NavarroOne

For two decades, I've found the classic Alpina wheels absolutely stunning. Since my deal for 172m's fell thru, I decided to get a set of Alpina's instead and got some in pristine condition with very good( 6 mm) Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires for only 1.400 Eur; excellent.

Front 8.5x19 et24 245/35/19 93Y
Rear 9.5x19 et30 275/30/19 96Y

The built-in locks, the hidden bolts, the hidden valve that sits in the centre and feeds air via a spoke are brilliant details. I've also heard the 20-spoke design helps to blow brake dust away and keep the wheels clean and I hope that holds true.

There is one little snag in that the centre bore on my particular wheels, is intended for an E39 so I've been scouring the net and asking around to find the best option for fitting. I'm not done yet but wanted to share my findings thus far, which may be helpful if you are trying to fit a set of gorgeous BBS, Hartge, Alpina or other E39 wheel with centerbore of 74.1 mm to your E61 with 72.5 mm. Those can of course also be had with 72.5 mm centre bore but getting them with a few years on the back, i.e. E39, helps getting the price down a few thousand bucks...!

Ok, without further ado, by seperate post below is the correspondence I've had on the matter up to this point.

And if you only want the short version, then I currently plan to go with adaptwr spacers; 12 mm rear and 5 mm front.

NavarroOne

Re: Alpina Classics from e39 to e61
Sent: Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:15 pm
From: NavarroOne

.....found it! H&R Trak makes 5, 10 & 15 mm spacer adapters both ways which includes 72.5 mm hubside and 74.1 mm wheel side just as I need so spigotring and spacer combo can be avoided. Here's an ebay vendor in Germany but fex ECS Tuning in USA carry it as well.

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190520441973&category=44203&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619#ht_1188wt_689
ECS tuning

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/ES18...554/ES1899556/

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Sent: Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:51 am
From: NavarroOne

I plan to go for a set of cheap chinese rubber spigot rings from ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250797849115&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_2744wt_6418
(I guess that's the best /only there exists?) - can they be reused or should they be replaced every time you take the wheels off? Is it TUV approves to use spigot rings?

I plan to use a set of 12 mm H&R spacers rear and nothing up front. i may at some point test the 5 mm though.

I've got M135's now. They are 8" wide with ET20. Is it correct that 9.5" ET30 with 12 mm spacers will stick out about 2.1 cm more than the m135's? Likewise the 8.5" ET24 without spacers wil stick out a little less than 3 mm more than the m135's?

My calculation is based on net difference in ET + half of the incremental width of the wheel, i.e. net ET 2 mm + (0.5 x 1.5" =) 1.88 mm wheel width = 2.08 cm

I roughly measured about 2 cm free space today so it looks tight, but I trust your experience and will go with the 12 mm spacers rear.

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Sent: Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:59 am
From: olli

yes, the fronts don't need spacers for clearance. They would be cosmetic to improve the stance. Alpina original on their E60 Classics is ET20, so only 4mm difference.

I am sure you'll be happy with 12mm on the rear, if you are not "hardcore" max out the wheels fanatic.

I have run wheels on my former Alpina B10 with 5mm shimmers on the rear and had no problems.

If you go for 5mm on the front, you can use any of the multi option spacers. These are not expensive at all like these ... 5mm--pair-

http://www.priracing.com/product.php/57

I have used those before, just make sure they are properly located before properly fastening the bolts. (no problem) If you use 30mm thread length bolts with a 5mm spacer, these are long enough. standard is 26.4mm thread length, but 30mm gives more than 6.5 turns with a 5mm spacer, so is totally safe. --17mm-hex

http://www.priracing.com/product.php/69 ...

If you don't like them you can still leave them off, but for the sake of a few Euro (or Kroner) you know exactly what you want.
If you use 12mm up front, you bring the offset down to M5 level, but provided you use the correct 245/35/19, it will be fine but pretty much maxed out.

Did that help or even add more confusion?

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NavarroOne wrote:
Olli,

I re-read your message and think I'll settle for 12 mm in the rear. Still unclear about the front. I found a thread here that quotes your advise which seems to suggest spacers are not required in the front at all - is that correct? If indeed required, will 12mm work also up front?

QUOTE
Genuine 19" Alpina Classics E39 E34 E60 E61 fitme - by Gee » Sun Mar 15, 2009 2:44 pm

.......These wheels are E39 74.1 mm centre bore fitment with staggered rears (2 x 8.5x19 e24 and 2 x 9.5x19 e30) but they will also fit E34 and E60 BMW's with spiggot rings. E61 Touring fitment is also possible but spacers will be required on the rear (cheers for all that info Olli ).
UNQUOTE

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Sent: Sun Apr 24, 2011 11:57 am
From: NavarroOne

Thanks Olli, i'll check the website.

Will go with 15 mm on the back then.

On front, have heard 10 mm are not ideal so is it possible to go for 12 mm?

PS. I'm just looking for wheels to fit safely and legally; not interested in a flushed, pushed out look so not looking for maximal track width at all.

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Sent: Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:06 am
From: olli

sounds good to me and good choice on the wheels.

For the rears both 12mm or 15mm will be fine without problems.

I am not sure if anybody does adaptive spacers that correct the centre bore at the same, but it would not surprise me, as there are spacers you can use to even correct bore and the hole circle (PCD) at the same time.

There is a company in Germany making all that stuff and I have used them before (excellent quality). You could put that question out to them and see if they have anything to cover both your requests with one spacer. It will be a no go for the 5mm on the front, as the 5mm spacers have no hubcentric neck. (10mm will still be good enough for the fronts) The company is

www.spurverbreiterung.de

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NavarroOne wrote:

Olli,

I understand you are the source when it comes to knowledge about bmw wheel fitments. I note you are no longer active on the 5seriesforum so I joined here to seek your guidance.

I've just returned from Germany with an immaculate set of 19" Alpina Classic's with ET30 back and ET24 front and e39 centerbore!

I need to fit these on my 535d E61 with msport package.

I'm thinking a set of spigot rings as well as 5 mm spacer front and 12 mm spacer for the rear. What do you think?

Have anyone made a set of spacers/converters that fit on the 72.5 hub but with 74.1 rings for the wheels?

Thanks in advance,

Percy_991

Good choice! Design features on Alpinas is amazing.

NavarroOne

Thanx mate.

Got a bit more feedback from Olli over at the bmwlandforum, as follows:

Sent: Tue Apr 26, 2011 11:09 am
From: olli

the rear arches take up to 10" width with an offset of 20mm without catching, so a 9.5 with a spacer making it ET18 is fine. I drove 10x20 ET20 myself without problems. Your theoretical way of calculating it is correct, but due to manufacturing tolerances, especially in tyres, practice can be a little different. Measuring the rear arch space is difficult to do exact, especially as the suspension dives in upwards and inwards.
--
Usage of spigots is fine, also by German standards. I would buy a couple of sets and just check when taking wheels off if a new one is needed.
--
As I said before, they (adapters) probably do exist as many people come to that problem.
Perfect solution in your case

NavarroOne

This is then hopefully the final note on the wheels until I get them fitted Friday...

Sent: Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:15 pm
From: NavarroOne

I've spoken to Martin Jungblut (speaks good English) at SCC Fahrzeugtechnik (www.spurverbreiterung.de) and ordered a set of 10 mm for the rear. They had that in stock but not 15 mm at the moment. Martin explained that 10 mm normally is a problem with regular spacers and the bmw centerlip, but not on the adapter as the original 72.5 mm lip fits inside the 74.1 mm lip on the adapter. Same holds true for their 5 mm adapter, so using 5 mm isn't a problem at all, not even for beveled edge centre bores like on the Alpina wheels, as you don't rely on a passthru of just 5-6 mm from the original hub but instead get a fresh, full length (I guess about 11mm) lip on the adapter.

For the front, he has sent me a set of Spigot rings. The whole thing, incl 10 longer bolts costs 112 eur incl s&h.

The adapter is not H&R but rather their own manufacture. It is TUV approved and he's including docs in the package.

If I want 5 mm on the front later on, he can produce to specifications, ie also make me a 4 mm so I have ET 20 at both ends. Price is the same, also for special orders but it takes 3-4 weeks for delivery, instead of 3-4 days! He normally carries 10, 20 and I think 25 mm adapters.

NavarroOne

I posted the final result on a seperate thread. Here you can also see how easy it was to transport the 4 wheels in the trunk without folding down the seats. I'll post a few more pics here though. And yes, I did go with the above setup: 10 mm spacer/adapter at the rear and nothing but a cheap plastic spigot ring up front and it works beautifully; no rubbing. I'm very satisfied with the look; nothing ostentacious, just classy and clean. I did have a little problem with getting two of the center locks off. I thought the key didn't fit as they wouldn't budge. But given the wheels were off, I could reach in with a socketwrench from the back and remove the locking flange and take of the center caps. Once the caps were off, the key moved nicely so I had to do some adjustments to the angle of the locking flange, lest I'd have to turn the key so hard it would break!

https://5series.net/forums/topic/112...s/page__st__25

NavarroOne