EMS Replica Wheels? Help ASAP!

[J Mid]

I have been looking at a set of replica wheels that I like alot. They are ESM-001WH 16". I plan to put them on an e30. Does anyone have any experience with ESM rims? They are replicas of OZ racing rims that are no longer made. They weigh 20 pounds each and are cast not forged. Is there any downside to cast other than more weight? I do not plan to track the car, but I still plan to take it out and drive fast on the weekends. I will also be making other standard upgrades to the car such as a chip, new exhaust, steering rack, etc. Will all of this be too much for the rims to handle? I really like the rims and they are unique unlike BBS rims which look good but are on 1/2 off the e30's on the road. Anyways they are 20% off for this memorial day weekend so it's really now or never if I buy the rims. Anyways here's a picture and the link to the website.

http://esmwheels.com/index.php?route...&product_id=52

\
BTW those are 17's on that e30 I will get 16's. Thanks for any help.

[pDubs]

The downsides to cast are weight and strength. Cast wheels are cheaper to produce. Gravity cast wheels especially which are what these most likely are.

Low pressure cast wheels are typically a bit stronger. These are how the majority of OEM wheels on vehicles are made from the factory. It costs a little more to produce wheels this way versus the gravity cast.

Forged are the strongest and lightest way but obviously way more expensive to produce, which obviously results in more expensive to buy.

There are other processes as well but they are not very common. Like flow forming or rim rolling which I am not very familiar with.



Any replica wheels like these cheap companies are 9.9 times out of 10 gravity cast wheels that are made in china. They won't be strong, and they won't be light. If it's daily driving it may be fine, but I don't risk it with cheap crappy knock off wheels anymore. I used to rock Rotas in high school on my Subaru.

I knew a guy that actually had an e30 with ESM 017s on it. He didn;t have them for long though.

[J Mid]

Well maybe I will try them out if they are shit I guess it will teach me a lesson. I am only in high school so I really can't shell out 2k on a set of rims. Owning a BMW in high school is stupid enough with all the maintence, but I love the cars. The other problem is I really like these rims and to find a set of 4 original OZ rims would take years. I probably won't drive them to hard, but thanks for all the background info anyways. It helps to know what i'm getting into probably as I put more money into the car I will get forged rims because that just makes more sense.

- - - Updated - - -

The downsides to cast are weight and strength. Cast wheels are cheaper to produce. Gravity cast wheels especially which are what these most likely are.

Low pressure cast wheels are typically a bit stronger. These are how the majority of OEM wheels on vehicles are made from the factory. It costs a little more to produce wheels this way versus the gravity cast.

Forged are the strongest and lightest way but obviously way more expensive to produce, which obviously results in more expensive to buy.

There are other processes as well but they are not very common. Like flow forming or rim rolling which I am not very familiar with.



Any replica wheels like these cheap companies are 9.9 times out of 10 gravity cast wheels that are made in china. They won't be strong, and they won't be light. If it's daily driving it may be fine, but I don't risk it with cheap crappy knock off wheels anymore. I used to rock Rotas in high school on my Subaru.

I knew a guy that actually had an e30 with ESM 017s on it. He didn;t have them for long though.

Well maybe I will try them out if they are shit I guess it will teach me a lesson. I am only in high school so I really can't shell out 2k on a set of rims. Owning a BMW in high school is stupid enough with all the maintence, but I love the cars. The other problem is I really like these rims and to find a set of 4 original OZ rims would take years. I probably won't drive them to hard, but thanks for all the background info anyways. It helps to know what i'm getting into probably as I put more money into the car I will get forged rims because that just makes more sense.

[DennisCooper]

Hi J Mid

Is the white E30 your car? if not, is your E30 'relatively' modified? To pull these wheels off you'd need to have similar level accompanying modifications. If your car is more standard looking currently, the wheels won't look so good. E30's can look fantastic on many sets of wheels and I'm sure you've seen pictures of many and if you do keep an eye out, they're 'relatively' easy to come by. Yes, some more of the rare wheels will perhaps take longer, but there's a lot of choice in the meantime !

What other wheels do you have on your shortlist?

Cheers, Dennis!

[J Mid]

Hi J Mid Is the white E30 your car? if not, is your E30 'relatively' modified? To pull these wheels off you'd need to have similar level accompanying modifications. If your car is more standard looking currently, the wheels won't look so good. E30's can look fantastic on many sets of wheels and I'm sure you've seen pictures of many and if you do keep an eye out, they're 'relatively' easy to come by. Yes, some more of the rare wheels will perhaps take longer, but there's a lot of choice in the meantime ! What other wheels do you have on your shortlist? Cheers, Dennis!

No that is not my car. I do not even have a car yet. I will be buying one as soon as I see a white 4 door 325i pop up on the market. I am trying to get this figured out in advance. Chances are the car with come with minimal or no modifications. I know that e30 in the pic is an M3 with an M3 body kit. I am going to get an M-Tech II front bumper and front lip. I am not sure what I will do for a body kit. Options are limited with a 4 door and I can't get an M3 kit because if you have an M3 kit on a normal e30 everyone will hate you, but there will be some type of kit and the fenders will be flared. I just like that old rally look. I also considered these rims (OZ Superturismo WRC's) and they are a little higher quality.

[pDubs]

You ever end up buying those ESM wheels OP? Curious to how everything turned out!