Originality vs Convenience

Stan

Stan

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I am giving serious thought switching from 14" to 16" open lug Alpina wheels. Much easier to find tires. I have seen so many coupes with 16" wheels that I am sure it would not hurt the cars handling. Would it improve or be about the same?

I have Alipina 14x7 wheels with 225/60 Michelin tires
Would the unsprung weight be more or less using the same tire size.
What tire sizes are recommended if I were to use staggered wheels?
 
Stan - you should talk with Tom.... I just saw his coupe with the new 16" Alpinas (courtesy of CoupeKing) installed and it looks fantastic. Tom's maiden cruise was a much more pleasant ride, balance and feel... You will see his upgraded coupe at Lime Rock Park in a few weeks.
 
Definitely more stable, very happy with mine. A 14" wheel will have more of an air cushion in it that will give you some unwanted extra movement.

Only thing seems to be that it will catch the fenders at times, hence all the discussions about rolling them. Carl has some camber offset plates that are supposed to fix that. Will know when I get my car back.
 
As with most things in life, it's a trade-off. The shorter sidewall will give much less side-wall flex in hard cornering situations and the car should track MUCH better through curves as a result. The flip side of that coin is that it will absorb less harshness of the road's surface than the 14's and thus, you will experience more NVH (Noise Vibration & Harshness).
 
To truly see improvement with 16 rims and lower profile tires requires suspension modification...lower springs, sway bars, struts, camber adjustment, etc. But most drivers who are thinking of such things are most likely on the program already.

I am conceptually OK with a high performance car and 14" wheels. The car's geometry ultimately probably works better with the taller tire with its stock suspension settings. Correct suspension improvements so much the better. Tall sidewalls are not the ultimate issue.

The primary issue for me was the quality of the tires available for the 14 inch rim. Really limited choice and virtually no truly high performance tire. For me it ultimately came down to paying for new Michelin XWXs at $600 a corner or or sourcing 16 inch Alpinas. A set of the later became available not long ago here in the Bay Area. Genuine open lug with a virtually new set of Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position tires mounted. For less $ then the set of Michelins....couldn't say no.

Now for the suspension upgrades.....
 
Switch to staggered 16's (with rolled fenders) and save the 14's for the purists and shows.

And I'll say it again - I think the period correct BBS RS' look better than the Alpinsas.
 
I am with Tod - BBS RS are special

Tod and I both run Alpina rims... I have the original Alpina 16" and I love them given my full Alpina B2 tribute inside and out... but if I could I would.... BBS RS

Check out this page for BBS RS on a variety of old and new BMW
http://www.bbsrszone.com/category/bmw/

Check out this E9... I am not sure if these are the original BBS RS or Style-5s however.
http://www.bbsrszone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bbs_rs_bme_e9_30_csi.jpg

I personally like these... perhaps another coupe for another time...
http://www.euromcars.com/parts/e30m3/wheels/09-15-07/rs17sg-6.jpg

Enjoy the freedom of choice and personalization Stan!
 
i hate bbs's, sorry, pompous and overcomplicated IMHO
alpinas are so eclectic and elegant...
if you go for alpinas, for me 14", but i admit that 16" are beautiful too
IMO 14" make the car more classic looking, and 16" more sporty
 
deQuincey - "hate" is a very strong word... how about you "prefer" the Alpinas over the BBS :-)

Again, I love the 16" Alpina for my coupe, but if I had your coupe I would put BBS RS on it...

deQ, now I know that you don't like the BBS RS rims I will make it a mission to find an Atlantik Blue coupe and put on a sexy set of BBS RS rims just to raise your blood temperature and pressure.

Why? Because I am Australian and that's how we roll... :-)
 
duane_sword said:
deQuincey - "hate" is a very strong word... how about you "prefer" the Alpinas over the BBS :-)

Again, I love the 16" Alpina for my coupe, but if I had your coupe I would put BBS RS on it...

deQ, now I know that you don't like the BBS RS rims I will make it a mission to find an Atlantik Blue coupe and put on a sexy set of BBS RS rims just to raise your blood temperature and pressure.

Why? Because I am Australian and that's how we roll... :-)
Click to expand...

yes, you are right, one has to consider that the translated word does not have the same feeling than the word in your original languaje

we say hate coloquially in spanish to express dislike of an alternative

well that is my feeling, but you can try your australian medicine with me,;-)
 
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I've had the 14" as well as the 16" open lug Alpinas on various E3 and must say - it's a matter of taste. Either you want your classic car to look AND feel like a classic OR like a newer car. I felt that my cars harmonized better with the 14" rims ( including track days and alpine roads) and decided to sell the 16" Alpinas in favour of an extra set of BBS-Mahle from 1973 (BMW Motorsport option for the CSL in 74-75)

In my opinion the chassis follows the road better in combination with the 14" rims, regardless if set up with Boge, Sachs or Bilsteins. It's about the feel of it and yes - I drive my cars with calf skin gloves ;-)

Today I have the following wheels on my cars:
BBS-Mahle 14x7 with 205/70 Vredestein Classic Sprint (3.0 Si)
Alpina 14x7 with 205/70 Michelin XWX (3.0 Si)
Minilite 14x7 with 205/70 Avon Turbospeed (2800)
BMW 14x6 Alpina style with 195/70 Vredestein (3.3L Auto)
BMW 14x6 Pedrini with 195/70 Michelin (2500)

Should I want a more modern touch I use our E46 325i M-sport with 225/45 and 245/40 on 17" BMW M alloys. It's a completely different feeling, but I don't want to mix them. Each of them is perfect in its own way if you ask me - in the equvalent car of course!

Cheers
Anders
 
bwalvoord said:
For Stan's car (and mine), what say you all regarding gold/bronze centers versus silver?
Click to expand...

Not for me, no thank you.
I think I will stay with the 14" Alpina wheels and hope to find replacement tires when I need them.

Now...glossy or satin tire treatment???
 
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