Where to look for a good 16" wheel for an E9x BMW?

Looking for a wheel for an E90 non-M BMW.  5x120, 72.6mm hub bore.  Ideally flow-formed or forged.

Here's the problem: I want 16x7.5 or 16x8 with +30 to +35 mm offset, and that combo seems virtually nonexistent.

So far, I've browsed the websites of the following vendors:

• Tire Rack
• Bimmerworld
• Evasive Motorsports
• Forgeline
• BC Forged
• ECS Tuning / Turner Motorsport
• Summit Racing
• Fitment Industries
• Vivid Racing
• CarID

On all those sites, I've found exactly two options with those parameters – cast König models that are a bit too blingy for my taste.  I'll pick one of those if I have to (and maybe have the set re-painted), but it'd be great to have more options.

The BMW OE wheel catalog has nothing AFAICT.  AC Schnitzer and Alpina used to make wheels that might work, but they're decades old and come with a big vintage-BMW tax.  Doesn't seem worth it.

I know I could have some wheels made by a high-end custom wheel vendor, but this application doesn't feel like it warrants going too deep into four-figure pricing.

Where else should I look?

Or do you all think König is good enough that I can stop looking?  They don't strike me as a standout manufacturer quality-wise, but I don't know a ton about them and would be happy to be proven wrong.

You might talk with Terry at Vorshlag. He carries Forgeline and is pretty savvy on wheel options overall, BMW or otherwise. Long-time racer and GRM contributor.

Printed GRM has many ads for wheel companies you could check as well.

Nockenwelle said:

You might talk with Terry at Vorshlag. He carries Forgeline and is pretty savvy on wheel options overall, BMW or otherwise. Long-time racer and GRM contributor.

Printed GRM has many ads for wheel companies you could check as well.

I like that.  Terry at Vorshlag sounds like a great person to ask.

Do you know if the ads in the printed mag are online anywhere?

Thanks!

Will 16s fit over the stock brakes? Is there a decent selection of tires in 16" that will match or be close to the stock OD? 

A flow formed or forged 17" isn't really going to be a big weight difference with a dramatically increased tire selection. 

Side note: I ran Konig's on track rat NA Miata and lived by the motto of "Every time you miss a curb, god kills a kitten." But that was 2012-2013, but I don't suspect they have gone down in quality, but I wouldn't testify to it.

Some E9x cars came with 16s IIRC, so at least some of them will fit 16s over the brakes.  But I agree with the suggestion that 17s are likely to have far better tire selection.  And for the overall tire size used on those cars (~25" diameter) 17s aren't huge. 

I don't know if this will help, but this website has wheel size and offset for all generations of the 3 series.  You can also look up sizes for 5 and 7 series cars as well, in case there's something from one of those cars (or even other brands) that will fit.  https://www.wheel-size.com/size/bmw/3-series/

z31maniac said:

Will 16s fit over the stock brakes? Is there a decent selection of tires in 16" that will match or be close to the stock OD?

A flow formed or forged 17" isn't really going to be a big weight difference with a dramatically increased tire selection. 

 

Side note: I ran Konig's on track rat NA Miata and lived by the motto of "Every time you miss a curb, god kills a kitten." But that was 2012-2013, but I don't suspect they have gone down in quality, but I wouldn't testify to it.

Yes, 16s will fit.  There's actually an OE 16" wheel option for this car, but it's 16x7; I want to run 225/50R16, so I'd like a wider rim if possible.  If it's not possible without stepping down in quality, so be it.

Tire selection in that size sucks, but it includes my top two options for this application (AS4, DWS 06+), so I'm okay with it.

Good to hear about your experience with König.  Were yours cast, flow formed, or forged?

E30 M3 wheels were 16 x 7.5 +27. Almost there. 

I would go for the Style 5s that came in the e38s and are 16 x 8 +23. Easier to source. 

I can't find an OEM wheel that fits your specs.

IamFODI said:

z31maniac said:

Will 16s fit over the stock brakes? Is there a decent selection of tires in 16" that will match or be close to the stock OD?

A flow formed or forged 17" isn't really going to be a big weight difference with a dramatically increased tire selection. 

 

Side note: I ran Konig's on track rat NA Miata and lived by the motto of "Every time you miss a curb, god kills a kitten." But that was 2012-2013, but I don't suspect they have gone down in quality, but I wouldn't testify to it.

Yes, 16s will fit.  There's actually an OE 16" wheel option for this car, but it's 16x7; I want to run 225/50R16, so I'd like a wider rim if possible.  If it's not possible without stepping down in quality, so be it.

Tire selection in that size sucks, but it includes my top two options for this application (AS4, DWS 06+), so I'm okay with it.

Good to hear about your experience with König.  Were yours cast, flow formed, or forged?

To be honest, I don't remember. They don't make that particular style anymore that I know and I purchased them in 2012. 

I've smoked a lot of reefer and drank a lot Jameson since then. 

IamFODI said:

I want to run 225/50R16, ...

Tire selection in that size sucks, but it includes my top two options for this application (AS4, DWS 06+), so I'm okay with it.

you've piqued my curiosity.  But why?  
 

Braid will also build you whatever you want, any offset, any bolt pattern, but it won't be cheap.  
 

https://braidusa.com/collections/all-wheels

as example can order the Fullrace A in 16x8 from 0 offset to +50:

Slippery said:

I would go for the Style 5s that came in the e38s and are 16 x 8 +23. Throw a 10mm spacer on them. 

That's not how spacers work.

dps214 said:

Slippery said:

I would go for the Style 5s that came in the e38s and are 16 x 8 +23. Throw a 10mm spacer on them. 

That's not how spacers work.

<facepalm> Not sure what I was thinking. 

Will edit the post. 

If you need an OE wheel check Rock Auto. They have refurbs! Alternately www.carpart.com

Those tires would work fine on a 7" wheel, too.

Slippery said:

dps214 said:

Slippery said:

I would go for the Style 5s that came in the e38s and are 16 x 8 +23. Throw a 10mm spacer on them. 

That's not how spacers work.

<facepalm> Not sure what I was thinking. 

Will edit the post. 

If his E90 is anything like mine that extra 10 mm of offset will probably not rub and fill out the wheel wells just a little bit nicer. I'd try the fitment on my car just to see as I have 11 of those wheels now but they will not clear the brakes on my 06 330i.

Not sure style 5 is the way to go on these cars though looks wise, I'd just like to be able to share my E28 track tires with that car.

xflowgolf (Forum Supporter) said:

IamFODI said:

I want to run 225/50R16, ...

Tire selection in that size sucks, but it includes my top two options for this application (AS4, DWS 06+), so I'm okay with it.

you've piqued my curiosity.  But why?  
 

 

Braid will also build you whatever you want, any offset, any bolt pattern, but it won't be cheap.  
 

https://braidusa.com/collections/all-wheels

I almost always want to run the smallest rim that'll fit over the brakes, and then size the tire to keep stock OD.  Easiest way to minimize rotational inertia and overall unsprung mass.  Also, the pothole resistance and NVH mitigation of a fat sidewall are nice in a DD – especially for this one, which will do a lot of its miles on horrible roads.  The only exception would be if I couldn't get a good enough wheel or the right tire in a smaller size.  Thankfully there's an OE wheel I can use (clears the quality bar), and the meager tire selection in this size does include two models I'm good with.

BMW's tire size of choice for the OE 16" wheel is 205/55R16.  I'd be okay with that – but if I can run 225/50 and not end up with overly squidgy handling, I think I'd appreciate the additional grip, especially under braking (the only thing worse than the roads around here is how people drive).

Thanks for the tip on Braid.  I knew there had to be someone!  I'll see what they can do and whether it makes sense for me to shell out for it.

I wouldn't dismiss 16x7 " wheels out of hand. Running 225R50/16 tires on my Dart on the same 16x7" rim size and they don't look stretched or otherwise out of place. 

225/45/17 opens a world of options of both tires and wheels, is the same OD, and still has plenty massive sidewalls. Just about any half decent aftermarket 17" wheel is going to be the same or lighter than a boat anchor OE wheel even in a smaller diameter. Looking at dws06+, both sizes are listed at the same weight and the 225/17 is almost $10 cheaper per tire. I don't see any downside to 17s.

MadScientistMatt said:

I wouldn't dismiss 16x7 " wheels out of hand. Running 225R50/16 tires on my Dart on the same 16x7" rim size and they don't look stretched or otherwise out of place. 

Thanks for the reassurance.

7" is also the measuring rim width of the tire I'm after, so I'm sure it's fine.

What was throwing me off was

1.  On this chassis's 16x7" wheel, BMW runs a 205/55R16, and
2.  I was under the impression that BMW never ran 225/50R16 except on a 16x7.5 or 16x8.

But it looks like point 1 isn't apples-to-apples as the OE tire is runflat (possibly different requirements), and point 2 is flat-out false (I think I'm seeing that they ran that size on 16x7s as well).

So yeah, 16x7 is probably fine for this application.

dps214 said:

225/45/17 opens a world of options of both tires and wheels, is the same OD, and still has plenty massive sidewalls. Just about any half decent aftermarket 17" wheel is going to be the same or lighter than a boat anchor OE wheel even in a smaller diameter. Looking at dws06+, both sizes are listed at the same weight and the 225/17 is almost $10 cheaper per tire. I don't see any downside to 17s.

Yeah, I'm imagining tire selection will eventually drive me to 17s if I own this car long enough.

I had the same thought re. OE boat anchors vs. good aftermarket 17s, and I appreciate the poke on that.  The OE 16x7 for this car supposedly weighs 8.00 kg ≈ 17.6 lbs.  I couldn't find a 17x8" wheel with the build quality I'd want and substantially less weight, except at vastly higher prices.  I can't say my search was exhaustive, but once I noticed that even a CE28N in 17x8 would only save ~2 lbs per wheel, I figured it was time to throw in the towel.

If you think I'm missing something, I'd be glad to hear about it!

On rough roads, I absolutely would also prefer a 16" wheel for that tire diameter.

I also would want the Braid wheels or similar because they aren't made of peanut butter like OE BMW wheels.  The thing with Braids though is that, at least for the rally-spec wheels I've handled, they are HEAVY.  I'd assume that the sporting car fitments like the Porsches that Paul keeps teasing us with are lighter, but check the weights before you order if light unsprung/rotating weight is a high priority for you.

 - the poor sucker driving on 225/45 tires on 18x8 wheels that are dodecagonal and have all had cracks welded at least once

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I also would want the Braid wheels or similar because they aren't made of peanut butter like OE BMW wheels.  The thing with Braids though is that, at least for the rally-spec wheels I've handled, they are HEAVY.

Our M3's winter wheels are 18x8 from an F3x, and they're wearing 235/40R18, so slightly smaller sidewall than yours.  They've taken some serious hits and seem to be holding up just fine.  #ShrugLife

Had great luck with the original wheels for this M3, too – though those are forged BBSs...

At any rate, I feel like BMW OE wheels from the last 1-2 decades are generally more trustworthy than almost all cast aftermarket wheels, many flow-formed aftermarket wheels, and even some "forged" aftermarket wheels (the ones that are mostly machined from billets rather than near-net forged).  That's been the overall experience for me and mine.  Do you disagree?

FWIW, Braid shows 19 lbs for their Fullrace A or Fullrace Rallycross wheels in 16x7, or 19.3 lbs for 16x8.  Both cast.  Both heavier than the OE 16x7" wheel I'm looking at, but not that bad.