Wheel designs - What else is out there?

[BMWCCA2]

Interesting perspective. I'd hazard a guess to say that the Fikse starting at $1500 per wheel might be out of the range of many here. But then I've lived long enough to remember when a near-perfect E28 could be had for around $15k or less. At my age the prices on Bring a Trailer still haven't settled in as based on any kind of reality. My Style 29s in 16-inch work just fine for me on both of my E28s at around $400 or less per set of four. Heck, I'm paying around $200 per set for Style 42s these days. I just don't like 17-inch wheels on my E28. My third E28 maybe 20-years ago had 17-inch BBS RS on it and even BBS said they never fit right as they replaced two under warranty for cracking around the lip because they had to spec too skinny a tire to fit the E28 body.

[Mdreamer]

I fully agree regarding $1,500 per wheel likely being out the question for a lot of us, but I did write a disclaimer about pricing and I put a mandate on myself to only search for new wheels.

$200 for a set of style 42s is a huge deal in my mind!

The only set of 17s I've ever used on an e28 have had 235/45s mounted, so the sidewall was relatively ample. I like the way they look, but I still prefer the "right" 16 from a driving perspective. That preference extends to visual in some instances as well.

[tn535i]

style 29s (with or without centers) on our cars because they look too "pedestrian" and "buttoned up" to me--like an old dude

an age where I would probably walk around with the top two or three buttons of my shirt opened with a couple of gold chains and a medallion or two on my chest if my daily routine supported such boldness.

https://www.imagewheels.co.uk/bps-alloy-wheel/ (although the picture shows four lug, they can be purchased in five)

I'm sure that first statement more closely describes me as I do prefer a button down collar on my shirt and wearing one right now...

Second comment you do you.

Picture of bps wheel posted... Can you please elaborate how that is not incredibly similar in spoke design to the style 29. It looks like a 2 piece 29 but perhaps my button down collar is also blurring my vision. I actually really, really like that wheel and have never seen before.

[BMWCCA2]

I'm sure that first statement more closely describes me as I do prefer a button down collar on my shirt and wearing one right now...

If I could afford the Fikse, then I could afford to replace all of my old Brooks Brothers cotton need-to-iron button-down shirts, some of which are nearing 50-years-old now. But right now that money is better spent elsewhere.

[Foonfer]

BBS RX 223 16"

Thanks! Amazing that from a design standpoint, these aren't too far removed from the Apex Arc8 that tn535i suggested. Very similar language and presence.

[Foonfer]

I hope we can agree to disagree on some of your opinions because I certainly disagree with some of yours vehemently.
Based on your original question and the guidelines you gave us for your preferences (with price being no object and the wheels being brand new), here you are:

https://www.imagewheels.co.uk/bps-alloy-wheel/ (although the picture shows four lug, they can be purchased in five)

https://www.fikse.com/wheel/classic-fm10/

That's all I can think of right now, but if others come to me I'll come back and add them to the thread.

I got a good laugh from your post Mdreamer, thanks! WE DO NOT AGREE ON A SINGLE THING hahahaha

Of the links you provided, the imagewheels aren't my thing. The Fikses are BEAUTIFUL, and -funny enough- I see more similarities than differences between their design language and that of the Style 29s (and many others on that vein, the BBS RX223, the Apex Arc8, and I'm sure many others - all of them variations on a similar theme). That said, each Fikse wheel could be $50 that I wouldn't touch it at 17", which seems to be the minimum available diameter. I have a hard stop at 16" for the E28.

but hey, I'm a guy that likes sweaters and cords...

[HayekFan]

Style 8 is my favorite. It's kind of like a Style 29, which to me is the most "meant to be" looking wheel for an E28, but with a deeper dish and a meaner looking center cap.

[BMWCCA2]

Style 8 is my favorite. It's kind of like a Style 29, which to me is the most "meant to be" looking wheel for an E28, but with a deeper dish and a meaner looking center cap.

Along with that comes a half-inch-wider width and a few mm less offset. May require rolling at the left-rear fender, depending on several variables. Syle 29 has never caused me any problem.

[Mdreamer]

Hello, everyone! Sorry for my disappearance--both of my high schoolers were main characters in their school's play over the past few days and my wife and I attended every show as proud parents.

I'm glad I got a rouse out of you all with the sweater and corduroy imagery! Stuff like that pops up when I think about my father when he had my current e28, and how he was always way more conservative than I was when it came to how to get a car to look it's best--that dude used to sport sweaters as he so effortlessly scoffed at my more aggressive palate for personalization.

tn535i, to my eyes the style 29 that came on the e39 in 15, but especially 16 inches looks remarkably "flat." So, even though the spoke design is pretty cool, the lack of any curvature from the center to the outer rim lacks expression and emotion. That, combined with the plastic center cap makes it look narrow and boring to my eyes. Comparatively, the Image bps wheel has more visual interest in the center, where it allows us to see the lugs as they surround the center cap so snugly. To boot, there are sexy curves draping their way to the polished lip that is accentuated with bolts to keep our blood boiling with passion. As you can see, I have it kind of bad when it comes to how I see wheels!

On the other hand, the two piece style 29 that came on the e36 m-technic is one of my favorite BMW wheels. Although they are technically the same design, the slight convex of the face and the contrast provided by the outer lips create a lot more visual imagery--again, to my personal eyes.

So, to agree with Foonfer, a lot of the wheels in our discussion are variations on a similar theme, but for me certain subtleties help sway me in one direction or the other when it comes to my liking one versus another. Perhaps it is like eating the brisket from a bunch of different barbecue joints from different regions of the nation... All the same, yet, all quite different at the same time.

[Mdreamer]

Hayekfan, I like the style 8 too, but if I had my first choice I'd likely opt for something that feels a bit more expressive. The smooth center cap calms that wheel down a bit more than I want to portray, but it is certainly a good looking wheel...

Again, this is just my personal opinion!

[Foonfer]

Hayekfan, I like the style 8 too, but if I had my first choice I'd likely opt for something that feels a bit more expressive. The smooth center cap calms that wheel down a bit more than I want to portray, but it is certainly a good looking wheel...

Again, this is just my personal opinion!

Also, for whatever it's worth - According to Charlie Kindel ("cek" around here, of Minerva/Vlad/Maytag fame), Style 8s from the E31 are significantly lighter (as in weight) than other comparables. Would be great if someone can confirm

[tn535i]

I think I saw these on a Toyota Camry the other day. The only thing on that car that interested me.

https://www.bing.com/shop/productpage?q ... 14D03159E6

[Chicagotrader92]

I think 17's are too large also,... except for the e34 M-Turbines.. Assuming your willing to cough up $4k.

https://www.reddit.com/r/e28/comments/1 ... my_camera/

* I opted for 16x8 Style 5's for now.

[tschultz]

Hayekfan, I like the style 8 too, but if I had my first choice I'd likely opt for something that feels a bit more expressive. The smooth center cap calms that wheel down a bit more than I want to portray, but it is certainly a good looking wheel...

Again, this is just my personal opinion!

Also, for whatever it's worth - According to Charlie Kindel ("cek" around here, of Minerva/Vlad/Maytag fame), Style 8s from the E31 are significantly lighter (as in weight) than other comparables. Would be great if someone can confirm

Look at the E31 Style 8/ Style 9 which are both some of the lighter options.

Great info here. It is interesting to see which wheels stand out for diameter/width and weight.

I had some wheels I was curious about and so I started adding when I found a good source.
https://hitthewave.wordpress.com/2009/1 ... eels-info/

I also organized by diameter and then weight. . .

14" Wheels
14x6.5 E28 bottlecap: 6.62 kg

14x6.5 BBS Mahle RA 190: 6.97 kg


15" Wheels
15x7 E34 Mesh (Style 7): 7.03 kg

15x7 E34 basketweave (Style 5): 7.4 kg

390mm E28 TRX: 7.64 kg

15x7 E39 Crosspoke (Style 29): 8 kg

15x7 E34 bottlecap: 8.25 kg

15x7 BBS Mahle RA 202: 8.47 kg

390mm M-Tech TRX: 8.63 kg


16" Wheels
16x8 BBS RK 006?: 7.2 kg

16x7 BBS RS 005: 7.70

16x7.5 E31 Turbine (Style 9): 8.08 kg

16x7 E39 Crosspoke (Style 29): 8.1 kg

16x8 BBS RS 211: 8.2 kg

16x7.5 E31 Crosspoke (Style 8): 8.2 kg

16x7 BBS Mahle RA 222: 8.50 kg

16x8 E38 basketweave (Style 5): 8.534 kg

16x7.5 E28 M5 Wheel: 8.62 kg

16x8 BBS Mahle RA 223: 8.9 kg

16x8 BBS RZ 418: 8.9 kg

16x7 E39 Spoke (Style 33) 8.9 kg

16x8.5 BBS RZ 394: 9.2 kg

17" Wheels
17x8.5 BBS RC 302: 7.8 kg

17x8.5 BBS RK 003: 8.2 kg

17x8 Forged E34 M5 wheel: 9.06 kg
with Throwing Star: 9.92 kg
with Turbine Cover: 11.01 kg

17x9 Forged E34 M5 wheel: 9.24 kg
with Throwing Star: 10.1 kg
with Turbine Cover: 11.19 kg

17x8.5 BBS RS 212: 9.5 kg

17x8 E39 Style 5: 9.68 kg

17x8 E39 7-spoke (Style 19): 10 kg

17x8 E39 Sport (Style 66): 10.30 kg

17x8 Cross Spoke Comp 2 (Style 42): 10.66 kg

17x8 E39 Sport (Style 32): 10.80 kg

I hope people don't consider my post too long, but being around these cars for 15 years now and my dad having some BMW's before that means I have seen a lot of wheels. Here's a selection of images on my cars, you can decide for yourself how you like the wheels.

I have moved on from 17's on the E28 because of the size, weight and handling negatives.

However, here was a set of Style 32's


17x8 42's didnt look as good as I had hoped


But were better on euro bumpered car


17x8 Msystems with throwing stars (style 21) look quite showy


16" BBS RZ's look great, but I don't know the exact model #


16"x8 et11 Rial mesh are quite rare wheels and look pretty great!


same specs are BBS RS211


I never liked the 16x8 style 4


16x7.5 style 9 wheels




16"x7.5 Style 29's are some of the best available


16x7.5 E28 M5 wheels or 16" RZ469's look good...


15"x7 BBS Mahle wheels feel pretty nice


15x7 style 7 wheels are decent looking and light weight


Never a fan of the metric TRX wheels or 14" bottlecaps (not shown)


14x6 FPS turbine style wheels work as my snow tires, but maybe hard to find these days

[BMWCCA2]

Just guessing that when you go from a 15" wheel on an E28 to a 16" or 17" the tire weight (assuming you're still carrying the same rolling radius for all) might actually go down as the wheel diameter increases. Certainly what causes an increase in material resulting in more weight on the wheels, should create a larger hole in the tire meaning less rubber and weight. So don't go blaming Plus1 or Plus2 with increasing your unsprung weight just yet!

[tschultz]

Pick up your 15" wheels and tires combination vs a 17" and you will find quite a difference!

[Foonfer]

Also, for whatever it's worth - According to Charlie Kindel ("cek" around here, of Minerva/Vlad/Maytag fame), Style 8s from the E31 are significantly lighter (as in weight) than other comparables. Would be great if someone can confirm

Look at the E31 Style 8/ Style 9 which are both some of the lighter options.

Great info here. It is interesting to see which wheels stand out for diameter/width and weight.

I had some wheels I was curious about and so I started adding when I found a good source.
https://hitthewave.wordpress.com/2009/1 ... eels-info/

I also organized by diameter and then weight. . .

16x7 E39 Crosspoke (Style 29): 8.1 kg

16"x7.5 Style 29's are some of the best available

This is amazing information. If anything, it is a massive reivindication of the humble Style 29's... Which I bet would be 8.05kg instead of 8.1kg if you ride them without center caps!

[stuartinmn]

Just guessing that when you go from a 15" wheel on an E28 to a 16" or 17" the tire weight (assuming you're still carrying the same rolling radius for all) might actually go down as the wheel diameter increases. Certainly what causes an increase in material resulting in more weight on the wheels, should create a larger hole in the tire meaning less rubber and weight. So don't go blaming Plus1 or Plus2 with increasing your unsprung weight just yet!

I remember an article in Car and Driver long ago where they took one make/model of wheel and one brand of tire, and compared total tire+wheel weights for different diameters. They decided that 17" was the lightest overall. However, since it was only for that particular tire and wheel combination their study wasn't very scientific.