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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 Lighter Wheels & Lowering. |
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05-05-2011, 01:26 AM | #1 |
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Lighter Wheels & Lowering.
Right... i am not lowering my F10 (my car doesn't have adaptive drive). And this is mainly due to the fact that road condition here in HK is far from ideal. Do i want a lower ride so that it will look cool? of course i do, but i think it's not worth it for me.
I just changed my car from 245/45 18 RFT all around to 245/40 19 Front & 275/35 19 Rear. The change in ride quality (and characteristics) is subtle but noticeable. First of all, the wheel combo is now lighter so the suspension geometry can work more freely, especially at the front. Although the rear width is now increased to 275, the overall weight has reduced slightly by getting rid of the factory alloy (8Jx18 style 237; about 35lbs each) and the heavy RFT. However, the car is obviously more bumpy going form 18" to 19". The difference is NOT substantial, but still significant enough to be noticeable. The sidewall of the RFT is stiffer than usual, but the same can be said to any low profile tire. So going from 18" RFT to 19" non-RFT (while maintaining the overall size) will certainly offset a certain degree of benefit in terms of ride quality. Whoever tells that you the car will ride just as smooth on 20" because the RFT is now gone, is outright BSing. Another obvious change is the noise. The lighter front wheels can now move up and down more quickly and the car is slightly less boat-like, but it also makes more noise. This is most obvious when the car continuously rolls over small regularities when high frequency vertical wheel travel is required to avoid vibration/movement being transferred to the car's chassis. The most apparent benefit of the tire/wheel change is the traction gain at the rear. The factory 245 rear rubber was obviously incapable to handle the engine output. Even on dry road, the car would frequently break traction launching at full-throttle, and it's much worse at corner-exit. The 275 rubber allows the car to launch nicely, and make more use of the engine power during aggressive driving. But then I am not going to lower my car. I plan to keep the car for a long time, say 5 years at least. A harder suspension setting will slowly but surely deteriorate the chassis rigidity few years down the road. You all know how it is; annoying squeaky interior panels and chassis twisting sound that can't be fixed. I plan to let the suspension to take all the beating, and the shitty road conditions here in Hong Kong will ensure endless supply of that. So my F10 will have wheel gaps so big that it looks like the car is ready to go offroad lol. But when i push the car, i will have the peace of mind that the wheel alloy won't bend going over harsh road conditions. The F10 is heavy, we're talking about a thousand pound of pressure over a small contact patch. I don't wanna be worrying about the suspension or wheels when i want to drive aggressively regardless of where i am. And let's face it, no matter how we mod the F10, it will not corner nearly as fast as a sports car, not even a cheap one but 1,000kg lighter. So this is my take on the F10 "lower it" consideration. I might want bigger anti-sway bars to do away the understeering/body-roll, but i am not lowering my ride. It's beautiful and classy as it is. Last edited by Whteverjklasdf; 05-05-2011 at 01:38 AM.. Reason: don't have adaptive drive! |
05-05-2011, 02:06 AM | #2 |
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Cool bro. Nice to see you have new rims, they are sick. I wanted Breyton GTS too originally, but eventually chose the Forgestar. Have you weighted in your new rims and tires, how much lighter in comparison? What kind of tires you have there?
I agree with you that 20" is bumpier and nosier than the stock 17" RFT. And it also depends on what kind of tires having. For ultra performance tires, it definitely will be more noisy than the non-ultra performance tires (either RFT or non-RFT). While comfort suffers a bit, most of us with 20" will still find the car comfortable. From my experience with the stock wheels which I drove for a few days, I have total disconnection from the road. Absolutely no feel and non-bimmer like. So I traded a little comfort for feel by swapping wheels. I admit I lowered my car for better appearance, but the major factor is to reduce body roll. My folks kept complaining they wanna puke when I drive on twisty roads. And I don't want to drive like grandpa on these roads. Sport springs definitely improved. And I can tell you comfort has not suffered much, still very comfy and not much bumpier than the stock springs. Changing sway bars definitely is another option to look into, may be later. Give us a review if you do so.
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05-05-2011, 03:16 AM | #3 |
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Sealobo,
Sorry, I was one of the BSing ones Maybe I should go get my testing equipment (my butt) calibrated Or I am just getting senile on the sensitvity department. Quick question though, what tyres do you have on the 19"? Some tyres have much stiffer sidewalls than others (Michellin PS2 has very SOFT sidewalls) and that will affect ride quality as well......
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05-05-2011, 03:47 AM | #4 |
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@Sealobo - refreshing to hear another opinion on the lowering debate. I was a little worried about the ride height. Ultimately I'm getting a 5 series for more comfort, otherwise I'd get another M3.
Where did you get your rims? |
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05-05-2011, 04:04 AM | #5 |
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I didn't put the old/new wheels on scale to get the precise weight difference; i only lifted them up during installation. The front was quite obvious, the rear wasn't so much due to the width increase.
the rubber mounted on the 19" is Dunlop SP Sport Maxx. I didn't get the "extreme" tires because i think they're too expensive (at least 50% more expensive) and the raining season here in HK is quite long.... for all i know it could be raining every other week in the next 5 months and my first priority is not to crash the damn car. haha. by the way the factory RFT sucks major balls on wet. it's outright horrible. So i think the Sport Maxx will suffice and it's pretty good bang for the bucks. Same reason i didn't buy the 550i... there is always a diminishing marginal return. O yes the passenger-puking issue... lol. i had that a lot when i drove my father's S-class (W140) many years ago. The only solution was to slow way down. I usually drive pretty slow when i have passengers, until i got intimidated lol. i got the wheels in Mongkok. See the link below. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...275.01,,0,19.8 Last edited by Whteverjklasdf; 05-05-2011 at 06:13 AM.. Reason: spelling. |
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05-05-2011, 06:25 AM | #7 |
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05-05-2011, 06:38 AM | #8 |
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Sealobo, I think the Breytons are lighter than the OEM even they are cast rims. They are really value for money. And they are sick with BMW, now they make rims for Merc too.
Really don't know the comparison between 18" RFT and 20" regular tires. Only had the 17" RFT, I must iterate that they are extremely comfy but no feel. If my car is driven by a chauffeur and not me, I definitely will keep the 17". (sorry mlai bro, your car also is driven by your chauffeur besides you ). But we are driving the ultimate driving machine, really don't want to drive an ultimate feel-less machine. SK, you are the lucky bro. You must come to our next meet so I can let you have a ride on my harsh feel slammed 20" F10. Then you can decide whether you want to swap to sport springs, it is really a matter of personal preference. I am not selling but just telling you from my own experience. Afterall, I drove the slammed and non-slammed versions. Another suggestion, SK. Get better wheels if you are swapping, you are driving a luxury car and you rims and tires are the fundamental. Rather save a few bucks on other mod items. SK, tip for you. 6 months ago when I asked. Breyton 19" around 3.6 to 3.9k per rim. Trade in OEM per set 17" 4k 18" 7-8k Heading to airport now, don't know if I can web surf there. Chat more in a couple of weeks.
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05-05-2011, 06:52 AM | #9 |
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Thanks RC3. Will def try to make the next meet. So many nice cars among these members. I don't plan on skimping on my wheels - but I don't know much about brands. Forgestar vs. Breyton vs etc???
Will keep looking. Saw some Breytons in a tyre shop today. nice. Cheers. |
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05-05-2011, 07:04 AM | #10 |
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Still here for a bit. I only have the 528, you guys have the sick 535 and 550.
Breyton- cast, value for money, very aggressive look, readily available usually since made in PRC for most. Forgestar- flow-formed (almost like forged), a bit more $ but also value for money. custom made, not spacer required, 2 months order since made in USA, BBS also flow-formed but more $. Other forged rims- Adv.1, HRE, DPE, I-forged (forgestar's sister company) and many others. ultra light and strong, ultra sick. but $$$, usually 8k to 10k per rim. Happy shopping bro, just search this forum, many info.
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05-05-2011, 07:12 AM | #13 | |
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http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2093753 Just google breyton made in China and you will find many info. And this is confirmed by one of the tire shops guy, many shops won't tell you. Their plant is in Shanghai actually. No offense bro. really have to go. chat soon
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05-05-2011, 07:22 AM | #14 |
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o... i seriously didn't know that. i only knew there are A LOT of copies out there and they're mostly made in China, and some BBS made in Taiwan. Personally i don't really care where they're made as long as it's the real stuff (i.e. up to spec). My mac pro is made in China and i can't care less. ha.
a wheel expert told me that one should pay attention when the wheel is being balanced. if it's off-balance for more than 150 gram then it's fishy. |
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05-05-2011, 09:04 AM | #15 | |
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05-05-2011, 10:37 AM | #16 | |
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05-05-2011, 11:35 AM | #17 | ||
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i dont know the exact oem rim weight, but the rft about 34-5.. i save 10lbs on the tires front and rear EACH .. but my rims are heavy ass +4.5lbs over stock each if i wanted to save weight, there were a cheap pair of powder grey 19's, forgot what brand, on tirerack.. only 18lbs each |
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05-05-2011, 11:42 AM | #19 |
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Haven't tried PS2.. but i thought the DW's sidewalls were going to rip in my hands when i was lifting the tire.. i kid u not..
I saw a nice looking 7 series.. the wheelgap was much/noticeably less than on mine, which looked like it had grown since last time (or maybe reading too many 'look, i just slammed my car!" threads). I have to admit the 7 doeslook better than the 5, objectively, except for mine.. which means im incredibly biased or not making any sense at all I know my rims are made in germany because i emailed a german dude and the box said 'from germany', and the rims said 'made in germany' .. ok enough |
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05-22-2011, 09:07 AM | #21 | |
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But if I live in Hongkong, I'm sure to go 20" as the road is a lot better than Indonesia. Cannot stand the look of 327 17" wheels that came standard on my AW 528i, could not find any 19" that I like yet, went with 312 ferric grey that is still on the way. Now confuse again as I prefer comfort rather than performance on this car. Anyone still have their 18" style 237, 328, or perhaps 350m would like to get rid of? Let me know. I can do local sales and payment in Hongkong. |
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05-22-2011, 09:50 AM | #22 | |
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