advice for lighter rims tires and rotors

WBAVC9 · 09-19-2009, 07:42 AM

My car is an '07 328xi and it is my year round daily driver. I live in Chicago so have to deal with constant pot holes. I need tires and the rotors don't look that good either. I recently purchased this car and it has 52k on it. I have the original wheels on it and I think they are 156's? They're 16's. I want lighter but without drastically reducing the strength. My concern with going to a larger wheel is that I'll lose sidewall and I'm not sure that that is such a good idea on these roads so I'd probably stick with 16's or maybe 17's.

Brakes...I read somewhere that I could buy rotors that are 3.5 lbs lighter than factory and am interested in that. I'd prefer to stay away from rotors that warp easily or have to be replaced at every brake job.

As for tires I noticed that there aren't many choices when it comes to run flats so I don't think I'll be able to shave much unsprung weight there.

Bottom line...I want to reduce the unsprung weight as much as possible on my Chicago driven daily driver. Any opinions?

TSM330i · 09-19-2009, 07:59 AM

Wheels
You could go with 17" and get lighter wheels for sure. They will also be stronger than your stock wheels due to being spun cast. I'd suggest looking at OZ Alleggerita or D-Force. With the 17" you could run a 40 or 45 series tire for a larger sidewall. Run-flats do not weigh as much as you think. Maybe 1 or 2 lbs more than a non run-flat. The wheels are where you're going to save the most weight.
I went with 18" for my car due to the rough roads in PA. I don't drive my car in Philly though and I've seen the streets in Chicago so if I were you, I'd stay with 17" and not go larger than that.

Here's your candy store for wheel choices:
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/resul...All&sort=Brand

WBAVC9 · 09-20-2009, 05:51 AM

Thanks for the reply and advice. It looks like those wheels would shave about 7 lbs each.

retrodrive · 09-20-2009, 07:46 AM

Not sure about your budget but the new BBS FI is around 16.5 lb for 19s

TSM330i · 09-20-2009, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retrodrive

Not sure about your budget but the new BBS FI is around 16.5 lb for 19s

They're 19" so that's a no.
They don't have offsets for our cars so that's a no.
They're $2000 each so that would be a BIG NO!

WBAVC9 · 09-20-2009, 11:27 AM

Those BBS wheels are nice but 19's are bigger than I want and the cost is out of my budget. Thanks for looking though.

stressdoc · 09-20-2009, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AW325xi

They're 19" so that's a no.
They don't have offsets for our cars so that's a no.
They're $2000 each so that would be a BIG NO!

OT as BBS FIs make little sense for OPs application, but:
Square set up is a good aggressive fit (19 x 8.75 22 offset). IMO these are the best available wheels for the 335 (and M3 staggered).

17" forged wheels, e.g., Volks, would be great, w/ lightweight Michelin PS2s. In Chicago you have STO among other vendors.

Brakes are a more difficult choice. OEMs perform very well. Two-piece rotors would reduce weight. Stillen has some, Stoptech may be releasing some soon. BMW Performance brake system looks pretty good to me, but that wouldn't save weight.

Another area to consider are control arms and other suspension pieces (Swift springs, dampers). M3 alu parts save a few pounds and enhance geometry.

09-19-2009, 07:42 AM	#1
WBAVC9 New Member 1 Rep 23 Posts Drives: 2007 328 xi Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	advice for lighter rims tires and rotors My car is an '07 328xi and it is my year round daily driver. I live in Chicago so have to deal with constant pot holes. I need tires and the rotors don't look that good either. I recently purchased this car and it has 52k on it. I have the original wheels on it and I think they are 156's? They're 16's. I want lighter but without drastically reducing the strength. My concern with going to a larger wheel is that I'll lose sidewall and I'm not sure that that is such a good idea on these roads so I'd probably stick with 16's or maybe 17's. Brakes...I read somewhere that I could buy rotors that are 3.5 lbs lighter than factory and am interested in that. I'd prefer to stay away from rotors that warp easily or have to be replaced at every brake job. As for tires I noticed that there aren't many choices when it comes to run flats so I don't think I'll be able to shave much unsprung weight there. Bottom line...I want to reduce the unsprung weight as much as possible on my Chicago driven daily driver. Any opinions?
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09-19-2009, 07:59 AM	#2
TSM330i 2006 330i, TSM, Black, manual, sport 877 Rep 3,699 Posts Drives: '17 C2, GTI, Z4 3.0si Racecar Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chester Springs, PA iTrader: (2)	Wheels You could go with 17" and get lighter wheels for sure. They will also be stronger than your stock wheels due to being spun cast. I'd suggest looking at OZ Alleggerita or D-Force. With the 17" you could run a 40 or 45 series tire for a larger sidewall. Run-flats do not weigh as much as you think. Maybe 1 or 2 lbs more than a non run-flat. The wheels are where you're going to save the most weight. I went with 18" for my car due to the rough roads in PA. I don't drive my car in Philly though and I've seen the streets in Chicago so if I were you, I'd stay with 17" and not go larger than that. Here's your candy store for wheel choices: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/resul...All&sort=Brand __________________ 2017 Porsche C2 - manual of course 2015 GTI S 2008 BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe - because racecar
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09-20-2009, 05:51 AM	#3
WBAVC9 New Member 1 Rep 23 Posts Drives: 2007 328 xi Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	Thanks Thanks for the reply and advice. It looks like those wheels would shave about 7 lbs each.
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09-20-2009, 07:46 AM	#4
retrodrive Lieutenant Colonel 150 Rep 1,938 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Irvine, CA iTrader: (8)	Not sure about your budget but the new BBS FI is around 16.5 lb for 19s
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09-20-2009, 11:27 AM	#6
WBAVC9 New Member 1 Rep 23 Posts Drives: 2007 328 xi Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	BBS Those BBS wheels are nice but 19's are bigger than I want and the cost is out of my budget. Thanks for looking though.
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