I could use some input from 550i sport owners and others with Style 172.

I am considering an upgrade to Style 172 rims. However, it seems every time I see a set, they are all chewed up around the edges.

Are these wheels particularly vulnerable to this kind of damage due to the wheel or tire height?

I am not a city driver and so I do very little parallel parking, but will these new wheels be all banged up soon?

Thanks for your input.

Also, is anyone selling an OEM set that is in perfect condition?

093

i think in general, most 19" and 20" rims are prone to damage from curbs due to the fact there is less tire around the rim, and usually the tires that are on, are slightly streched and dont offer much protection for the wheel. you could run a wider tire on the rim, but it may rub on the car and may be harder to find in those sizes.

You'll see lots of scratches on 18" as well; my 135m's are in dire need of a wheel doctor... that hasn't prevented me from investing in a set of 19" 172m's.

SEPERATE QUESTION for those in the know. I've checked the best wheel source I know of; http://felgenkatalog.auto-treff.com/

I only know of 172M coming in either an ET18/ET32 combo for the sedan or a straightout ET18 for the touring. To my knowledge, BMW have not made these wheels for any other car or in any other ET.

I'm having a dogged discussion with an ebayer who purports to sell a set of original 172M in ET15/ET20 respectively. http://cgi.ebay.de/BMW-E60-ORIGINAL-M-172-M-Felgen-19-Zoll-wie-neu-5er_W0QQitemZ150591917281QQcategoryZ9892QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D1%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8523228202280560851 I'm calling them replicas but the ebayer is insistant that they are original BMW..... what do you think?

Thanks for your input. So is damage avoidable with careful driving or is it inevitable? I don't want to spend this kind of money if damage is unavoidable.

yes, its avoidable for the most part. just be careful when parking against curbs.....stay away from them, or going thru drive-thrus. dont go to automatic carwashes with the floor rails, dont let anyone else drive your car. :rolleyes:
and if you do happen to curb a wheel, its not the end of the world. there are wheel refinishers out there that can make them look like new for around $100 or so.

It's avoidable...don't let your wife/girlfriend drive your car.

Agreed 100%

It comes down to who drives the car, if the car was driven/owned by someone who cares for it you will find mint condition 172's. Leased cars or cars driven by wifes/girlfriends usually end up with cosmetically damaged wheels. My 550i had 3 out of 4 curbed/gashed up rims when I bought it. (Leased/Woman driven - I found the lease return charge sheet in the glovebox)

Just don't let the misus drive it! Whoops, did I just say that aloud!

Again, park-up carefully and you should be fine. Have to say my 225 19" alloys I used to run on my E92 seemed more venerable to the odd small scrape. But your tyre rim protector should help to a degree.

Thanks guys, all great advice. So are you guys saying that the damage I see is usually from curbs and not from potholes or other road surfaces that put too much pressure on the tires with the shorter sidewalls? If it's mainly just curbs, I should be in pretty good shape.

My wife prefers her X5 anyway, so I should be a little safer in that regard!

This forum is so great.

I think its all in how people take care of them. I had a set I just sold and there was no rash on them (outside) and the only marks were on the inside from the car wash rails that guide the car through....

there is a set on one of the other forums: http://e60.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=476793

Dont think the guy owned them, just reselling them.