Second thoughts on the Sport Activity Package - Need Opinions on these pictures

[Gregory34]

Originally Posted by F150 Duke

That is funny that you would post. I was just reading your thread about these and said...hey I like the look of those rims.

How was it getting them to fit? I thought the X6M replicas didn't fit the regular X5s? Do you know how wide each rim is and the offsets? Any pictures from the back to see if the rim/tire combo sits further in from the fender than the stock 214s?

Not sure if I want to go 315 wide, might want to stick with 275 to have a slightly narrower/cheaper tire but then again 275 on an 11 inch or 10.5 rim might look too stretched.

They fit perfectly. Same spec as the OEM 214s, except that the offset is 40 and 35 vs 40 and 37 (I think) on the OEMs. The OEM x6M wheels would have a different bore, but those are 21 in rims not 20s... From the side and rear I can't tell a difference from the 214s. You def. need the fender flares that come with the SA package though. I'll try to take some side/rear photos tonight before I taker them off for the season! see attached for the spec

[F150 Duke]

Originally Posted by 335xray

Duke

I think the X6M reps are one of the best looking rims for the X5, even better than my 333 style M-sport pack rims.

The 214s are timeless thought. Harder to clean too

X

I'm going to reach out to the contact you provided. Thank you for doing that! Yeah I think I'm between the X6M and black 214s now. I'm pretty sure I'll do a staggered setup and go with 315 in back if it's the X6M rims and then 275 square if its the black 214 rims since they are .5 inches narrower.

X6M reps:
Pro-
- Different design than summer set
- Look pretty darn cool
Con-
- Need to see if they'll fit my regular X5 without modification or adapters
- 275/40 tire will look a bit stretched in the back

214 in black reps:
Pro-
- black color may look really cool with platinum gray
- I know I like this design
- .5 inches narrower than X6M reps so the 275/40 tire will look less stretched
Con-
- Same design as my summer set

Staggered setup
Pro-
- Staggered fills the rear wheel well the best
Con-
- Cannot rotate tires if the winter tires are directional (not sure if they are). I'm looking at Blizzaks and then I think Pirellii (sp?) snow/ice. I have Blizzaks now but they seem to wear really fast if there isn't snow or ice on the roads.

Square setup
Pro-
- All 4 corners can be rotated
Con-
- Rear will sit in a bit (.5-1 inch depending on rim and actually more because of the offset) from the fender flare

Rear 275 vs 315 setup
Pro-
- 275 will be a smaller footprint in back and help with traction
- 315 will cover a X6M rim better
Con-
- 275 on X6M rim will have some tuck/stretch
- 315 is more expensive and a wider footprint which won't have as good of traction as a 275

[F150 Duke]

PS. You guys all rock! I could not have done this without all your help. I would have probably given up and just gone with the Prem pkg and skipped the rims I really wanted. Now I'm confident I'm going to have an awesome looking setup winter and summer.


In un-related news, I'm taking the Shelby out of the bubble today for a short drive around town! They haven't cleaned the highways yet so I'm going to stay off them to avoid any big rock chips. The 60 degree day is just too hard to ignore.

[J.Belknap]

Late to the thread and early in the day and waiting for coffee, so I may be missing something here.... but have you considered,

Ordering the vehicle with the OEM summer wheels/tires that you find aesthetically pleasing,
Purchasing OEM winter wheels/tires that function,
Designing and purchasing tailored fitment spacers or from the H&R range of offerings and have similar wheel-to-fender fitment on your winter wheels/tires that you enjoy with your summer wheels/tires.

Looking forward to pics of the new addition!

[F150 Duke]

Originally Posted by J.Belknap

Late to the thread and early in the day and waiting for coffee, so I may be missing something here.... but have you considered,

Ordering the vehicle with the OEM summer wheels/tires that you find aesthetically pleasing,
Purchasing OEM winter wheels/tires that function,
Designing and purchasing tailored fitment spacers or from the H&R range of offerings and have similar wheel-to-fender fitment on your winter wheels/tires that you enjoy with your summer wheels/tires.

Looking forward to pics of the new addition!

Welcome to the party! I'd rather not go with spacers as I cannot find anything that says they are supported and safe but then again I haven't found anything official saying they are not safe. But I'm going to default to the safest options which is to just avoid them and not have to worry about it. Thank you though!

[ard]

Originally Posted by F150 Duke

Welcome to the party! I'd rather not go with spacers as I cannot find anything that says they are supported and safe but then again I haven't found anything official saying they are not safe. But I'm going to default to the safest options which is to just avoid them and not have to worry about it. Thank you though!

Wait, you are worried about "safe" and 'officially supported', but you will buy and drive on cheap replicas??? Have you found anything that says replica wheels are approved by BMW or are safety certified by any international standards body (ie TUV)?

Spacers are fine if the spacers and bolts are high quality. We are not talking about crazy 2-3" spacers.....

[Gregory34]

Originally Posted by ard

Wait, you are worried about "safe" and 'officially supported', but you will buy and drive on cheap replicas??? Have you found anything that says replica wheels are approved by BMW or are safety certified by any international standards body (ie TUV)?

Spacers are fine if the spacers and bolts are high quality. We are not talking about crazy 2-3" spacers.....

While you do need to be careful about the quality of ANY rims you put on your car, there is no reason to believe wheels not sold as OEM by BMW are of any less quality than BMW OEM wheels.

Nor are they 'cheap' just because they are $200-$400 per wheel. You're kidding yourself if you think BMW pays less than that and the rest isn't markup...

[finagle69]

^agree with ard. I've run spacers with no issues for years on other cars.

[ard]

Originally Posted by Gregory34

While you do need to be careful about the quality of ANY rims you put on your car, there is no reason to believe wheels not sold as OEM by BMW are of any less quality than BMW OEM wheels.

Nor are they 'cheap' just because they are $200-$400 per wheel. You're kidding yourself if you think BMW pays less than that and the rest isn't markup...

First, I was making a narrow comment on the concept that "since they aren't approved I don't want to use them" about spacers... we can get into a substantiative discussion about the risks of spacers, but the OP was rejecting them on the blanket assertion that since they are not "approved" he considers this unsafe.

Second, other than saying "bmw makes money on wheels" what 'data' is there to support the safety of copies??? It is false logic that many people conveniently buy into...they don't like the money BMW makes and convince themselves that OE copies are "robin hood vendors" protecting them from evil BMW.

Finally, when wheel vendors have as much to lose as BMW, then I will trust their wheels. It is a matter of quality control, financial and business risk. I bought a set of HRE C20s for the other car, $5k, and have every confidence in them. It is not a class thing or money thing- I am a cheap bastard and if I could buy cheap, good looking wheels that gave me the quality assurance I would.

I guess I will end with this; if you think there is nothing wrong with aftermarket copies, then there is nothing wrong with a 10-15mm spacer The risk you are taking is probably the same!

IMO

A

(But I prolly wouldnt want any spacer on a track car....)

[finagle69]

If you do some research, you'll find that a large number of track cars run spacers due to larger BBKs and for the increase in track width.

Seriously, people have very misguided views on spacers. There are two types, extended lug bolts/nuts, or bolt-on type.

Bolt-on spacers are every bit as safe as running no spacer at all. Slip on (or extended lug) spacers are less desirable, but no less safe, as the extended lugs are of a higher strength steel.