Wheel Intentions

[purdyawesome]

So... I totally understand the desire to mod- looks, performance, etc. That out of the way- what's the deal with aftermarket wheels on a car like the M3?-- meaning, are wheels replaced as an upgrade? Looks?

If HRE forged wheels are a "10" and American Racing cast wheels a "3", where do the stock wheels fall? If I purchased HRE Flowform wheels as a winter set of shoes, would it be a downgrade? Upgrade?

Can someone please elaborate on the reasons to switch wheels, the quality differences, etc?

Thanks in advance!

[gthal]

IMO, the OEM 19" wheels are very good quality... they are forged and light weight. Anything "flowformed" will be a downgrade in quality if you ask me. Those wheels are still cast wheels just really good quality cast wheels. However, looks are subjective so they may be an upgrade in that regard.

For me, if I choose to replace the OEM wheels it will be for looks and/or to get a wider wheel and more tire. If I do replace the wheels, I would only buy similar quality forged wheels. I don't like the idea of putting a lower quality, heavier wheel on the car even if it looks nicer.

The exception to this is winter wheels... for that, the cheapest you can find that look good is what you want IMO.

[purdyawesome]

Originally Posted by gthal

IMO, the OEM 19" wheels are very good quality... they are forged and light weight. Anything "flowformed" will be a downgrade in quality if you ask me. Those wheels are still cast wheels just really good quality cast wheels. However, looks are subjective so they may be an upgrade in that regard.

For me, if I choose to replace the OEM wheels it will be for looks and/or to get a wider wheel and more tire. If I do replace the wheels, I would only buy similar quality forged wheels. I don't like the idea of putting a lower quality, heavier wheel on the car even if it looks nicer.

The exception to this is winter wheels... for that, the cheapest you can find that look good is what you want IMO.

Thanks for the insight. It's good to work through understanding all the different levels of quality and construction to figure out whether or not I want to use the OEM wheels for winter and buy custom summer wheels or vice versa. One constant remains- some of you guys spend a shit load of money on these things!!