Wheel Arch Extensions
 

Hi all,

I recently bought an 07 3.0si with the regular 18" alloys and am envious of the mean stance the x5 has with the 20's/21's. After searching through x5world I have found that in order to upgrade to these it is recommended that one installs the flared wheel arch extensions.

I was wondering how bad the wheels look (I assume they have a lower offset than my current wheels) without the wheel arch extensions. Does anyone have pics of this?

Cheers,
Aaron

It's really just a matter of personal preference. You can definitely do without the flares. See thread below for some pics of mine after I installed the 214s but before flares. I did end up installing the flares last week though, and I think it looks better with them installed.

If you search you will find several other threads about this.

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e70-forum/...+sapphire+214s

Thats exactly what I was looking for, thanks mate!

I did mine in 2 steps... first the upgraded wheels and I didn't mind the look at all - it still looked pretty aggressive in person. The wheel arches just finish the look though. Without them the wider rear wheels do stick out a bit so it may look awkward at a specific angle... plus you may fling dirt around where you don't want it.

This is all great info, thanks guys.
How did you go about purchasing your style 214's? Did you buy them through the dealership or third party? I have noticed there are a bunch of replicas on ebay for sale and am a bit hesitant to purchase "OEM" from ebay and then find out they are replicas.