Hi guys im ready to pick up my black sapphire 530 this week, But the only issue is there are no sports pkg available, parts are back ordered for close to 10 weeks.....so i decided to go out and get my own 19'' rims and tires. Any comments or brand suggestions. Also would i have to do anything with the suspension?

Jimm,

I am thinking of doing the same thing. I am thinking of skipping the sports package, that way I will have my winter wheels and then I will get 19s for the rest of the time. I don't necessarily love the wheels that come with the sports package, so I would upgrade anyway.

Now as for wheels. Tirerack.com now has the new 5 on their configurator with the wheel options that they have available. Personally, I like the SSR GT3s and I am thinking of getting some. Hartge also has their classic rims available, all the way up to 20 inches, so I wouldn't think putting 19s on should be a problem and shouldn't require any suspension adjustment. I believe that if you talk to someone at tirerack, they can point you in the right direction. I think 19s are as high as I would go in order to have some amount of tire.

Good luck with the purchase and please let us know what you decide and provide some pics when you have them on. You may be the first person to put pesonalized rims on your E60.

Um. There's a lot more to the sports package than 19" wheels.

True, no denying that, but for now, the sports package is not a necessity, but the wheels make a huge difference in the appearance of the car in my opinion. So, the 18's make the car look nice, but I am not in love with wheels, so if I got the sports package, I would still want to get 19" wheels, and then I would still have to get winter wheels by either trading my sports package wheels with someone or just selling them, and then buying some winter wheels.

But, you are right, there is no denying that the wheels are the least of the sports package deal. As a matter of fact, I plan a few more test drives to make sure that this "non necessity" option does not become a necessity before I make my order.

Thanks for the opinions, of course theres more to the sports pkg then the wheels, but after the dust settles the truth is people want the look of the car not the ride....i just sold my m5 because it was too fast i couldn't get out of 2nd gear without running into the car in front of me, gives you a real reality check. And the truth, im not waiting 10 weeks for a sports package or paying over list because they are limited. Thanks agin, i checked out tirerack as well.....some people i know are pushing Diablo wheels, im not so sure if they are any good.

i just put 20's on my tit. silver 530.....you might want to look at maya wheels....i have the sports package on my car and the 20's fit perfectly....you don't have to alter the suspension or the springs..... B)

I think larger wheels do look nice but I also think the chrome trim around the windows on non sports package models looks very bad against black. If you want big wheels and the sporty look why do you want that chrome trim? The sports package gives you the shadowline trim. (Black trim).

.02

Which Maya wheels did you get, what were the width of the wheels (8.5, 9.5, 10, staggered?) and what size tires did you have to get (245/30-front and 275/25-rear?) Just curious. I thought that the Maya DTS might look OK on the E60, but I don't want chrome and I haven't seen any pictures of the silver finish.

Please post some pics if you can.

how's the ride quality with 20" vs the 18"

to honest i can't tell the difference between the 20's vs. the 18's.... they both corner tremendously well...i got the 20's strictly for appearance.

i'll try to put pictures up hopefully sometime soon....the maya wheels i have are the dtm....they're polished silver....i too don't like the chrome look...size of tires are 275/30/20 in the back, 245/35/20 in the front.