TMack

Hi guys. I'm about to pull the trigger on some 18" wheels for my '08 535xi. It has the bland stock 17's and, as pretty as 19's can be on these cars, I think 18's will give me a reasonably sporty look while retaining better ride quality. (I drive 30K+ miles/year, so comfort matters.)

That said, I've narrowed the field to Avant Garde 310 and VMR V710, which look virtually identical to my eye. From searching, I get the impression that the AG's may be better quality wheels, but in 18's they only come in 8" and 9" widths (front/rear) for my car. The VMR's come in 8.5" and 9.5" which seems to me will better accommodate the 245/40/18 and 275/35/18 tires I'll need to keep the stock circumference. (As I understand it, this is important with xi's, true?)

Can you experts give me your take on the best way to go here? I don't really know a lot about either of these manufacturers or how big a difference a 1/2" of width will make, so any guidance is welcome. Thanks!

-TMc

PS In case it matters, I'll be lowering on H&R Sport springs as well.

vkhong

I have seen the VMW V710 in person in 19-inch staggered on an E46 M3. They are beautiful!

However, to achieve the aggressive concavity, the wheel spokes extend pass the outer face of the wheel rim / tire sidewall. These means that if the wheels are ever taken through a car wash with a tire guide rail, the wheels will be scratched.

I found a picture that illustrate how far the wheel spokes come off the outside face of the wheel:
BMW 3-series V710 Hyper Silver 19-inch

With these wheels, one must wash the vehicle by hand 100% of the time, and must take care to avoid the courtesy car-wash offered by many BMW Centers.

I have not seen the Avant Garde M310 in person.

acuteperformance

You can't go wrong with either. Quality is about the same IMHO since I haven't had customers with any issues. Go with the wheel that has what you want in terms of width and finishes.

Michael
Owner
Acute Performance

TMack

Seriously? I've NEVER heard that. Are there people on this forum who've experienced that? I didn't find any complaints.

jg7879

agree with michael 100%

TroyE60

never any issues with any of the VMR wheels I've had in the past including the V710

shad951

I have the 310's on 19"s on my car and really like them. Either way I do not think you can really go wrong with either of the wheels you are considering.

jg7879

the h&R sport springs will really look good! it will compliment the wheels really good and it will drop your car about an inch

leese8080

I concur with vkhong - speaking for Avant Garde 310 that I'm running. The rear wheels can cause the problem if you go with the 19 x 11.0 setup, in which I did. On this forum only memeber 'ktlocklear' and I went for the 19x11.0 setup as far as I know and most went with the 19x9.5 setup. So when I first bought it, I scuffed my rear wheels slightly going through an automatic car wash with a rail. Cannot speak for the 19x9.5 setup. Nowadays I go to a gas station car wash where I don't have to go through a rail or drop it off at work to get it 100% hand only car-washed.

This is something that you should keep into consideration and glad that member 'vkhong' pointed this out.

AG 310s are great wheels and Michael(Acuteperformance) hooked it up for me. Michael is a great vendor Furthermore, I have visisted the 'Avant Garde' shop and they have excellent customer service. Those are both great choices and I was in your shoes debating between those two and Miro 111. Good luck!

acuteperformance

Appreciate the kind words Jason.

Michael
Owner
Acute Performance