looking for a set alpina wheels not sure how much to pay

Hi Mark

A set of Genuine Alpinas 19" just sold on Ebay for £480 and would have been a good deal, however since you have thw 17" tyres i recon you could get some very good used wheels for around £100 each, look out on ebay, autotrader, & the 3 monthly bm magazines

Bear in mind that the B12 Coupes all rolled on 18in wheels - same as I have on mine.

Don't put 17in Alpinas on an E31 - they just look silly as they're meant for 3ers...

Mark

Could be worth checking out : http://www.pistonheads.com go to classifieds then check out spares. There's someone even selling a brand new BMW 4.4ltr V8.

Good luck,let us know how you get on.

The 8-series was available originally with 16" wheels and then later with 17" as on the 850CSi and 840Ci Sport. The 17" Alpina wheels were an option at the time. Later, the CSi was fitted with ///M parallel spoke wheels od 18" diameter. The 18" Alpinas were only standard on the B12-5.7. These are the classic, square-edged Alpina wheels and they are still available new in both 17" and 18". These wheels are called the "Alpina Original"

However, it is also possible to fit the 18" Alpina "softline" wheels from the E39, 5-series and there are plenty of these available second-hand for silly money. However, you will need some spacers to optimise the offset and some hub rings as the E39 had 74.6mm hubs and not 72.6mm like most other BMW, including the E31. These are also available as direct fitment for the 8-series, but are about £430 each, compared to about £60 each on ebay for ex-E39 versions. IMHO, these "Softlines" are somewhat nicer than the "Original".

Also, bear in mind that even with 17" wheels you are already running on rubber-band tyres, and so going to 18" won't make it more confortable. I saw an 8 with 20" wheels and that just looked silly.

looking for a set of alpina wheels not sure how much to pay

Hi guys,
Hythe says that 17" alpinas look silly.
Well here are mine, see if you agree.
I would not swap them for a set of OE wheels, and I think that they are better looking than a lot of the after market wheels that I've seen.

Had 17" Alpinas on mine for a while, they certainly don't look silly but they certainly don't look as good as the 18's. 18" though are hard to come by. Mine were a really ratty set I found on eBay that I had refurbished. The thread probably will be in the archive and pictures of the wheels when I sold them are in my gallery.

Don't forget that as you increase wheel diameter, 17" 18" 19" 20", you can't assume that ride harshness increases pro rata.
As the tyre profile gets lower the rigidity (and "ride harshness" or "road feel" depending on your point of view) increases almost logarythmically.
In other words, the difference in ride between 19" and 20" is much bigger than the difference between 17" and 18".
Obviously tyre brand and spec will be a factor here as well.
I reluctantly once agreed to be taken for a ride in an ex-pupil's Honda Civic which was his pride and joy. It had enormous diameter chrome wheels and every cat's eye felt like someone hitting the bottom of the car with a lump hammer. His comment was "Yeh, the ride's cr*p as hell, but they look the dog's ....".
OK - he also had lowered stiffened springs, but you get the idea.
I'm not saying huge wheels are bad - each to their own preference, it's just that sometimes people forget the effects are more than just visual.

Tell me this combo doesn't just look RIGHT. Only thing that's not quite right is the rear tyres, which at the time were 275 instead of 285 across. Have to say, the original (square-edged) Alpina wheels look best on the E31 to me, more so than either Flatline or Softline designs - I had 17" Softlines on my Alpina B8 4.6.

The 17s look okay, but the 18s definitely do punch it up a bit (and you can fit wider tyres all round)

Tell me this combo doesn't just look RIGHT. Only thing that's not quite right is the rear tyres, which at the time were 275 instead of 285 across. Have to say, the original (square-edged) Alpina wheels look best on the E31 to me, more so than either Flatline or Softline designs - I had 17" Softlines on my Alpina B8 4.6.

The 17s look okay, but the 18s definitely do punch it up a bit (and you can fit wider tyres all round)

Don't think any one will disagree with that photo. I think the Alpinas do have a bit of a 'weak angle' though and that is completely side on, they tend to lose something, possibly go a bit to see through,maybe that's just the 17". Do you have an 18" side on photo.

Yes, the 18" Alpina Originals do look good. Just as and aside for those few people with a CSi, don't fit 18" and 285 section at ther rear as this will cause rubbing when the AHK operates.

The Softline, however, are less dished (requiring an inside spacer to maintain the correct offset) and they look more modern. Most new cars these days have little or no "dishing" on the wheels. Also, they have the same keyed cover plates and the bonus of hidden valves. The Original square-edged Alpina wheel dates from 1988 and so the Softline (1995) is more in keeping with the date of late model E31

I just mentioned them because they are easier and cheaper to find s/h than the original versions.

Mark youre motor is looking good on those Alps, i'm definatly a fan

Got 18" 295/30 on my CSi with AHK and no problems.

Maybe you have not tested the AHK to extremes or you don't have the 18" "Original" Alpina rims (meaning your ET offsets are lower or even negative). The B12-5.7 had to have its AHK movment resticted to a lesser amount in order to run with 285 rears on the Alpina rims.

Zitat von arnie

Yes, the 18" Alpina Originals do look good. Just as and aside for those few people with a CSi, don't fit 18" and 285 section at ther rear as this will cause rubbing when the AHK operates.

The Softline, however, are less dished (requiring an inside spacer to maintain the correct offset) and they look more modern. Most new cars these days have little or no "dishing" on the wheels. Also, they have the same keyed cover plates and the bonus of hidden valves. The Original square-edged Alpina wheel dates from 1988 and so the Softline (1995) is more in keeping with the date of late model E31

I just mentioned them because they are easier and cheaper to find s/h than the original versions.

Dude, don't be afraid to go 80s retro - the E31 is very much a child of the 80s (like me!), so I personally think the older style is just the thing. Same goes for the E34 - can't imagine a B10 Bi-Turbo riding on Softlines, or even Flatlines, which are the true successors to the Ur-Classics.

Shiggsy, did you have to roll out your rear arches to fit the 19s? I notice your Alpinas were 17s...

Hythe,
my Alpinas were 17" and I now have 18" Rondell #58 (with the 295 tyre). I have made no alterations to the arches and have not had any issues.

here's the one with the 20" wheels and rubber bands.