84]

If you buy a combo, they SHOULD be mounted and balanced when the arrive, and thus just bolt on, alignment is not necessary for putting wheels on. Tirerack is great if they have what you want, I've bought a lot of stuff there.

You will end up paying a good bit for your wheels since they are pretty large, sucks about the valet. Wheels won't warp, if they are poor quality, they may just break though. I use really cheap wheels (rota) for daily driving and pretty expensive (BBS) for track useage.

[bigbootch]

[ QUOTE ]
If you buy a combo, they SHOULD be mounted and balanced when the arrive, and thus just bolt on, alignment is not necessary for putting wheels on. Tirerack is great if they have what you want, I've bought a lot of stuff there.

You will end up paying a good bit for your wheels since they are pretty large, sucks about the valet. Wheels won't warp, if they are poor quality, they may just break though. I use really cheap wheels (rota) for daily driving and pretty expensive (BBS) for track useage.

[/ QUOTE ]

So for normal use, cheapo wheels should be fine? Can you speak to the cosmetic aspect, do the different finishes (painted, metallic, chrome, whatever else) peel or fade or anything like that on cheap wheels?

Any brands in particular that offer good value?

[bwana devil]

along the same lines, how does it work just buying tires online at the site? ive browsed their site before and seen how much cheaper they are then going directly to a B&M place but dont know the best course of action after that.

what type of place and how do you negotiate w/ a place to install them and what is a reasonable price to pay? id be afraid that once everything is said and done id would be about the same and just be a big headache. i need new tires pretty soon. suggestions?

[blinden84]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you buy a combo, they SHOULD be mounted and balanced when the arrive, and thus just bolt on, alignment is not necessary for putting wheels on. Tirerack is great if they have what you want, I've bought a lot of stuff there.

You will end up paying a good bit for your wheels since they are pretty large, sucks about the valet. Wheels won't warp, if they are poor quality, they may just break though. I use really cheap wheels (rota) for daily driving and pretty expensive (BBS) for track useage.

[/ QUOTE ]

So for normal use, cheapo wheels should be fine? Can you speak to the cosmetic aspect, do the different finishes (painted, metallic, chrome, whatever else) peel or fade or anything like that on cheap wheels?

Any brands in particular that offer good value?

[/ QUOTE ]

Everything is going to chip and scrape a little with usage from rocks, etc, it's unavoidable, but cheap ones don't tend to fade or peel, they just chip like everything else I've seen. A lot of people will argue the opposite side, and say you shouldn't ever get cheap wheels, but, I think they are fine for daily use, as long as you like the way they look.



I got these for $1100, including wheels, tires, mount, balance, lug nuts, & shipping, cheap as hell, but I think they look nice, I'll just never use them for the track. There are places that refinish wheels too, it's not very expensive to get them done usually when the inevitably wear.

Brands are a hard thing, because every car with different bolt patterns and offsets, it's hard to say who makes what for what car, best to find a forum for your car and get more details.

[bigbootch]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you buy a combo, they SHOULD be mounted and balanced when the arrive, and thus just bolt on, alignment is not necessary for putting wheels on. Tirerack is great if they have what you want, I've bought a lot of stuff there.

You will end up paying a good bit for your wheels since they are pretty large, sucks about the valet. Wheels won't warp, if they are poor quality, they may just break though. I use really cheap wheels (rota) for daily driving and pretty expensive (BBS) for track useage.

[/ QUOTE ]

So for normal use, cheapo wheels should be fine? Can you speak to the cosmetic aspect, do the different finishes (painted, metallic, chrome, whatever else) peel or fade or anything like that on cheap wheels?

Any brands in particular that offer good value?

[/ QUOTE ]

Everything is going to chip and scrape a little with usage from rocks, etc, it's unavoidable, but cheap ones don't tend to fade or peel, they just chip like everything else I've seen. A lot of people will argue the opposite side, and say you shouldn't ever get cheap wheels, but, I think they are fine for daily use, as long as you like the way they look.



I got these for $1100, including wheels, tires, mount, balance, lug nuts, & shipping, cheap as hell, but I think they look nice, I'll just never use them for the track. There are places that refinish wheels too, it's not very expensive to get them done usually when the inevitably wear.

Brands are a hard thing, because every car with different bolt patterns and offsets, it's hard to say who makes what for what car, best to find a forum for your car and get more details.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for all of your help!