What Do You Guys Think? Which Wheel Inset Color?

**Mangostene** · 01-13-2010, 03:37 AM

So I have an '02 540i, Sapphire Black. I'm curious to see what the Style 32s I'm trying to source out will look like with a different inset color.

I apologize in advance to the member who owns this black car I used as an example. I hope you don't mind if I use it to illustrate a thought. I found it on a general google search. Mine's almost about the same except it has blacked out kidney grills and has a chin spoiler being fitted at the moment.

So, here goes:

One is the silver finish which I actually like. Clean, classic, nice.
The other version I did is with the gun metal color inset on the spokes. Everything else stays silver. Not black. Gunmetal. I've already decided the spokes aren't going to be black.

What do you guys think?

Keep in mind the car is getting fitted with a kit and has blacked out rims at the moment.

Should I stay with the traditional silver or go with the gunmetal color inset?

MANGO

**98 528i** · 01-13-2010, 03:43 AM

I say polish the lips and paint the spokes gunmetal. I stripped everything off my style 32's and polished the lips, not sure what to go with for the spokes...maybe anthracite or silver

**Mangostene** · 01-13-2010, 04:26 AM

Yeah, I'm almost leaning in that direction. Anybody wanna "donate" a big enough pic of a black E39 with Style 32s that I can manipulate some more and see how that color set up looks like at different angles?

MANGO

**98 528i** · 01-13-2010, 04:59 AM

This is the best I can do for ya, not too many people mess with style 32's

**Mangostene** · 01-14-2010, 12:36 AM

Thanks 98 528i!

I'll try to photoshop those on a black E39 see how they come out!

MANGO

**jhstealth** · 01-14-2010, 03:18 AM

Ive seen this once or twice, I wish I could find it at the moment. I say if you polish out the lips it'll look awesome! Work them from 220 grit to 2000grit sand paper and then hit it with some metal polish.

**BimmerBreaker** · 01-14-2010, 04:43 AM

polished lips are overdone imo. leave them silver

**Mangostene** · 01-14-2010, 01:26 PM

I found a black 5 series with the 32s on it! Haven't had the chance to manipulate the wheels on photoshop but I'll hammer that out here real quick! I'm curious what they'll look like!

Yeah, It'll depend on how the gun metal spokes disappear back into the overall background of the wheel where I might have to pull the look back out a tad bit by polishing the lips. I'm up for understated silver lips as well!

Thanks for the ongoing suggestions folks! Appreciate it!

MANGO

**Bruce SEA 993** · 01-14-2010, 02:24 PM

They are looking good!

I like the look and am considering it for my 540 with the Style 32s. I have been trying to figure out if I should carefully mask off around each spoke or go for the clean line alone the outer edge of the spokes as these are done.

I am trying to capture a look that I saw a long time ago in 1987 (Oh crap, some of you were not born yet...woo hoo!) when I was at Dinan in San Jose. They were fairly new and I had them fix a problem with the new adjustable sway bars I had on my 533i. I met Steve Dinan while I was there.

Anyhow, they had a turbo charged 535 development car in red with some 3 piece wheels that look a lot like the Alpina or the Style 32 but they were 3 piece. The spokes ended at the rim with a clean line. I cannot find a picture but the rim was polished and was stepped rather than the smooth rim on the Style 32.

Keep us up to date!

**Mangostene** · 01-15-2010, 02:01 AM

Well, here, take a look.

After doing it, I'm looking at them thinking, "eh"
Not really sure what that buys me by doing the spokes gun metal. I just did the spokes gun metal by the way. The other rim I didn't manipulate.

It doesn't really jump out and go "WHOA!"

Know what I mean?

Dunno, what do you guys think?

MANGO

**SilverSurfer164** · 01-15-2010, 02:59 AM

to me Black/dark rims with a polished lip always make the rim look smaller, unless they are 19 or 18 at the min.

So if they were 19 it would just look ok to me, I do like the silver style 32's

to each there own.

**Mangostene** · 01-15-2010, 03:19 AM

Surfer,

Yep, might just put up the wheels and see how I'm taken by them. I can always revisit the colored spokes if I have to.

**Bruce SEA 993** · 01-15-2010, 11:08 AM

Hey Mango,

Was this a shop-chop or the real thing? I think they do disappear too much on dark blue even though I like the dark centers. I have anthracite centers on the Kinesis rims on the black 993 but the rim is polished and it is a little bit of a traditional look.

Our cars are not the "latest style" where the 20 inch rims seem to be used more. I am not worried about the big rim look on this body style.

Maybe all silver would be best for your body color.

Cheers!

**Mangostene** · 01-15-2010, 08:17 PM

Bruce,

Those are compliments of Photoshop. Yeah, dark centers do make them read smaller.

MANGO

**Bruce SEA 993** · 01-15-2010, 09:11 PM

Hey Mango,

Great job...so...you seem to be pretty good at Photoshop. Would you have any time to chop the photos with a Red car and semi-gloss black centers?

I am going to talk to my neighbor who has a bunch of lathes for turning bowls. Super high quality and very thin BTW...anyhow, I am wondering if I can chuck up my rims after I paint the centers and polish the rims. We'll see.

Thanks!