The votes are in on new wheels for my 95 740i - and the oscar goes to...

["Stephen Robinson" <stever@xxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I tallied up your votes on the decision as to what wheels will go on
my E38 (95 740i).  Thanks for all your help, friendly emails, strong
suggestions, gracious offers to see examples of your vehicles with certain
types of wheels...  I decided to not go with 18" wheels due to the small
sidewall, "rough" ride (one of you said it will ride like "sh*t" - that the
car wasn't designed to have 18" wheels on it unless the suspension and
shocks were upgraded as well), the having to switch back to 16" wheels in
the winter (this seems to be a pain + I'd have to ride on the ugly stock
dish-style wheels all winter long), and the HUGE cost of the Alpina's and
other 18" wheels I'd considered + having to buy 18" Michelin Pilot Tires at
$250 each!  Eeegads.  This brought me back again to the Radial Spoke 61
(which is the new wheel that comes on the 1999-2000 year 750il's) wheels
which come in 16", allowing me to keep my tires with 20K miles left on them,
and the price...ahhh, that sweet price.  Excluservice in Rockville Md is
giving me the 25% BMWCCA discount (thanks to one of you guys that told me to
ask for the CCA discount!) on the wheels - so the total will be just $995
for all 4 wheels ($217 each + the hub caps) mounted on my old tires,
balanced, including a front wheel alignment.  The other reason I decided to
go this route, is that I didn't want to invest $3500 in the Alpina's or
other expensive combinations - as I have to leave my 80,000 mile car out in
the driveway now that my fiance has moved in (her 95 540i took my old garage
spot...doh!) and may upgrade to a 740i sport in the next 2 or 3 years (when
I can afford a 2 year old year 2000 model with that lovely nav system and
moonroof).  Also, with expensive wheels like the Alpina's or M Parallel
Spokes, it's alot more likely that they'd be a target for theft - especially
when I go downtown to DC or leaving in parked in the driveway.  Bottom line,
I didn't want to invest too much if I'm only keeping the car potentially for
a few years.  Anyway, thanks for all your help!  I 'll let you all know how
they look when they come in.
Steve Robinson
Silver Spring MD
1995 740i  nervous about the new shoes
1988 911  snug in the garage

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