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HUB to WHEEL Referencing
BMW, in their repair manual, recommend remounting the tire/wheel assembly in
the same relationship as before removal. They say this will help prevent
transformation errors and unbalance problems. They advise turning the wheel
so that the valve stem is at the bottom, where it will act as a reference
when you remove it. They also advise marking the hub to wheel relationship.
This is how I went about doing this on my 328is coupe with sport wheels. As
always, you may elect to do it your way. I assume you know how to safely
raise your vehicle and properly remount the tire/wheel assembly. Recommended
torque is 100 n/m = ~74 ft/lb. I first position the tire/wheel assembly with
the valve stem at its low point. I then remove the wheel without disturbing
the hub position. Then I position the BMW center logo using a straight edge
so that the BMW portion of the logo is directly opposite the valve stem. This
will make all wheels look consistent, and it gives the wheel a more balanced
look. (No pun intended) (more on this later). Then with a center/prick punch
I put one punch mark on the right front (passenger side) (right/left is
always in relation to the pilot sitting in the cockpit) hub just above the
6mm hex Allen bolt keeping it within the circle of the wheel recess directly
opposite the Allen bolt on the wheel. I then put one punch in the wheel
recess area corresponding to this location. This keeps the punches out of the
wheel/hub contact area. I continue with the right rear equal two punches,
left rear wheel equal three punches etc. When your done, position any wheel
so its valve stem is at its low point. The center logo should be properly
positioned with BMW lettering up. What you've done by positioning the center
logo this way is establish a relationship of the logo to the wheel bolts. The
M is the top bolt, the B is the top left bolt etc. Now if you would also like
to keep the bolts where they came from, it is easy to do, regardless of the
wheel position.