Opinion; Y or 215 spoke wheel on E70?
 

Hi everyone,
I need your opinion.. I’m planning to replace my current star spoke (style 212) wheel (19”) on my black E70. I have 2 options:
1. 20” 215 style ferric grey (picture 1)
2. 20” Y spoke (planning to paint it in ferric grey as well) (picture 2 in silver and picture 3 in Ferric Grey).
So what do you think??

Y spoke looks more reinforced because of the beefy Ys. The 215 looks like a delicate flower.

IMHO

Thanks santo, but do you think silver or ferric grey is nicer with the black??

Silver 214's on Black look good and stand out. Ferric 214's (like mine) would look good, but I think the contrast of the silver 214's on the Black would look great.

Personally, I like to see a little bit of contrast so the silver is better looking to me. I know some people may wince but I'd like to see what they look like in chrome :bling:

I like ferric gray 215s on dark X5s.

I have to say the 215's look great on the black X. I just replaced my silver 183's on my '06 with the 20" replica 215's and it looks great. The ferric gray looks great on the black (sapphire black) X.

You really can't go wrong with either one. But I'd go gray on your black X.

ferric 215 or silver 214. having a shop repaint the 214(y spokes) might not turn out as nicely glossy.

If you plan of getting a different color, pay extra and get them powdercoated. It will look much better and won't chip as easily as painting them would.

bmwxx5, I am looking to replace my 18" wheels with 19". Let me know if you make the switch, I may be interested in purchasing your 19s if they are in good shape.

The key is to ask for two coats plus a clear coat.

I regret everyday not buying 215's in ferric gray.

+1.

Hi, you asked me in a PM for some pics of my 20" 215 reps.
My X is an '06 and is sapphire black. I think the ferric gray looks great with that color combo. A big plus is you don't have to clean them as much as the silver. :thumbup:
I don't think they look like a delicate daisy either.

Thanks lot Bunyan, I really like it,, just a final question. what are the tires sizes? 275/40/20 front and 315/35/20 rear? or both the front and the rear ones are the same????

Yep, you got it. Tires are just like you listed (rims are 10" in front 11" in back). I went with the Toyos.
Very happy with the setup.

bunyan, are those in a ferric grey finish? they don't look as glossy, possibly brake dust?

Well, I might be biased, but I really like the way that my "metallic ferric grey" paint job turned out on my wheels. I think they're perfect for the E70.

Phattbam, that is as ferric gray as 2K will get you. You can gladly drop another 4k and get them a little more "polished" but for me she does it.

Brian5, those are money rims. I love seeing the "phat" X roll by struttin the 214's, especially if they're in ferric gray on the black X. You really can't go wrong either way.

@ bunyan, I know just maybe it's the angle and lighting in that picture, I know ferric grey is not an easy color to capture in photos. End result is if you dig it that's all that matters.

@ bryan5, those look cool, almost like a polished finish.

:iagree:

in general, both look greaaaaaaat !!:thumbup:

I have a BSM with silver 214, and I can tell you that brake dust is a bitch. Planning to paint the wheels into gunmetal/ferric grey. Personally I like the 215 a bit more, as it look a bit more delicate yet aggressive at the same time, if that is not too contradictory.

I have a 2013 X5 35i Xdrive Platinum Metalic Grey which came with a stock 18" wheels and Bridgestone RFT tires(I'll switch for winter). I've been looking to switch to 215 21"wheels - ferric (for summer) and I've researched for tire availability and cost $2,600+ front and rear (Dunlops or Pirellis are the only option). The 215's ferric wheels set up on X5's looks so nice. What I'm not reading is, 1. how long does this tires last (10Kmiles?), 2. How bad is the road noise (can not hear radio, cabin noise or phone talk?), 3. How does it feel on highways (sensitive on ruts etc.) and regular streets (avoid potholes to avoid denting the wheels, etc. ). I value any opinions and help me decide before I dive in on 215's (21") ferrics .:confused:.
Thanks.

I have 215's but have only had my 08 4.8 for 6 mo's now, for me when I bought it there was about 7/32nd tread left in the center but w/in those 6 mo's and about 7K miles the RR wore down to cords on inside, the LR wasn't as bad so I moved it over to the RR to get more wear/use out of that tire. Inside wear is typical of BMW's and I'd say just watch your tread and swap tires over to get better wear. FWIW, I bought a matching pr of Dunlops off eBay that had close to 8/32nd left for 695 flat, patch/repair free used one n have spare when I need it. (Soon from that LR now on RR)

I have the Dunlops all around, I don't think the rd noise is that bad, still kind of quiet and I can hear radio/phone etc just fine. I drive pretty aggressive at times and I think they hold up pretty well. I never get more than 20-25K out of the Bridgestone RE050's on our E90 335 but tread wear is lower than Dunlops, I think it all depends how you drive and if u pay attn to your tire wear. Also, I got my alignment the other day after mounting the tires and my settings were not too bad from spec. During this 6 mo's I would occasionally get a steering wobble when hitting cracks in the hwy at high speeds, turned out my fronts weren't balanced correctly.

I know this was all over the place but hope it helps a lil.

After reading this again I'll try to give more info:
1. Wear will mostly depend on driving style, up keep (checking pressures/wear etc) & alignment for sure
2. I should note that I'm used to some rd noise per our 335 having RFT's w/sport susp n my M3 as autox/track car on Dunlop starspecs. I still think it's pretty quiet prob due to BMW's nice sound proof/better materials etc. Def quieter then my previous Ridgeline w/Michelins which I thought was super smooth maybe not as quiet at higher speeds, more quiet than my friends 08 TL & anothers 2014 Passat TDI (rd. noise in back seat was horrible), quieter than recent loaners I've had, X1 & 128, maybe about same as 2013 328 (But I heard the engine in that thing most)
3. I try to avoid bumps/pot holes all time esp in my X setup. Yes, I feel cracks/bumps etc but I also have sport susp w/edc, adaptive drive & active steering.

I am considering a factory set of 18/19's just for long drives & occasional towing. I have also considered just getting a set of 214's n sticking to that for the wider/def cheaper tire selections. But damn...215's sure as hell look good!