[jftoha]

Hey there,

About two weeks ago I ordered a set of 20" Kellener wheels but after having some issues with the order, I canceled my purchase as it was going to take close to 8 weeks to get the wheels.

Originally, what I really wanted the 20" Alpina wheels from the Alpina B5 Biturbo (I love that car), but it proved impossible to get these wheels without paying $9,000 to get them from Germany. After considering other top tier Forged wheels that I simply could not justify paying for, I decided to look at the used market. My priority was to find something minimal, understated and very teutonic.

I never really considered 21" wheels as I did not want the ride that inevitably comes with this size wheels. Also, I feared damaging the wheels with such a thin tire. But there was a particular option of wheels that was very intruiguing but was only available in 21". So, I did some research in a few BMW boards and found a few people that had gotten 21" wheels from the F01 and were using the tires that came with the 7 series and are about 1' bigger in total diameter. Nobody had run into any issues, even after lowering the car. The extra rubber would provide a similar tire section to the one most people use in 20" tires. So, the comfort and safety would be similar. This option would raise the car 1/2" (BAD), but would also close the gap to the fender 1/2" (GREAT). I talked to a few people that know their stuff and they all said it would not be an issue as long as there is no rubbing, in fact, it may make my speedo closer to accurate.

After searching for quite a few days, I found a pair of brand new 21" Alpina wheels that its first owner replaced the day he got his 2012 Alpina B7. I was very lucky to get these wheels at a very low price. So, I took a chance and got the wheels. Also, today I order a set of 245/35 21" Front and 285/30 21" Rear. From what I gathered from ImSW1, this size presents no issues with the offsets of the F01 21" wheels. ImSW1 has exactly the same wheel and tire sizes as I will, but much lower than I ever will with my AC Schnitzer springs.

Now, i am waiting patiently for the wheels to arrive. They should be here by Thursday and I will install Friday. I will post photographs as soon as they are in the car. I will drive it with the wheels for about two weeks before installing the springs.

Below are 2 "close to real scale" photoshop montages of my car with the 21" Alpinas and a few of the Alpina B5 Biturbo. According to my calculations, the wheels in the photos of my car are very close to scale and should look very close to the real thing. After the springs, I am going for an Alpina front spoiler and rear trunk spoiler.

I hope you like the look.


jo

[Die Wolfe]

Looks very nice, I like it! I'm a fan of Alpina as well...I like the "Stair 5" in the background too, nice touch!

[jftoha]

Good find!! I would like to take credit for the Stair 5, but I just noticed it when you pointed it out. Maybe it was subconscious.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by Die Wolfe

Looks very nice, I like it! I'm a fan of Alpina as well...I like the "Stair 5" in the background too, nice touch!