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[Fordguy]

Hey all, so during my wheel shopping adventure for my 335d, I couldn't find a single set of used wheels that weren't curbed or bent (seriously, why is this such an epidemic with bmw??). But being that this car is a daily driver, there's no way I was going to shell out over a grand for a set of name brand wheels that may end up bent due to the terrible roads around me. So I did some shopping and found two sets of CSL style wheels on eBay from various sellers. One set is unbranded, 18x8/9 with both having +35 offset. The other, less available set being IPW brand, 18x8/9 and having +35 front and +40 rear offset.

I chose the IPW wheels as I wanted as close to OEM fitment as possible to make sure I had no rubbing. Car is a non-sport model but does have the strut monkey sport suspension on it (Bilstein OE replacements with OE sport springs).

As far as the wheels' initial quality goes, I had seen a couple of reviews in the feedback stating the paint was brittle and easily damaged, etc. This wasn't my experience. However I think the issue lies in the installer there. These wheels have the drop-center located on the inboard side of the wheel, you must mount the tire with the rim face-down on the tire machine!!

I've also put around 1,000 miles on them and noticed no flaking paint or rock chips that normally happens with highway commuting.


As always with cheap rims, they're all usually more brittle than OE, And a lot of them are fly-by night operations from China. So I went ahead and ordered a 2nd set before they became discontinued. If I shatter one in a year and these are no longer available, I'd be SOL.

Anyway, attached are some pics

[AWD Addict]

Curious why you didn't go with any of the more tried and true CSL rep groups (like VMR). The price is still pretty darn competitive, and there's a lot longer a track record online here than with the chinese ebay groups.

Either way, they look great. I just upgraded my wheels, and this is the only style that really tickles me for this body style, and I was willing to do something stupid to get the look right (like HRE).

[Fordguy]

To be honest I'm new to this platform and not super familiar with all the options available. I'm a frequent eBayer so I checked places like Summit Racing and eBay first. eBay had these so that's what I chose.

After looking at VMRs site, I probably wouldn't have gone for them anyway. I wanted to run OE tire sizes (225/40 and 255/35) and the wheels I bought in 18x8 and 18x9 allows that without stretch. VMR only offers 8.5 and 9.5. Also after shipping VMR is $980 plus tax where these were $670ish plus tax with a 5% coupon applied. Original price is 699 shipped.

Thanks for the compliments! I agree. Only weird thing is, I think the hyper silver is a bit too bright, kind of washes out the details of the wheels. They actually look better when they're dirty! I'd have preferred a bit darker silver.

[Fordguy]

Update, IPW no longer makes the rears in +40 offset, they come in +35 now.

[The Nightman]

Thanks for sharing, they look great. Any idea on weight or certifications? Curious if they're the same as Alzor 030 as they have the same specs and pricing:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-alzor-pa...four/030-1kt2/

Also, are those CrossClimate2 tires? How are you liking them?

[Fordguy]

Originally Posted by The Nightman

Thanks for sharing, they look great. Any idea on weight or certifications? Curious if they're the same as Alzor 030 as they have the same specs and pricing:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-alzor-pa...four/030-1kt2/

Also, are those CrossClimate2 tires? How are you liking them?

They definitely could be, they look close.

I bought a 2nd set of these (because I'm sure these rims will be discontinued after a year or 2, and I drive on pretty bad roads) so I will be able to get you those numbers here when I have a minute. Maybe Sunday.

Yes they're the CC2. This is my first try at only having one set of tires all-year. So far dry and wet traction is great, and hydroplaning resistance is amazing, there have been a few times I've hit standing water at highway speeds and never disconnected from the road.

Only complaint so far is the CC2 has terrible turn-in, it's very vague feeling even with sidewalls this short, even having 38psi front and 41 rear. But this car isn't exactly a corner carver like my last one was, so I've got the bar set fairly high.

[Fordguy]

Originally Posted by The Nightman

Any idea on weight or certifications?

Alright so I got a chance to throw them on the scale. This is an old bathroom scale and may or may not be super accurate, but I did multiple weighs for each wheel and came up with a middle number.

Fronts (18x8) 26.6 lbs
Rears (18x9) 30.4 lbs.

You won't be winning any races with these bad boys.

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by Fordguy

Alright so I got a chance to throw them on the scale. This is an old bathroom scale and may or may not be super accurate, but I did multiple weighs for each wheel and came up with a middle number.

Fronts (18x8) 26.6 lbs
Rears (18x9) 30.4 lbs.

You won't be winning any races with these bad boys.

Thanks for taking the time to weigh them. Those weights are more in line with what I expected from wheels in this price range. I was skeptical of ECS claim of 22.9 lbs for 18x8 ET35 and 24.8 lbs for 18x9 ET35

Maybe heavier = more durable?

Have you found any BMW center caps that will fit? I think the roundel will be a nice contrast to all the silver

[Fordguy]

Originally Posted by The Nightman

Have you found any BMW center caps that will fit? I think the roundel will be a nice contrast to all the silver

I was bummed that the OEM caps do not fit these wheels. The diameter is correct but the ridge inside the hole that the tangs engage with is deeper on these wheels than BMW wheels, so the factory caps don't hold on very tight and can easily be popped off.

I did buy a set of 60mm metal BMW decals from eBay for 12 bucks that I plan to adhere to my existing center caps. I'll update the thread with that little side project when I do!

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by The Nightman

Thanks for taking the time to weigh them. Those weights are more in line with what I expected from wheels in this price range. I was skeptical of ECS claim of 22.9 lbs for 18x8 ET35 and 24.8 lbs for 18x9 ET35

Maybe heavier = more durable?

Have you found any BMW center caps that will fit? I think the roundel will be a nice contrast to all the silver

That's what's missing! Couldn't figure out why the wheels looked odd - now I realise it's because they look like Voldemort. A roundel will surely fix that right up.

[Fordguy]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

That's what's missing! Couldn't figure out why the wheels looked odd - now I realise it's because they look like Voldemort. A roundel will surely fix that right up.

Yeah its amazing what a small detail will do. I'll update the thread once I get the caps situated

[Fordguy]

Got the cap decals on today. That did the trick

[Tambohamilton]

Yes, so much better!

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by Fordguy

I was bummed that the OEM caps do not fit these wheels. The diameter is correct but the ridge inside the hole that the tangs engage with is deeper on these wheels than BMW wheels, so the factory caps don't hold on very tight and can easily be popped off.

I did buy a set of 60mm metal BMW decals from eBay for 12 bucks that I plan to adhere to my existing center caps. I'll update the thread with that little side project when I do!

It looks much better with the roundels! Interesting that the OE center caps don't work - they apparently fit the Alzor 030 wheels according to this thread

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1739658

[Fordguy]

Originally Posted by The Nightman

It looks much better with the roundels! Interesting that the OE center caps don't work - they apparently fit the Alzor 030 wheels according to this thread

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1739658

They snap in and sit flush but don't fully engage on the inside and can be fairly easily popped off. If these decals come off like the ones in that thread, I may try to modify the tangs on my OEM caps to snap in better.

I did recognize the issue that the poster in that thread talked about regarding the difference in the curvatures, so I put some gorilla tape on the back sides of the decals to help fill that gap and maximize adhesion.

[Fordguy]

Just an update. Been working 2 jobs all fall (I do it every year) so car washing goes to the wayside. The wheels were very dirty with a lot of crud built up in that channel behind the spokes. I'm happy to say that they were really easy to clean, as far as removing the grime. It wiped off fairly easy.

Like any CSL wheel, they are tedious to clean and probably will make me regret this wheel choice for a daily driver by the end of the winter. But man, they look good.

[Fordguy]

Spring update: winter was mild, but has left its mark. I drove up into the mountains of PA for the New Year and drove on about 10 miles of roads that were treated with grit. Well the front tires kicked it up and it peppered the paint on the rear wheels. Which I quickly (and poorly) touched up when I got home to try and keep the chips from spreading. Had I not gone on this trip, I think these rims would still be perfect.

So just note, the paint is very brittle on these wheels.