Wheel decisions?!?!!

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Nick_from_Brooklyn
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Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

Love this wheel thread, so helpful! Now looking at opinions for my safari beige 633.

This is me right now, 15" RAs (RA right?)
Image

What's the difference between RS and RC? I see people say RS is period correct but I see no difference.
15": https://www.ebay.com/itm/234522825009
17": https://www.ebay.com/itm/364187405154

Having poured over the wheel thread viewtopic.php?t=24746&start=50 I'm now really torn between the RS/RC and the Alpina 20 spoke. In the case of a basket weave I prefer the deeper polished lip over the RA, but the Alpina is a little more subdued which maybe a good fit for the beige paint?
1980 633csi Safari Beige on Tan
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GRNSHRK
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by GRNSHRK »

Well, everybody is gonna say the same thing, personal preference rules 8)

Regarding your links :-k

The first one, Enkei is an aftermarket brand, and likely long time since they've been making wheels :-({|=

You have 15's now, why buy other 15" wheels :-"

The second link appears to be BMW factory style 5 wheels, very popular upgrade, period correct, and 17" =D>

Please note that if these wheels did indeed come off an E39, then you will need hubcentric rings in order to mount them, which is not a big deal [-(

And your wheels may be the Mahle/BBS wheels that I've seen out there, but I'm not sure why both names :-?

Again, bottom line, it's what makes YOU happy, nobody else =D>
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86_6series
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by 86_6series »

The 17" RC090 is a two piece BBS wheel.
The 15" RS is a three piece clone.

Just so happens I have a set of RC090's I may be tempted
to sell. Let me know if you're interested.

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Nick_from_Brooklyn
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

how do 17s affect the ride, is the lip polished? In some pics they look more modern I don’t know if it’s size or finish. Safari beige has much more vintage look than red or black, which is something I like.

I now notice the RS has a stepped lip effectively making the mesh smaller in diameter maybe that’s why it looks less modern to my eye. The lip on the RC is flat straight to the mesh.
1980 633csi Safari Beige on Tan
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86_6series
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by 86_6series »

16 inch I think offers the best size for ride comfort, depending on sidewall manufacture stiffness.
215x55x16 seems to be the highest sidewall ratio in 16's, although 225 comes in at 55 ratio.

My ride is very stiff with Vogtland springs and Billies, yet going to all season MICHELIN PILOT SPORT 4S 235x50x17
from MICHELIN PILOT Extreme Summer 235x45x17 the larger ratio was a stiffer in ride.

So it will be a combo of sizes and sidewall stiffness.
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by GazM3 »

17” ride ok if you use a 45series tyre. If you use genuine bbs RS 3 piece they are pretty light weight so they ride pretty well. Only issue IMO if you use 17” they look nice if the car is slightly lower. If keeping factory ride height the smaller dia wheels look more cohesive
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Nick_from_Brooklyn
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

In that case I’ll stay 15 or 16, don’t want to lower the car. Prices on BBS are nuts, aside from JDM what other knock offs are there? Searches on eBay return other brands. I see the Super RS is still made new but that’s just 19” and up.

Also the Rial Mesh look great in this thread: viewtopic.php?p=218531&hilit=Rial#p218531
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kronus
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by kronus »

16 is a good size, and some nice wheels come up from time to time. Would recommend to find the Rare Wheel Awareness FB group and see if any 5x120 wheels there match your interests.

I'm enjoying my 16" Hayashi Fins :D

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Ralph in Socal
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Ralph in Socal »

kronus wrote: Mon Apr 03, 2023 10:52 pm 16 is a good size, and some nice wheels come up from time to time. Would recommend to find the Rare Wheel Awareness FB group and see if any 5x120 wheels there match your interests.

I'm enjoying my 16" Hayashi Fins :D

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Those are some sweet fins Dmitry. I've always been partial to meshies. They are a labor of love. Nice way of saying pain in the ....

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85 635csi Zinno Auto
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by kronus »

I liked mesh wheels, too, until I had to clean them!
Nick_from_Brooklyn
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

I’m really liking gold centers to go with safari beige on tan. The replicas and custom BBS look very highly polished. Were the original gold mesh BBS matte or is that just cuz most pictures on here cars with older wheels?
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by kronus »

They start out semi-gloss and get pitted by road debris and brake dust pretty quick.
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by GRNSHRK »

I liked mesh wheels, too, until I had to clean them!
Heard that about cleaning cross spoke wheels ](*,)

My 6er originally came with E28 M5 16" mesh (cross spoke) wheels, nice but what a PITA to keep clean :-({|=

I eventually went to Throwing Stars, a breeze to clean by comparison \:D/
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RossDinan6
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by RossDinan6 »

I must agree with the PITA nature of mesh wheels. That said, I love the look of the E39 17" Style 5s I have. They are period enough with the option of more modern rubber. To my eye they belong there. YMMV, naturally.
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Nick_from_Brooklyn
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

I’m coming full circle to sticking with what I got. Didn’t think about cleaning and with the city streets and lack of self wash places sparkly pretty wheels will need a ton of care.
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duracel79
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by duracel79 »

You could always have your own set refurbished and painted with a gold centre. Maybe even have the outer lip polished if you wanted.
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by GRNSHRK »

This is actually a very good point =D>

Likely to be your least expensive bet as well [-o<
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Nick_from_Brooklyn
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

Great idea. I’ll look into it and report back if / when I get anything done.
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Nick_from_Brooklyn
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

Ralph in Socal wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 1:04 am
kronus wrote: Mon Apr 03, 2023 10:52 pm 16 is a good size, and some nice wheels come up from time to time. Would recommend to find the Rare Wheel Awareness FB group and see if any 5x120 wheels there match your interests.

I'm enjoying my 16" Hayashi Fins :D

Ralph
20230328_140704.jpg
What tires are you running? I ended up going with 7x16s, I need some cushion for these NYC roads, yours looks like they feel out the arches nicely.
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Ralph in Socal
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Ralph in Socal »

Not sure if you're asking me for tire size. Typical 7 inch wide rim will take a 205 tire well. For a 16 inch rim a 205/55 tire works well. A 215/55 tire may be too tall for the front Struts but I have never tried to fit one before. Good luck

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85 635csi Zinno Auto
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

Would there be much of a difference in ride or handling either way?
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by GRNSHRK »

There wouldn't be much difference in ride or handling, but Ralph is correct, 215/55's may be too tall and are taller than the stock size :-k

The correct tire for 7 x 16 wheels is 205/55 \:D/
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by kronus »

If you're asking about the fins I have, the specs are: 205/55R16 on 16x7.5 front and 225/50R16 on 16x8.5 rear.
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by Nick_from_Brooklyn »

Thanks fellas. I think I'll go with the 205s all the way around.
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Re: Wheel decisions?!?!!

Post by GRNSHRK »

The 205/55s will give you a "slightly" better ride than 225/50s would, for instance, given the slightly taller sidewall :roll:

Maybe a good choice on your choice road surfaces \:D/
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