[abosoxfan4life]

I'm looking at new wheels and want something lighter. Don't know if 18s will look weird or if I should try and find light 19s. Any insight? I'm looking for better track times.

[Lesterh1]

The MSport wheels are 32-33 lbs. Heavy as hell. Lighter summer tires would probably make the most difference.

[s.alnaqbi]

Have a look at the style 356 20"

[remmib]

Originally Posted by s.alnaqbi

Have a look at the style 356 20"

I believe those are even heavier than the 19" 351M wheels.

[ezmaass]

I'm just curious...

1. You're really tracking a 550?

2. The wheel weight is your biggest concern?

Hell... have you seen the size of the seats in this car? What about the amount of sound-deadening materials and luxury fluff? With all due respect, even an M5 is completely awkward on a track... coming from the mouths of a number of M5 owners here on the board. The 550 is something like 4,300+ pounds and about the size of a small tank. I understand guys looking to swap wheels and modify these cars to achieve a specific look (and even enhanced/sportier road handling for their enjoyment), but for the life of me I can't comprehend any serious effort to modify this car for track use. It's almost as absurd as someone taking a Ferrari and looking to modify it to be a 5 passenger family sedan.

The 5-series is first and foremost a sedan, intended to haul business people and families from place to place in luxury (on the road!)... and with that comes a bit of sportiness baked into the genes. But it's a FAR cry from anything that should be on a track. If you really want to track a BMW, I'd just go get a 3/M3 or 4/M4. Those cars actually have the "bones" that will benefit from track-oriented modifications. Hell, the F10 is built on the same platform as a Rolls Royce, which should tell you something about their primarily motivations (and intended function) for the car.

[maniz]

Here are weights of all BMW OEM wheels: http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/

Agree with the poster above. The 550i doesn't belong on the track. Anything with an "executive package" among the list of factory-offered options does not.

[badblack550xi]

Unsprung mass is more important that net wright of the car while rolling... so lighter wheels and tires will help a lot! i gained 2 mph in 1/4 by just switching tires. The stock wheels 19 inch are about 36LBS which are 10lbs heavier than M5 20 inch wheels.

[abosoxfan4life]

1/4 track buddy. And did I ask your opinion if you would take yours to the track or not? Pretty sure I didnt. Any car built with a 4.4 twin turbo'd v8 has plenty of power to do a 1/4 mile. If you choose to pussy foot around in yours that's your choice but keep your negative comments to yourself.

[ezmaass]

Originally Posted by abosoxfan4life

1/4 track buddy. And did I ask your opinion if you would take yours to the track or not? Pretty sure I didnt. Any car built with a 4.4 twin turbo'd v8 has plenty of power to do a 1/4 mile. If you choose to pussy foot around in yours that's your choice but keep your negative comments to yourself.

You may not have asked for the opinion, but by the very definition of a "forum" you're going to get discussion around a thread, including opinions, whether you've asked for them or not.

I still fail to see the relevance of attempting to tune a car for the track, 1/4 mile or otherwise, when it was never intended to see the light of day on a track of ANY kind. Do I find it interesting to see what the 550 could do in a 1/4 mile? Sure. I think a lot of owners are curious. Would I spend money or time trying to TUNE the 1/4 mile performance of a large executive luxury sedan? Hell no. Tuning a car for the 1/4 mile is like an athlete lifting weights. It's one component of a larger regiment of exercises designed to prepare for the game - in this context, the game is racing. If the car has no ability to be put to use in an actual track scenario, what's the purpose of tuning it for a 1/4 mile? It's just awkward and out of place.

I'm not trying to be negative for the purpose of rubbing you the wrong way - rather truly curious what compels someone to throw money at something like this (these wheels aren't cheap) when there's an obvious disconnect between the car's intended use and what you're trying to do with it. I'd ask the same question if you asked how to tune your BB gun for deer hunting - why not use a rifle? Or if you asked how to reduce the weight of your desktop computer so it's easier to carry around - why not use a laptop? The 550 wasn't designed for the track... so attempting to tune it for one is throwing good money after bad, and it looks just as odd at the track as a guy in the airport carrying around a "modified" desktop computer which he "tuned" to be lighter weight for traveling.

[Boulder Bill]

LOL. You are a tool EZMass, but an entertaining one.

Got to get to bed. I'm hauling 4 square yards of concrete to a job site in my 550 tomorrow morning. While towing my snowmobile trailer. With 4 mountain bikes on the roof.

[twelve535i]

Originally Posted by maniz

Here are weights of all BMW OEM wheels: http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/

Agree with the poster above. The 550i doesn't belong on the track. Anything with an "executive package" among the list of factory-offered options does not.

Wow! Great link

[badblack550xi]

my 550 is pretty quick in 1/4 =D

[ezmaass]

Originally Posted by Boulder Bill

LOL. You are a tool EZMass, but an entertaining one.

Got to get to bed. I'm hauling 4 square yards of concrete to a job site in my 550 tomorrow morning. While towing my snowmobile trailer. With 4 mountain bikes on the roof.

What can I say, Bill... gotta speak the truth man!

We all have a good laugh when we see a civic with a giant wing on the back... as if that'll help it transform into a race car despite it's countless limitations and lack of design for that purpose. Clearly BMW had little concern for the weight of this car (given it's 4,300+ pounds) aside from likely its fuel economy and basic road-handling. So you'd be hard pressed to overlook the blatant irony (and humor!) of someone looking to spend a good chunk of money to reduce a few pounds of weight in the wheels so this massive luxury sedan can be raced more effectively at the track. Please!

[Boulder Bill]

Yes, I was amused.

Oddly, with my old E-39 540, mechanics and others used to ask me if I tracked it. They were kind of surprised that I did not. It was a tighter handling car to be sure, but I can't see the appeal of running either one of them in that fashion.

Off to get more concrete in my trunk. Maybe this time I will haul cubic, rather than square yards.

[Lesterh1]

Originally Posted by ezmaass

What can I say, Bill... gotta speak the truth man!

We all have a good laugh when we see a civic with a giant wing on the back... as if that'll help it transform into a race car despite it's countless limitations and lack of design for that purpose. Clearly BMW had little concern for the weight of this car (given it's 4,300+ pounds) aside from likely its fuel economy and basic road-handling. So you'd be hard pressed to overlook the blatant irony (and humor!) of someone looking to spend a good chunk of money to reduce a few pounds of weight in the wheels so this massive luxury sedan can be raced more effectively at the track. Please!

Well, our cars run 12.xxx in the 1/4 mile completely stock from the factory, which is faster than 99% of cars on the road. Clearly they were designed with straight line speed in mind. With a tune and larger downpipes, the car creeps into very fast company, trapping nearly 120 mph. Trying to make them faster and more responsive isn't a particularly expensive endeavor either. I also can feel the massive weight in the wheels and tires. They weigh 63 lbs each. That's insane. New wheels and tires come next week which will cost barely $2,000. Those will weigh 48 lbs each. I guarantee the car will be faster and more pleasurable to drive with that kind of difference, not to mention the joy of not having runflats on.

While I'm not going to track it, I bought this car because it hauls ass and is incredibly comfortable. If I wasn't concerned about my warranty, I'd mod the heck out of it.

Your premise is kind of stupid to begin with though. There are many cars that weren't designed for the 1320 but that fit in just fine. GTRs and Evos were designed for turns, but make two of the finest drag cars available. One of those weighs over 4k lbs as well Is there a better car available that seats 4 super-comfortably and can MOVE than a BMW 550? Maybe not. If I didn't need the room and comfort for passengers though, I'd still be driving an Evolution.

[abosoxfan4life]

Once again ezmaass, I DONT GIVE A RATS @**. Just by you saying your curious about the 1/4 mile time just proves how foolish you are. While your wondering what they can do, some of us get off our butts and actually put them to the test! Stop trolling my posts and find something better to do with your life.

[ezmaass]

Originally Posted by abosoxfan4life

Once again ezmaass, I DONT GIVE A RATS @**. Just by you saying your curious about the 1/4 mile time just proves how foolish you are. While your wondering what they can do, some of us get off our butts and actually put them to the test! Stop trolling my posts and find something better to do with your life.

OK, buddy - calm yourself. When you calm down, look up a few words in the dictionary... like futility, dissipation, and nugatory.

If you were serious about dropping weight, you could start by spending $0 and just stripping out the interior of the car. Don't forget to add some racing stripes to your 550 before you take it back to the track - it's good for at least a few HP.

Don't get your panties in a bunch here - you opened up the topic about taking a 550 to the track. Expect to get some opinions in return!

[Lesterh1]

Originally Posted by ezmaass

OK, buddy - calm yourself. When you calm down, look up a few words in the dictionary... like futility, dissipation, and nugatory.

If you were serious about dropping weight, you could start by spending $0 and just stripping out the interior of the car. Don't forget to add some racing stripes to your 550 before you take it back to the track - it's good for at least a few HP.

Don't get your panties in bunch here - you opened up the topic about taking a 550 to the track. Expect to get some opinions in return!

I'm not positive, but I think swapping wheels and tires might be slightly less extreme than stripping the interior of a leather-clad luxury sedan. And I'm sure you're unaware, but losing "unsprung" weight, meaning wheels, tires, rotors, etc. has a much more significant effect on performance than simply reducing weight from the car's body. Tires would probably have the most benefit with weight savings since they're the farthest from the center hub.

And what the heck did you buy a 550 for if you weren't interested in going faster? A 535i has every feature as your car save the power.

[ezmaass]

Originally Posted by Lesterh1

I'm not positive, but I think swapping wheels and tires might be slightly less extreme than stripping the interior of a leather-clad luxury sedan. And I'm sure you're unaware, but losing "unsprung" weight, meaning wheels, tires, rotors, etc. has a much more significant effect on performance than simply reducing weight from the car's body. Tires would probably have the most benefit with weight savings since they're the farthest from the center hub.

And what the heck did you buy a 550 for if you weren't interested in going faster? A 535i has every feature as your car save the power.

I bought the 550 for what BMW intended me to do with it - drive it with passion on the road. I've been driving BMWs for almost 14 years now, and I can pretty confidently say that BMW had no intention of owners taking their 550s to the race track. Hell... case in point... when I got my 335 back in 2007, a car which is immeasurably more fit to be at a track than a 550 mind you, there were plenty of owners finding themselves in situations where the car was overheating. Why? Because BMW didn't include oil coolers unless the car was equipped explicitly with the sport package. And even then, most found that the stock oil cooler was a bit less than sufficient for real track days.

The point was clear - the 335 was a sporty car that could undoubtedly be driven on a track with some amount of fun and success, but even there BMW thought it wasn't quite appropriate. A 550?? Now we're getting into some hilarious territory. What next, a 7 series? It can haul pretty well in a straight line, too! There's even a 12-cylinder option!

I think some people are confusing the car's abundance of engine power with the purpose of that power. It's not there so you can take the car to a track. It's there to help make the car more enjoyable and useful on the road. If you look at the primary demographics of the people buying a 550, they're not young guys going to drag strips (like you might get with an Evo). They're businessmen who use them to commute and visit clients... the golf course... a night on the town. And if they can stomp their foot down and do it in a furious get-up-and-go hurry from time to time, then great!

Another case in point. The F10 temporarily had the sport suspension removed as an option when purchasing the MSport package. It took a bit of whining and complaining to get it added again. Another case in point. The F10 no longer has an option for a manual gearbox. See the trends here?

Why did I buy a 550? It's a sporty mid-sized luxury sedan that provides an awesome ride with a lot of bells and whistles. It'll handle amazingly for a car of its class and size. It gets me where I need to go in luxury while providing great passing power for the highway and fun on some back roads. But I, like I suspect most others, didn't buy it because I was under the delusion that it was a track car - that's what you buy a sports car to do.

The place for a 550 is on the road - not a track. Get a used M3, 911, F-car, or something actually CAPABLE and designed for some level of racing if that's what you want to do. At least you'd be dumping money into a car with the bones and pedigree to perform on a track... and do more than just go fast in a straight line.

[srt8/bmw]

I will leave the debate over whether the 550 should be tracked to others.

Weighing in on wheel weights, I will say that when I was taking my 08 335xi to the strip a couple times a year, the lighter wheels mad a 2/10ths difference in the 1/4 mile.

Like Badblack550xi in this thread who holds the WR for the 5 series , my 335xi set the record for the 1/4 with a Juice Box tune, down pipes, intercooler, intake and exhaust at 11.9. It also had 20 LB enkei wheels which were 19s and looked nice. That record lasted for two years and might still be the non meth record ( not sure). The car was driven at the strip EXACTLY in its street form, which is why I took it. It wasn't to see how fast I could take it in the 1/4- it was to see how fast I could make it for every day driving and the track was just a way to measure that.

Those wheels made a huge difference due to unsprung weight.

By the way - I did run my 13 550xi down the strip just yesterday to see what it would do. It has Dinan stage 2 and tints. ( msport package)

I absolutely knew when I tuned it it would be much faster than stock, but nowhere near as fast as the BMS tune. I was just looking for a little bit more juice and will not be tracking this car again. ( I am a huge fan of
Terry and BMS. Great product, great value and great follow up service)

It ran 12.3 at 112 fwiw.

[TheBlackGT]

I feel like I must but my little F07 nose into this thread.

In all fairness, ezmaass is right about it not being a track-focused car, but to be quite frank, who the hell cares what someone does with their car? It's theirs and let them do what they want with it. That's the beauty of having your own vehicle.

In another sense, let's say the OP doesn't have the opportunity to own a second, more track-ready vehicle and must compensate with the 550, a blend of luxury and some sportiness. Does that mean he can never unravel his inner racing-instincts ? Not at all, anyone can track their car no matter what the hell it is. Last time I was at the ¼ mile strip I saw a damn Honda CR-V do some times there!

If one was not interested in power and speed, one could have been just as happy with a 528 and save a pretty penny, but no, one of our reasons for having a 550 is for that little extra push. So if OP wishes to make his car lighter or slap a tune on it, so well be it. As long as he's happy, that's all that matters. My good friend @badblack550xi has the World Record for the fastest 550 currently, and is that not something he should be proud about with a 5-door sedan not designed for tracking? I sure as hell would be ecstatic.

Was the 550 specifically designed for track use? No. Are there cars faster than it? Yes. Does that mean the car can never be taken to a track or drag strip? No, of course it can be.

In the end, it's a car, and whether it was designed for off-roading or racing, one can do whatever they want with their car. That's just my two cents

[TheRealOrosie]

Originally Posted by maniz

Here are weights of all BMW OEM wheels: http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/

Agree with the poster above. The 550i doesn't belong on the track. Anything with an "executive package" among the list of factory-offered options does not.

Guess that omits the new F80 M3...having an executive package and all..