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Hi, new to the forum. Looking for some advice. Been looking for a 635 for a while and I've been offered a nice one off market. I have a few questions.

Apparently the wheels fitted to it were original wheels. Is this true? They don't look it to me. Apparently the "dish" has just been made bigger but can be put back to "normal" easily.

Pic attached. thanks

The only 3 piece split rim BBS RS wheels fitted to a 6 series in the U.K. were the metric sized (415mm diameter) 007 variant.
Only the M635CSi had them fitted as standard, and only for the first 9 months (approximately) of production, when they were recalled in, scrapped, and replaced with a single piece item of indeterminate build (Mahle?)

It was possible to order a 16” version from your friendly BMW dealer as approved accessory, for fitment to any E24, but that would have been a costly and therefore rare exercise.

Your wheel, which has obviously been modified, was therefore probably not an original fitment as such. But it could be confirmed by spinning the cap off and seeing the model stamp confirming which version of the RS ( e.g 005, 007, etc.) it actually is.

Still, it’s a very nice looking wheel and would no doubt draw many admiring glances.

Thanks for the quick response. Ok I'll have a look under the cap to confirm if it is likely a dealer fit. Which number would I be looking at to confirm that?

I think I prefer these standard wheels. Do you know if these are the wheels that are difficult to get tyres for because they are metric?

Thanks

Yep, those are the standard wheels. They’re not worth much money because there’s only one tyre that will fit (Michelin TRX GT) and they cost about £400.00 each. Expensive, but readily available from Blackcircles and Longstone Tyres.

Because of this prohibitive tyre cost, many people opt for an imperial sized alternative as tyres are much cheaper. My guess is that is exactly what a previous owner of the car you are looking at has done.

To be honest, I’d be willing to bet a months salary that the gold wheels are not original fitment from 35 years ago. But in the highly unlikely event that they are, the choices back then would most likely have been an RS 005 (7”x16”), 006 (8x16), 021 (8x16) or 022 (9x16)

As an aside, I would guess that those gold rims (IF they are genuine BBS RS) could be worth up to maybe £3000, depending on spec and condition.

Thanks again for the quick response. Is there any other OEM alternative that looks the same or very similar to the ones I posted, but are easier to get tyres for?

Many other E24 owners at this point opt for BBS RC wheels. These 2 piece split rims (as opposed to 3 piece) are very similar in style, were found on later BMWs (E39 5 series & E31 8 series), and are available 17” and 18”. They’re often to as “Style 5s”.

You’ll have no trouble finding them on eBay.

RC009s and RC010 as fitted to the E31 as mentioned above look amazing and don't require hubcentric rings.

I've got a complete set of RC009s for the project car.

Are they safe? I would like to restore them.

The original problem was sealant failure. However, I presume that modern sealant materials are more effective today.

I have a restored set of original metric BBS RS 007s on my car, and they are perfectly safe.

Thank you very much

Were the original bolts chrome or black like on my rims? Somewhere I see black, somewhere chrome. What about the badge in the middle, BBS or BMW? Probably a BMW? I want to restore them as they were originally on the new car.

The original BBS RS007 metric wheels fitted to the M635CSi definitely had black bolts, and a BMW badge.

That I needed. When they are restored in two or three months, I will attach some pictures.

I have an unrestored set of RS007 wheels. I envision finding a set of barrels and lips to replace the 415 mm with a 16" fitment.
I think these wheels look the best.

As the values of M635CSi's continue to rise, (certainly in Europe at least) and with ever diminishing quantities of these very rare BBS RS007s, I can't help but wonder if these wheels will only become more desirable and therefore more valuable to collectors, if left as standard spec?

If converted, they can always be returned to original if you keep the metric barrels.

I still have months... years to go with my restoration. For the time being, I will refresh the original 14" Mahle wheels while I continue to ponder the RS007 delemma

I didn't think long and decided to restore the original wheels RS007 to the original look. That means black bolts and a BMW badge in the middle.

The wish for the car is to have everything as it came from the factory including the radio and sound system.

Thanks for the instructions @soperman!

Superb!
That's wonderful to see.

Yep, for looks, that simply can’t be beat.