[Herakles]

When i was shopping for a 335 F30 or e90 msport, i had to have the 19" Msport wheels-

In retrospect, these wheels suck big time. First with paired with the runflats, we all know the pot hole explosions that combo creates.

Went with non RFT DWS06, alot better, but still- when a average size pot hole everyone else seems to just cruise over comes along, its close to the same jarring pot hole explosion.

I live in NE PA and the roads have become almost as bad as NY and NJ roads.

Im getting ready to ditch the car all together, and go with a 4 door wrangler.

Just not fun anymore.

[lab_rat]

Dont trade in your BMW yet! Let me play devil's advocate for a minute...

To me it appears possibly a bit of a hasty decision. Trading in your BMW could risk losing money over an issue that can be easily rectified.

Whether you buy a nice (but used) 18" wheel/tire set, or springing for a brand new OEM wheel set with brand new tires, its almost certain you'll save money by keeping the car you have.

Let's look at the "worst case scenario" of splurging on a brand new set of OEM wheels and new tires:

From: https://www.getbmwparts.com
Style 162 wheels, 18x8"(f), 18x8.5"(r):
Front: 36116775601 $308.80 (x2)
Rear: 36116775602 $308.80 (x2)
Estimated shipping (based on my zip):$69.95
-----------------------
GetBMWParts total: $1305.15

From: https://www.tirerack.com
Contenental ExtremeContact DWS06:
Front: 225/40R18 $138.60 (x2)
Rear: 255/35R18 $192.52 (x2)
Estimated shipping (based on my zip): $62.20
-----------------------
TireRack total: $724.44
*Reuse your TPMS, stems, bolts*
*Mount & balance @ shop of your choice*

GRAND TOTAL: $2029.59

I can guarantee your BMW's trade-in value is easily $2000 LESS than what you can sell your car for via a private sale. If you hastily trade in your car for a Wrangler, you will lose any extra selling equity you would have had otherwise via a private sale. I will say though that a big positive would be the resale value of the Wrangler, as it is relatively one of the highest in the industry. They are awesome trucks. Plus, there is absolutely no end to the aftermarket for them...it's amazing.

Remember: you can sell your 19" wheel/ tire set to recoup some of the funds spent on the new 18" set, too...so it's not such a hard pill to swallow.

But IMO the smart, economical thing would be to find a clean, used 18" wheel/tire set and see if that works for you; if not then you can always try selling your car via a private sale first, then trade it in as a last resort.

Hope this helps!

[robthewrench]

And now you know. While 19's with a 30-35 series tire look good, the ride sucks. Especially with run-flats. 18's with a 40 series tire (non-RFT) ride way better and you're not giving up a lot of performance.

[r4dr]

I've slightly bent my 19" 313M wheels with these damn run flats... not to mention the rest of the suspension is compromised from the factory to make up for these shit wheel + tire combos.

Invest in some 17" or 18" wheels. you don't have to get OEM, plenty of options like APEX or VMR. I think that plus go-flat tires will help a lot. Plus some real dampers, even Bilstein B8s would be an improvement from what I've heard.

[lab_rat]

Originally Posted by r4dr

I've slightly bent my 19" 313M wheels with these damn run flats... not to mention the rest of the suspension is compromised from the factory to make up for these shit wheel + tire combos.

Invest in some 17" or 18" wheels. you don't have to get OEM, plenty of options like APEX or VMR. I think that plus go-flat tires will help a lot. Plus some real dampers, even Bilstein B8s would be an improvement from what I've heard.

Absolutely. I hear nothing but praise for APEX wheels, both looks and performance.

[Yngvejos]

Are you sure that the wheels are the problem? The m-sport suspension is pretty harsh, I got a more comfy ride when I installed h&r coilovers.

[TemjinX2]

you can switch to 18's with a taller side wall that will help a bit. You can also switch to softer springs and upgraded shocks like others have said.

Germany probably has one of the smoothest roads in the world so BMW's arent really designed for the post apocolyptic roads of the US other then maybe utah and arizona.

[srmast1]

We have good roads in California. I'm from the west coast and in comparison, Cali roads are noticeably smoother. Potholes always suck even though they are not very prevalent here. An exception to this is down town LA. It is a disaster in places. But yeah really, get rid of the run flats and get some coilovers.

[TemjinX2]

Originally Posted by srmast1

We have good roads in California. I'm from the west coast and in comparison, Cali roads are noticeably smoother. Potholes always suck even though they are not very prevalent here. An exception to this is down town LA. It is a disaster in places. But yeah really, get rid of the run flats and get some coilovers.

i think you can include most of socal for crap roads, except for maybe the nicer parts of south oc.

But i agree probably not as bad as the east coast.

[r4dr]

Originally Posted by Yngvejos

Are you sure that the wheels are the problem? The m-sport suspension is pretty harsh, I got a more comfy ride when I installed h&r coilovers.

Definitely the suspension too, but I think the 19" low profile run flat tires are the biggest offender. The dampers on these cars absolutely suck. If you pair a firm spring with a good matched damper, it's still better than this crashy mess.

Originally Posted by TemjinX2

i think you can include most of socal for crap roads, except for maybe the nicer parts of south oc.

But i agree probably not as bad as the east coast.

East coast gets all the snow and etc. Really tears up the roads.

[feuer]

Originally Posted by robthewrench

And now you know. While 19's with a 30-35 series tire look good, the ride sucks. Especially with run-flats. 18's with a 40 series tire (non-RFT) ride way better and you're not giving up a lot of performance.

Lol man! You gain performance when you "down grade" from 19" to 18"

[DougNBodie]

I got rid of the 35's and put 40's on after I tossed the run flat tires and it changed my life. So much better ride.

[N52UNED]

I know where you're coming from ... NE PA roads suck ... not Detroit or MI suck but bad enough.

I'm sure the sport suspension isn't helping matters. Like many have said ... drop down to 18" with non RFTs. That may help. BMWs ride so smooth, but don't absorb the bumps very well. Heck I have a non-sport suspension - 16" RFTs and some bumps I take are jarring enough to giggle my headlamps ... and I live in Florida ... where although the roads are reasonably flat ... they're not the smoothest. Thankfully not a lot of potholes to dodge.

IF not ... X5 35i

[TemjinX2]

Originally Posted by DougNBodie

I got rid of the 35's and put 40's on after I tossed the run flat tires and it changed my life. So much better ride.

yeah i dont get why they would put such garbage tires for a 50k luxury car.

[335e92tx]

Originally Posted by N52UNED

I know where you're coming from ... NE PA roads suck ... not Detroit or MI suck but bad enough.

Yep, went with 19s and non-RFT and it rides better. but thats in tx.

IF not ... X5 35i

Tuned

/thread

[maddmatth]

Yeah 19s suck. I have the same experience. Started with 19s + runflats. Then swapped to regular tyres, was much better but still not great.
Then I put on some 18s with regular tyres which was a considerable improvement, now I'm happy with it

IMO 18s are an excellent combination of sharpness and ride comfort, and suit these cars perfectly.

If you have rough roads to deal with, 17s might be better. Roads are pretty average where I am, 18s are fine here.

[N54Society]

Originally Posted by robthewrench

And now you know. While 19's with a 30-35 series tire look good, the ride sucks. Especially with run-flats. 18's with a 40 series tire (non-RFT) ride way better and you're not giving up a lot of performance.

Good analysis. Only thing I would say is, you're not losing performance by going with an 18" wheel and 40 series tire if you make significant power (FBO+). You would gain performance because of the larger sidewall allowing for more traction.

[N54Society]

To the OP. I bought my first set of 19" wheels for my E92. I will never buy 19s again either. So damn annoying over bumps. My new car is an E90 M-Sport with 18s on it. Rides WAY better.

[sirdaft1]

I ran 19's for one week and then sold them for this exact reason. I've successful run 18's ever since without any of those "code brown" moments that used to come with my 19's