Hi all,

Yesterday I passed by a shop that specialises in wheels and tires. I saw over there most of the BMW original wheels designs, but in all the sizes you would imagine. E.g. you can find a style 138 wheel but in 18" size or a style 124 in 17" size. These replicas have the statement: "Not original BMW Equipment, Made in Italy" stamped on their back.

The wheels look very well made and for around $200 per wheel for Style 124 18"s. You could not distinguish them from the originals except if you come very very close and try to spot out some paint finish problems, which you even might find on original wheels.

So what do you think guys, is there any disadvantage that can discourage me from installing such wheels? For example, can they suffer from eccentricity which will cause vibration? Are they more susceptible to be broken on impact than originals? Are they usually heavier than originals or lighter?

The shop did not have a scale to measure their weight, but i don't feel they are much heavier than my stock 16" wheels. I would say they are around 15 kilos at least, just from holding them.

From my experience, under-qualified replica wheels are more susceptible to damage. The producer rarely test the strength of the rims. OEM or brand rims always test the quality for vibration, heat, time, etc.

All depends on the quality of the replica which we will hardly know. If you get the bad ones, your wheels might be broken just by 15cm of pothole in contrast of bent or even ok on original wheels.

My only concern to buy replica is just the absence of material testing used on the wheels. It is the same with spring. Branded spring is tested for any vibration from low to very high and heat.

Personally I dont recommend any replica since you dont know the overall quality.

Benefits are cost, but the drawbacks are quality and weight. There are some pretty decent replicas out there if you do your research.

If you're just looking to cruise around and look good while doing it, most replicas should be a pretty safe bet.

Hi Shebs,

What the folks have said thus far is correct. Along with BMW "replicas" there are also many Porsche replica rims. I know of two instances where these replica rims didn't hold up after kissing a big pot hole. Note that you would expect the rim to deform (Funny thing: In one of the BMW videos the BMW engineer claims that the rim deformation is a "feature". The rim will still work; however, it is recommended that you visit your local BMW dealer for a replacement). :P

In the two instances that I've heard about (one of them I saw up close) the replica rim actually cracked! :blink:

I'm not a metallurgist; however, I know an intergranular void when I see it! This is where the Quality Assurance stuff is compromised. Was the heat treatment done correctly???

I noticed that on the back of my 124-style rims they say "BBS". Just happens to be one of the best quality type wheel manufacturing companies out there that many auto manufactures rely on to produce their rims.

Be care with what you buy out there. Cheaper? Yes; however, how that rim holds up when you need it most could compromise the rest of your car. :thumbsup:

Good Luck,
-Tony

I bought 2 sets of replica wheels for my E39 and they were superb for the money. Even the BMW dealer who took the car in part ex for my E60 didn't notice they were non OEM.

In short, it is very true that you pay for what you get; I have my experience.

If you are somewhat have a perfectionist personality, replicas may not make you very happy because you may start to notice "strange" things with your car. The time that you spend on investigating and fixing the "strange" things will outweigh the monetary and emotional savings of the replicas. All this is assuming that you are "not really" a perfectionist with your ride.

Bottomline, I would not replicas. :geek:

You do get what you pay for, I am running a set of M tech reps at present, I have found no problems with them, as for cracking/breaking well any rim will do that if you drive into a pothole and if you were to do that I would worry about tyre/susp etc as well as rim, so if your driving on normal roads and thats all i say go get them, the only thing most of us worry about is the appearance no doubt someone will contradict me but looking at the post's for opinions on riim's the make up of the rim is hardly if ever discussed IMO that is