WTB: 1973 Csi type Alpina Wheels

[Johnny D]

Hi E9rs Guys,

I'm looking for a nice set of Alpina's or similar looking that fits a E9 1973 csi .
I know there can be some crazy prices out there.
But i'd rather pay more for originals than purchase cheap copies.

Anything that looks good on a Cs, is perfect to me.

 

[Gransin]

Are you looking for 14" or 16" ?

 

[Markos]

Also, if 14”, do you need 5 hole Alpinas or 19 hole. I saw a really nice set of 1977 14” 10 hole recently.

Are you looking for 14" or 16" ?

 

[Johnny D]

I'm a newbie, so i'm not sure what fits best. I would like to have 16s i guess,
as the bigger wheels always look better.

Also, excuse my lack of knowledge here
But ....5 hole .....19 hole, is all gobbledegook to me.

Ive seen some E9 with absolutely beautiful wheels on them, but i dont know exactly what spec they are.
Does anyone have examples of the various specs.??

I have a 73 so there may be limitations with the later spec wheels....I guess

 

[Markos]

I'm a newbie, so i'm not sure what fits best. I would like to have 16s i guess,
as the bigger wheels always look better.

Also, excuse my lack of knowledge here
But ....5 hole .....19 hole, is all gobbledegook to me.

Ive seen some E9 with absolutely beautiful wheels on them, but i dont know exactly what spec they are.
Does anyone have examples of the various specs.??

I have a 73 so there may be limitations with the later spec wheels....I guess

Ahh, so you will want 16” staggered wheels. 7” front, 8” rear. You can buy refinished Alpinas for $2,500 to $3,500. Coupe King sells quality reproductions for under $2,000.

Coupeking Staggered Alloys – Coupeking – BMW Restoration Parts, Manuals, and Used Parts

Also, H&B has 3 piece versions that have been around for at least 30 years. They are along time and well known BMW tuner/distributor. Probably around $3,300 if available.

BMW Classic Tuning Parts - H & B Karmakanix

Beginning in 1978, H&B developed a range of tuning parts for the most popular BMW models. These included engine and suspension parts, instrumentation, and even special steering wheels.

hbkarmakanix.com

 

[eriknetherlands]

Look at the FAQ section, it shows various wheels with descriptions, sizes and pics.

 

[Ohmess]

Johnny D - bigger wheels do not always look better. The folks who designed our cars intended a fat sidewall (as did most of the designers of beautiful cars in the 1960s). Only recently did the notion that a thin ribbon of rubber over a wheel well filled with chrome become popular.

Also, you should consider the various effects of transmitting a lot more noise, vibration and harshness into your car. The body shells on our cars were not designed for the third-world roads we have in the US today, and these shells are now 50 years old, so you may be weakening the structure of your car by going to big wheels.

 

[Johnny D]

Thanks, will Do

 

[Johnny D]

Johnny D - bigger wheels do not always look better. The folks who designed our cars intended a fat sidewall (as did most of the designers of beautiful cars in the 1960s). Only recently did the notion that a thin ribbon of rubber over a wheel well filled with chrome become popular.

Also, you should consider the various effects of transmitting a lot more noise, vibration and harshness into your car. The body shells on our cars were not designed for the third-world roads we have in the US today, and these shells are now 50 years old, so you may be weakening the structure of your car by going to big wheels.

Thanks for the info. I have seen many an E9 with these larger spec Alpinas, and I love the way they look. They do sit right but how they drove was never a part of my consideration as I slighted to the cosmetic side of things as opposed to the practical.
It might be better to keep to the wheel spec as the were intended. Not sure what others think, but point taken indeed. Pretty looks isnt all

 

[Ohmess]

Thanks for the info. I have seen many an E9 with these larger spec Alpinas, and I love the way they look. They do sit right but how they drove was never a part of my consideration as I slighted to the cosmetic side of things as opposed to the practical.
It might be better to keep to the wheel spec as the were intended. Not sure what others think, but point taken indeed. Pretty looks isnt all

The upsizing thing makes a lot of sense in modern BMWs in part because they are so stiff, and generally can handle the additional stresses (although the e46s have had issues). However, we all know people who have had metal stress issues with their coupes, and there is a reason people buy dif reinforcement kits and emergency brake reinforcement kits and strut braces.

So, take a look at the threads here on chassis reinforcement, and differential reinforcement and torn rear shock towers and then make your decision.

 

[sandhu]

I have 14 and 16 Alpina alloys

with the 14 alloys the car comfort feels /drives a lot smother and than the 16 alloys

The 16 alloys makes the car look beefy ie like it went into golds gym,with 14 alloys,
did some weight lifting and came out with 16 alloys making the car look menacing !!!

16 alloys make the E9 look dam sexy & menacing

14 alloys makes it look elegant, lady like

 

[Stevehose]

I like my 14" rims because I see beauty in both the rim and the tire, they complement each other, with lowering springs definitely not lady like

 

[Alejandro Giraldo]

I could not agree more with you fellas !
For me 14 or 15 is the way to go and above that the car looks sexy but I do prefer 14's and is how they were born

 

[Alejandro Giraldo]

Just look at the baby how agreessive it loos and the stance is just perfect

 

[GPD]

LOL. Taking offense to the “lady” look. When I get my car back I am planning a trial of all original - an E3 that will have 14” with apparently very feminine 175s.. Will post the day it happens.

 

[sandhu]

. orange has 16 alloys

The other cars are on 14 alloys

 

[day66]

May or may not be a factor, but there's a much better choice of reasonably priced V rated tyres in 16 inch - that said, I'm sticking with 14s

 

[tferrer]

Just look at the baby how agreessive it loos and the stance is just perfect View attachment 115424

That's my car and one reason it looks aggressive is the springs are cut. The motorsport wheels have a very nice lip and the Michelin XWX's give it that classic puffy sidewall look as well.

 

[Alejandro Giraldo]

Thank you so much for the message
To me your car is got the most beautiful look and stance above all and the wheels and tires combo makes such a difference among others ! I was very confused to choose the tire option for my car but now that you mention I will go for the michelin! I was also thinking of the Pirelli CN 36

Are those wheels the ones with the 9.3 offset ?

I got a set of the same wheels with the 9.3offset

Do you more pics of your car? I would love to see the wheels and tires closer please

 

[tferrer]

Thank you so much for the message
To me your car is got the most beautiful look and stance above all and the wheels and tires combo makes such a difference among others ! I was very confused to choose the tire option for my car but now that you mention I will go for the michelin! I was also thinking of the Pirelli CN 36

Are those wheels the ones with the 9.3 offset ?

I got a set of the same wheels with the 9.3offset

Do you more pics of your car? I would love to see the wheels and tires closer please

Those XWX tires where on my car when I originally bought it in the late 80s. I sold the car in 93 and bought it back last year from the same guy (yes, 27 years later). He had stored the Mahle motorsport wheels with the same XWX's mounted and only used them for shows. He swapped out the wheels to 15 inch ATS wheels which he used to track the car occasionally. Here are a few periid pics of the motorsport wheels on the car.
The one pic of the car with a tall stance is an old pic of when I owned it originally. The car is currently waiting for the boys at Hardy & Beck to revalve bilsteins which it will get with H&R springs. It's way to low for San Francisco, war zone streets.