gonzo40

thanks for the kudos! driving around town, it gets the looks, other drivers giving me the thumbs up sign or a nod for acknowledging beauty.

the set came with the lug bolts and locks (in silver), however, the lock's shank's a little bit wider than what is required, so i ended up using the factory locks, which happens to be black, it does look like an eye sore but also can be a deterrent for anyone thinking about stealing them...by the way, the wheel and tire package came in individual boxes! unlike tire rack or discount tire that they're just banded together.

here's the specs:
37 31 0395 J (part number)
HARTGE wheel set
8.5 x 19" offset 15 with 245 / 35 ZR 19 front
9.5 x 19" offset 22 with 275 / 30 ZR 19 rear

got them from wickedbodies.net 908-925-5500, located at New Jersey, ask for Joe, very nice guy to deal with, although he still needs to send me a replacement set of locks. i've shopped around and they had the best price. tell him i referred you.

as far as the handling and ride, i think it's a little better, more road feel, a little more but not much, kindda hard to describe, on corners and winding roads, about the same.

silverrush - i agree, the 19's sets it off as a mild upgrade without sacrificing rubber. i believe h&r has the srpings for like $369, i have to shop around on who can do that for me around here, i still would like to have my wife drive it so i can drive another car and watch it from a distance on how the car really sits when in motion.

having upgraded from a Titanium Silver 330i, i've decided to get the same color for simplicity, beauty and ease of maintenance, to me Titanium Silver embodies all those factors.

if you haven't seen it yet, there's this rear deck spoiler that bmw has, around $400, i think instead of that, a rear lip spoiler would be just right, if and when it becomes available (similar to M3's). the hamman spoiler is a little bit overkill and so is the factory one, check out bavauto they have pictures there.

by the way, i looked into the front and rear air dam, about $800 for both made be hartge as well.

tdocz

Can anyone tell me how the wheels on the new 545iA E60 compare to the 540iA E39. I am waiting for my 545iA non sport and would like to get 18"x8 front and 18"X9 back wheels. How do they compare as far as bolt pattern? Dose the offset depend the wheel manufacturer? I like the look of the 18? I have seen before here. Where can I get these?

Aaron

Gonzo,

Thanks for the info and pics. I will look into that website. I won't be buying for some months, but if I get them from there, I will definitely refer you . Does he know you by Gonzo or another name? Again, the car is looking good. I hope you enjoy it. I like the thought of the spoiler lip, but not deck. I will probably upgrade my car gradually(one or two things per year) so that I don't get bored, or so that my wife doesn't kick me out of the house! Wheels first, maybe coils/springs, then who knows, I will take it slow. What's your next mod?

tdocz,
The brochure says that the regular wheels that come with the 545 are 17x7.5. If you get the sports package, then you get 18x8 front, 18x9 rear (245/40, 275/35 respectively). The 540iA wheels are not the same, and I don't know if the wheels from the 540 can be put on the 545.

gonzo40

aaron:

thanks for your note, joe knows me by gonzo. i'll probably take it easy on the mods as there isn't really a whole lot out there that attracts me other than the h&r springs. like i mentioned, if a rear lip becomes available, i'll certainly look into it.
the bluetooth thing does not attract me, the nav system, my car's not upgradable so i'm stuck where i'm at. i'm really pleased with it's current setup. so i'll leave it like that for now.

good luck with your purchase.

New Guy

Gonzo,

Thanks for posting the pictures! Your car really looks good with the 19" rims and the profile of the car looks better. My car is should arrive during the end of March; however, my wife and I are having a diffcult time deciding which rims to purchase (hartge 19" or Maya DTM 19"). Our car is the same as your with all of the options (fully loaded). We are going to replace the front spoiler with a Schnitzer spoiler before we pick-up the car. My biggest problem is knowing which rims are deeper. I also feel that the 19" inch rims are probably less problems in the long run, verses 20".


Does anyone have a E60 530 with Maya DTM 19", and if so can you post pictures.

Thanks.

gonzo40

thanks for your note and congratulations, it's well worth the wait...here's the specs of the hartge wheels, on your query which wheels are deeper:

37 31 0395 J
HARTGE wheel set
8.5 x 19" offset 15 with 245 / 35 ZR 19 front
9.5 x 19" offset 22 with 275 / 30 ZR 19 rear

37 60 0430 J
HARTGE wheel set
9 x 20" offset 18 with 245 / 30 ZR 20 front
10 x 20" offset 22 with 285 / 25 ZR 20 rear

it may be a matter of personal preference, as for me, i chose the 19's so that there's still enough rubber to protect the wheels (mind you, they are not cheap). the schnitzer body kit is a nice add-on. not sure about the maya dtm, i'd rather haver silver polished or painted rather than chrome. i've read an earlier post on this board quite some time ago stating that he's installed the maya wheels, not sure if he ever posted pics.

good luck.

cidair

E60 versus E39 wheels.

The bolt pattern are the same but the center hole is smaller on the E60 ( 72.5 mm ) than on the E39 ( 74.1 mm ).

You easliy solve this with a distance ring ( to get the wheel accurately centered ) if you want to put E39 wheels on the E60.
Just watch the offset to be as close as possible to the OEM wheels.
Otherwise you will change the wheel geometry = bad handling!

Guest

So I started researching n those wheels, The best prices I got delivered to my door (no sales tax) are :

37 31 0395 J
HARTGE wheel set
8.5 x 19" offset 15 with 245 / 35 ZR 19 front
9.5 x 19" offset 22 with 275 / 30 ZR 19 rear
with
C0ntis contac2 3240
Dunlops sp9000 3130
Pirelli Pzero assim 3262


Do you think these prices are it?

In addition, I hear the Contis contac2 are better than Pirelli Pzero? anyone here have any experiences

Thanks in advance guys

Guest

anyone out there

Don Juan

I thought Gonzo best price was $3400 and I think that included wheels locks, right Gonzo? I think $3260 is the lowest you can get. Post pictures...