Fellow Members,

I need your input/advice. I am about to pull the trigger on new wheels, but need some help deciding.

Here are the options:

1. Get 18" Style 124 Wheels (non-staggered) with the high offset for my car. Buy a new set of winter tires and throw them on my 18" 123 wheels and take the RFT's on my 123's and put them on the 124's. Therefore, 123 = Winter and 124 = Summer.

2. Get 19" wheels with an offset of 38+. Buy new 19" tires (245/35/19). Toss/Sell the RFT's on my 123's and buy winter tires for the 123 wheels for winter.

Here's the problem... I want to lower the car to get rid of the wheel gap that the 18's leave behind. H&R is about to release a kit for the xi version of our car. I also want a stiffer, sportier ride like my old 530i. From what I've read and heard, one xi owner who has 19" wheels is experiencing rubbing when they turn the wheels all the way to one side or the other. However, a few others have said nothing of the sort. Lowering the car makes me think this will just make the problem 10X worse, whether rubbing was an issue for those people or not. Ughh...

I really like how the 19's fill the arches of the E60. 18's are not bad, but 19's do it justice. If I go with option 1, I can lower the car and not worry about rubbing. However, the car just won't look unique and I'll have to live with 18's and the typical look of a standard E60 sport (not what I want).

If I go with 19's for summer, lowering the car could be disaster waiting to happen...and a waste of non-refundable money.

I guess my main concern is the whole rubbing issue. I'd hate to dump all this money into new 19" wheels, tires and suspension, only to learn after it's all been mounted (and not returnable), that it doesn't work.

Why did BMW do such a job on us "xi" owners??? How come Audi can do all these mods and we can't??

What should I do?

True, but why don't you just get the 19" wheels you want and leave the gap as it is (with 19's it will already look less). Because by putting this "special" suspension of h&r on it could give that wheel rubbing + it can harm the front wheel cardan when taking potholes, bumps,... and then you can forget your x-drive :nono:
Just my opinion; wouldn't lower it because of that (and guarantee loss???)

Yeah, I'm thinking that now. It just sucks that I can't get a stiffer, sportier ride. That's one of the main reasons I love BMW. Hmmm....I could go with 18's and new suspension. Lowering the car will help even out the car with those large wheel arches and make the 18's look decent.

Well if it could help you, i have 18 inch 135's on mine but no new suspension since i don't want to harm the front cardan. You can check my gallery any time if it could help you