20" ?? They sell those for tractors right?!? (archive)

Here's my .02- I test drove a 535is with 18" rims and it drove like shite-like a brick over moderately bumpy roads and the handling was no better than with 16" rims. A buddy of mine put 18's on and said that it wreaked havoc with his suspension. The familiar e28 shimmy begun in earnest and soon he was doing all sorts of fun front $u$pen$ion work and rear $ubframe bu$hing work which may or may not have been related to the new way the car was riding(after all, those bushings are supposed to wear over time anyways).

I can't imagine the benefit of 20" rims if the difference between 16" & 18" isn't a lot. My certified BMW master tech. says that the car should not have anything bigger than 16's on it. Bigger rims and tires will wear the suspension steering components much faster which already wear fast enough with the e28! My mechanic, who races, has a 535 as his personal car and can try any rim/tire combo he wants and has settled on 16's (the tire brand escapes me at the moment although I don't think he's using the Yok A520's).

I've got 16's on my car from a 2000 540 coupled with the Yokohama A520's and my buddy with the 18's says my car rides much better and handles the same.

Of course, this is just my opinion which does not mean bupkis. Big rims and tires look cool-I'm just speaking from a functionality standpoint. Heck, I'm guessing here, but I'd say that the crappy TRX's would be better than the 20".

Dan Latta
'87 535is
'89 325is

You just need to call Tire Rack and order their Paint-on-Retread rubber. It's not listed on the website, so you have to call them directly. It's a special high-performance rubber compound so you must be a BFD Team D/A member to order. Apply it directly to the rims for that "rubber band" look. This is the easiest, because they don't make 225/25/20 tires, which is the correct size.

The most recommended 20" chrome wheel is the Pimp-Daddy brand Ultra Blade Chrome Big Baller, available in 6 to 8" widths. You'll need 50mm spacers so they stick out 2" beyond the fenders, or else you'll look stupid with the entire wheel fitting inside the wheel well. They have extra heavy duty rims so their more bend resistant. They weigh about 80 pounds each.

You can probably get about $350-500 for the Borbets, depending on the style.

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