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Plus 1 wheels and ball joints



I just got a call from my local BMW dealer (JMK in Springfield, NJ) telling
me that the strange rattling sound I was hearing from the front wheels
when going over bumps was broken ball joints, caused (they say) by my
new +1 wheels.

I put MSW type 44 wheens (16 x 7.5) with BFG TA3 225/50ZR16 tires on my
1992 318i at the end of August.  They look great, and work well too!  Before
doing this I checked with a JMK service manager; he said it would be fine.

JMK says that the +1 wheels "increase the stress on the ball joints" and
cause them to wear prematurely.  They are replacing them under warranty,
but are worried about them wearing out again.

The Tire Rack says that this is the most ridiculous thing that they have
ever heard from a dealer.  They say that these tires and wheels are a
perfect match for the car, that the wheels were basically designed for
this purpose, and that they sell tons of them for the same car and have
never heard of anything like this.

What do you think?  Do I need to get rid of these great wheels and put my
factory steel wheels back on?  Have a thrown $1000 out the window?