RPM Wheels

Does anyone have a set of these wheels on their car? What quality is
the finish compared to OEM? I have a 2005 M3 with 18" wheels I was
thinking of buying a set for.

The entire set of RPM R-505's is less money than only one 18" BBS RGR.
Are the BBS wheels that much better or are the RPM's a good buy?

G.S.

"Gordon Shumway" > wrote in message
...
> Does anyone have a set of these wheels on their car? What quality is
> the finish compared to OEM? I have a 2005 M3 with 18" wheels I was
> thinking of buying a set for.
>
> The entire set of RPM R-505's is less money than only one 18" BBS RGR.
> Are the BBS wheels that much better or are the RPM's a good buy?
>
> G.S.


PERSONALLY, I think you are making a big mistake if you do not use BMW
wheels on your car. I think that aftermarket crap on a BMW just looks cheap.
I get that it might not be cheap, but it looks bad to me.

I have found BMW OEM 19s on eBay.

If you are using your car on the track, or in some other manner where you
need better performance -- less weight, that sort of thing -- then it starts
to make sense to go with an aftermarket wheel, but you have to do other
styling things as well so the car looks unique, instead of just an M with
goofy rims on it.

I think that if you have already got 18s, they look pretty cool to me and
serve the need very well. I would not spend the money here.

Just my opinion ...

PS
As a matter of record, I drive a '94 3 Series convertible that came with
16s. I had a '94 sedan before that which came with 15s, that just did not
look right. I bought a set of 17s from an M3 and put them on my first car,
then moved them to the second car after a minor wreck that did some frame
damage that totalled the first car. So, I get the notion of upgrading tires
and wheels, my only point is that I think you should try to find some OEM
rims that suit you, and stay away from the aftermarket rims.

Maybe it's just me ...

In article >,
"Jeff Strickland" > wrote:

> "Gordon Shumway" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Does anyone have a set of these wheels on their car? What quality is
> > the finish compared to OEM? I have a 2005 M3 with 18" wheels I was
> > thinking of buying a set for.
> >
> > The entire set of RPM R-505's is less money than only one 18" BBS RGR.
> > Are the BBS wheels that much better or are the RPM's a good buy?
> >
> > G.S.
>
>
> PERSONALLY, I think you are making a big mistake if you do not use BMW
> wheels on your car. I think that aftermarket crap on a BMW just looks cheap.
> I get that it might not be cheap, but it looks bad to me.
>
> I have found BMW OEM 19s on eBay.
>
> If you are using your car on the track, or in some other manner where you
> need better performance -- less weight, that sort of thing -- then it starts
> to make sense to go with an aftermarket wheel, but you have to do other
> styling things as well so the car looks unique, instead of just an M with
> goofy rims on it.
>
> I think that if you have already got 18s, they look pretty cool to me and
> serve the need very well. I would not spend the money here.
>
> Just my opinion ...
>
> PS
> As a matter of record, I drive a '94 3 Series convertible that came with
> 16s. I had a '94 sedan before that which came with 15s, that just did not
> look right. I bought a set of 17s from an M3 and put them on my first car,
> then moved them to the second car after a minor wreck that did some frame
> damage that totalled the first car. So, I get the notion of upgrading tires
> and wheels, my only point is that I think you should try to find some OEM
> rims that suit you, and stay away from the aftermarket rims.
>
> Maybe it's just me ...

Depends on the BMW wheel. The stock wheels that came with my 2001 330xi
are soft and dent readily. I have replaced two and sent one other to a
wheel shop for re-trueing. My spare is off-round although the four that
are on the car are round--- at this point.

I'm using these strictly for winter tires. My summer tires are mounted
on stock BMW wheels of a different spoke design, bought used on eBay,
that seem considerably stronger.

> wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Jeff Strickland" > wrote:
>
>> "Gordon Shumway" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Does anyone have a set of these wheels on their car? What quality is
>> > the finish compared to OEM? I have a 2005 M3 with 18" wheels I was
>> > thinking of buying a set for.
>> >
>> > The entire set of RPM R-505's is less money than only one 18" BBS RGR.
>> > Are the BBS wheels that much better or are the RPM's a good buy?
>> >
>> > G.S.
>>
>>
>> PERSONALLY, I think you are making a big mistake if you do not use BMW
>> wheels on your car. I think that aftermarket crap on a BMW just looks
>> cheap.
>> I get that it might not be cheap, but it looks bad to me.
>>
>> I have found BMW OEM 19s on eBay.
>>
>> If you are using your car on the track, or in some other manner where you
>> need better performance -- less weight, that sort of thing -- then it
>> starts
>> to make sense to go with an aftermarket wheel, but you have to do other
>> styling things as well so the car looks unique, instead of just an M with
>> goofy rims on it.
>>
>> I think that if you have already got 18s, they look pretty cool to me and
>> serve the need very well. I would not spend the money here.
>>
>> Just my opinion ...
>>
>> PS
>> As a matter of record, I drive a '94 3 Series convertible that came with
>> 16s. I had a '94 sedan before that which came with 15s, that just did not
>> look right. I bought a set of 17s from an M3 and put them on my first
>> car,
>> then moved them to the second car after a minor wreck that did some frame
>> damage that totalled the first car. So, I get the notion of upgrading
>> tires
>> and wheels, my only point is that I think you should try to find some OEM
>> rims that suit you, and stay away from the aftermarket rims.
>>
>> Maybe it's just me ...
>
> Depends on the BMW wheel. The stock wheels that came with my 2001 330xi
> are soft and dent readily. I have replaced two and sent one other to a
> wheel shop for re-trueing. My spare is off-round although the four that
> are on the car are round--- at this point.
>
> I'm using these strictly for winter tires. My summer tires are mounted
> on stock BMW wheels of a different spoke design, bought used on eBay,
> that seem considerably stronger.


Again, just me, but I find it beneficial to actually miss the curbs. (sorry,
I understand that some of us are blessed with an overabundance of pot holes,
but I am not among that group so I tend to lack sympathy that might
otherwise be deserved ... )

Having said that, if you have damaged rims then going to the aftermarket
might be necessary. I was only saying that I think aftermarket rims look
tacky in many cases, and to move that way for no other reason than you want
something different is a bad move.

On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:42:16 -0800, "Jeff Strickland" > wrote:

>.... I was only saying that I think aftermarket rims look
>tacky in many cases,...

True. But then the OP didn't indicate interest in aftermarket wheels featuring
teddy bears or daisies. Or chrome/polished metal. Or more than five spokes. 8

>... and to move that way for no other reason than you want
>something different is a bad move.

You are in a very small minority on this point. The new wheels might not suit
your taste, but there's nothing inherently "bad" about replacing the wheels to
achieve a different look. Doing so has been a common practice since the
invention of the automobile.

I like the wheels which came on my wife's sport package 325i, but some other BMW
wheels seem so common to me that I wouldn't hesitate to change them.

I wouldn't even recognize my Miata with stock wheels on it away from the
track...

-- Larry

"pltrgyst" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:42:16 -0800, "Jeff Strickland" >
> wrote:
>
>>.... I was only saying that I think aftermarket rims look
>>tacky in many cases,...
>
> True. But then the OP didn't indicate interest in aftermarket wheels
> featuring
> teddy bears or daisies. Or chrome/polished metal. Or more than five
> spokes. 8
>
>>... and to move that way for no other reason than you want
>>something different is a bad move.
>
> You are in a very small minority on this point. The new wheels might not
> suit
> your taste, but there's nothing inherently "bad" about replacing the
> wheels to
> achieve a different look. Doing so has been a common practice since the
> invention of the automobile.
>
> I like the wheels which came on my wife's sport package 325i, but some
> other BMW
> wheels seem so common to me that I wouldn't hesitate to change them.
>
> I wouldn't even recognize my Miata with stock wheels on it away from the
> track...


I agree completely, but the topic is an M with 18" wheels already. This is
difficult to improve upon.

Some cars are vastly improved by aftermarket parts -- rims especially -- but
_my_ take on the M3 or M5 is that the factory fitment is superior to
aftermarket, UNLESS one is doing other significant changes and new rims
become a requirement as a result.

On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:32:56 -0600, Gordon Shumway
> wrote:

>Does anyone have a set of these wheels on their car? What quality is
>the finish compared to OEM? I have a 2005 M3 with 18" wheels I was
>thinking of buying a set for.
>
>The entire set of RPM R-505's is less money than only one 18" BBS RGR.
>Are the BBS wheels that much better or are the RPM's a good buy?
>
>G.S.


You are comparing significantly different wheels. BBS is a contract
manufacturer for BMW wheels along with their own line of aftermarket
wheels. The RGR model you referred to is a cold forged heat treated
wheel of exceptional strength. Many race teams use the RGR wheels on
their track cars. I'm not familiar with the other brand you mentioned
but I suspect a bit of research will show they are gravity cast or
low-pressure cast which is much less expensive a manufacturing method
than forging.

No matter what brand you go with make sure to get hub-centric wheels
or your car will have a perpetual vibration caused by wheels that are
not quite centered on the spindle. It is a well know problem for
wheels that are of generic design that rely on the wheel lugs to
center the wheel.

Good luck

RJD

In article >,
Jeff Strickland > wrote:
> Some cars are vastly improved by aftermarket parts -- rims especially --
> but _my_ take on the M3 or M5 is that the factory fitment is superior
> to aftermarket,

Impossible to say unless you know every single aftermarket design. And
beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

--
*Born free...Taxed to death.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Thank you for emphasizing the point about the need for a hub-centric
wheel.

I was aware that BMW's, and a few other manufacturers, have a
hub-centric design. I was also assuming that if the seller said a
particular wheel fit a particular BMW it would be hub-centric. I will
definitely verify that is the case.

Thanks,
G.S.


On Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:10:43 -0600, RJD >
wrote:

>No matter what brand you go with make sure to get hub-centric wheels
>or your car will have a perpetual vibration caused by wheels that are
>not quite centered on the spindle. It is a well known problem for
>wheels that are of generic design that rely on the wheel lugs to
>center the wheel.
>
>Good luck
>
>RJD

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

> Jeff Strickland > wrote:
>>
>> Some cars are vastly improved by aftermarket parts -- rims especially --
>> but _my_ take on the M3 or M5 is that the factory fitment is superior
>> to aftermarket,
>
>Impossible to say unless you know every single aftermarket design. And
>beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

It's just "the Earth is 10,000 years old" Jeffy making an idiot of
himself, again. He doesn't know **** about the issue, but feels the
need to spout-off about how it would be a "big mistake" to use non-BMW
wheels.