Picture of e46 3-Series with e90 Wheels

[cutlassvillager]

While looking for snow wheel/tire combos for my parents' 2006 325ci I found a great deal on a set of Style 158 wheels wrapped in nearly new Blizzak LM-22 rubber.

These weren't exactly what I was looking for but I couldn't pass up the deal. The car came with style 169 wheels and 205/55/16 Conti Pro Contact tires. These tires are 225/45/17 so they are actually upsizing for the snow setup. Also, these tires are run flats. Eventually when the tires wear out the skinnier wheels will get snow tires and the 17s will get non-run flat tires.

I threw them on earlier this week to see if they needed any balancing. They feel in balance and relatively quiet at highway speeds. These wheels were made by BBS for BMW and are supposed to be on the lighter side for their size. Here's a picture although the car is a little dirty. I'm happy with the way these wheels look on the car. I wasn't sure what to expect as there aren't many pictures online of these wheels on e46s. It'll be a shame to go back to the 16" wheels for the summer.

It currently has 37k on the odo.

I'm looking forward to seeing how these compare to my Continental Extreme Winter Contacts on my e36. The LM Blizzak series is supposed to be a "performance" snow tire and the LM-22 were discontinued a while ago.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Nice!

I've got 17s for summer and 16s for winter on my e39 as well. The 17s are OEM BBS wheels which I like very much, but they're a major PITA to clean.

This is going to be our first winter in Grand Rapids... I expect my General Altimax Arctics to get a decent workout.

Last winter in Chicago I didn't even put them on.

 

[JHZR2]

Nice! I'd imagine because of the squarish design and lots of closed area, they should stay relatively clean and be easy to clean.

 

[bigjl]

Most effective way to clean up the look of an older Beemer has always been to pop on standard equipment wheels of a later model.

They always look "right" not sure if this is by design or luck!

 

[97tbird]

Nice wheels and car!
I also have a 3-coupe (E46 330Ci), and am lusting after a set of style 264 wheels for my car ... (I love their simple 5-spoke star design; the ZHP wheels that I have are way too 'busy' for me)

 

[cutlassvillager]

Thanks for the comments everyone. My parents have really enjoyed the car, although my Dad still slightly prefers his WRX wagon. I cleaned them before I put them on the car and yes, they are very easy to clean especially when compared to the Style 68 wheels I use for the summer set on my e36. Those are a real PITA. The 15" style 32 for my snows are not much easier.

Quattro Pete, our winter in GR was not very bad last winter either. I still had all season tires on my summer set until about the end of July of this year so I probably could've also gotten away without the change to snows. I've heard that this winter is projected to be much more eventful than the last.

I totally agree that the most effective way to clean up an older BMW is slapping on some wheels from a newer model. It's amazing what a simple wheel swap can do to the look of a car.

97tbird, I imagine style 264 wheels would look great on a ZHP 330. A ZHP 330 is truly a unique version of an e46. They seem pretty rare as I don't see them too often at work (a BMW dealer), especially in 6-speed form. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining about cleaning wheels as I imagine those are no easy task to clean.

 

[eljefino]

Those are sharp. They look like they could hold up the Presidential limo. IOW form follows function.