2011 bmw x5 diesel rim question

[ard]

Wheels generally fit onto the hub with lugbolts, BUT the part that hold the wheel perfectly centered is the 'centerbore' of the wheel that perfectly matches the locating part on the hub.

If the hub on the X6 is smaller than that on the X5, you would need to have the centerbore on the X6 wheel increased to match the centerbore size of the X5 hub.

You can buy some really crappy aftermarket wheels for your X...tirerack, etc, all have cheap, marginally made and heavy wheels for under $200 per wheel. The vendor will order the correct sizes... if you want your $65000 vehicle rolling on garbage.

BMW wheels are expensive, but they are high quality- do not assume it is just 'dealer' prices that make them high.

There is a reason why a set of HRE C20s cost $5k!

A

[dmfelger]

When you order the sport package, you get Nevada Leather, 10 way seats and other items. You can then upgrade to style 214 20" rims for another $950.

That is what I did. Alpine White 35d, blk nevada leather, sport, tech, prem, rear climate, heat front seats, sat radio, 214's, ipod/usb.

Build one on the web site to see what it looks like with the 214's

[Price]

Originally Posted by ard

You can buy some really crappy aftermarket wheels for your X...tirerack, etc, all have cheap, marginally made and heavy wheels ..

Is this a scientific fact, or more of a religious belief?

[ard]

Originally Posted by Price

Is this a scientific fact, or more of a religious belief?

Scientific fact.

Or shall I say "my statement is provably true"?

[Price]

Originally Posted by ard

Scientific fact.

Or shall I say "my statement is provably true"?

So OEMs are lighter than aftermarket?

[roadkillrob]

Originally Posted by Price

So OEMs are lighter than aftermarket?

I would find it hard to believe that anyone could make a wheel heavier than the 20" with a runflat on it - the things are like 80 lbs!

[ard]

Originally Posted by Price

So OEMs are lighter than aftermarket?

Price, are you REALLY going to play this game with me?

I've been in the rodeo a while...go back and parse my first post that caused you to snipe...

You will see that it is actually a qualified statement that really doesn't make any definitive statement of the "quality of OE vs aftermarket"...but rather states that 'there are crappy, over weight, weak, aftermarket wheels and all the online vendors carry them'

Not that all aftermarket wheels are crappy and overweight.

I bought a set of 18" HRE c20s, 9 up front, 12 in the rear, for the turbo... about $5k plus rubber. Far surpassing OE 'quality' IMO. So no, one cannot say one way or the other which are 'always better' or 'always lighter'.

Here in the X5 world, rarely do people spend the money to equal OE quality in an aftermarket wheel... IMO..but it can be done.

A

[Brutus07]

Here's what I've found over more than a decade of driving "sporty" cars and reading forums like this where people share their experience.

1. Aftermarkets bought from one of the major sources (tirerack, discounttiredirect, etc) are probably better quality than "no-name" ones you find with mysterious origins.

2. That said, I've bought some of the latter to save money (as in $800 for a set of 18" 5 spoke wheels and 235/35 Kumhos) and had no problems with quality. For not much more than a set of "good" tires I got tires and rims that looked a lot better than OEM. I've also bought more "name brand" ones and also had no issues.

3. When you do this, hold on to your OEM set, as many buyers will want them when you sell the car and aftermarkets of any kind on this X5 will hurt its value more than the money you got from selling yours. Then sell your fakes for maybe 1/2 what you paid. Net cost is almost nothing. Because many sellers will mount/balance tires on rims you buy for free, you save there. If you replace yours with OEM wheels you can probably sell it with those on. Don't forget the TPMS. About $200 a set maybe, plus installation.

3. I have, though, had roundness/strength issues with expensive BBS wheels that came on a 540i I bought used, so I wouldn't generalize that more money is always better. I have had minor balance issues with tires bought locally and with those bought over the web.

4. Often for the price difference vs pristine wheels you can afford to replace the cheapos a few times if needed. So bad pothole luck I wouldn't worry too much over. If your area has bad roads stick to smaller wheels.

5. Yes, cheaper ones may be heavier, and that can affect performance. However, unless you are really into racing around you may not be able to notice the difference. Find the specs, it may not be a huge difference. I can say for a fact that the wimpy 18" on X5's are worse than the "heavy" 20" in many areas (looks, grip, response, etc) so at some point heavier might be better overall. My personal thinking is that this is an SUV/SAV, and if you wanted great handling to the degree wheel weights mattered you'd be here discussing your 525xi wagon instead.

6. You can buy refinished OEM BMW 20" Y spoke wheels online. I found a place advertising them (and others of all brands) for under $300/ea.

BMW OEM RIMS BMW FACTORY WHEELS STOCK RIM CHROME REPLICA WHEEL USED RIMS BMW Wheels BMW OEM RIMS BMW FACTORY WHEELS STOCK RIM CHROME REPLICA WHEEL USED RIMS BMW Rims No idea if they are legit or not, or if they stand behind their quality, but they seem to have a lot of selection. Makes since that someone out there is just buying up and fixing damaged wheels or new take-offs.

There are also ebay sellers who specialize in OEM takeoffs (though these may be rare and expensive still). Be careful with ebay purchases, double check everything, and you can get a nice bargain.

[quackbury]

Originally Posted by Brutus07

4. Often for the price difference vs pristine wheels you can afford to replace the cheapos a few times if needed. So bad pothole luck I wouldn't worry too much over. If your area has bad roads stick to smaller wheels.

Not necessarily. One of the problems with many (not all) "cheapos" is that they are not manufactured for long. So if you buy a set of 4 XYZ wheels in 2010, expecting to keep them for the life of the car, and then break ONE wheel in 2011, there is a good chance you will have to replace ALL FOUR wheels with a different make/model, since no individual XYZ replacements are available.

So when you are doing the math, make sure you are really saving $$$ if you have to puchase SEVEN "cheapo" wheels vs. 4 high quality.

There are aftermarket wheels that usually (not always) have long manufacturing runs - many of the BBS, Breyton and HRE's fit into this category, and I am sure there are others. But for grins, look up a year-old back issue of Roundel, Car & Driver or some other mag. Go to the Tire Rack or Discount Tires Direct ad. Then see how many of the wheels available a year ago are still in stock today. (If the ad says "closeout" it's often a bad sign).

Some folks buy 5 aftermarket wheels instead of 4 just to avoid this. (Doesn't work that well if your BMW has staggered wheels like my M3 or my soon-to-be-delivered X5D with the 19's).