I’m happy to report that the E46 M3 Dinan Champion wheels I purchased back in January are finally on my car. Full back story here. Obviously I wasn’t going to install in the middle of winter, but life and travel also had delayed the swap.
Having this done was not a straightforward process. The first step was deciding who to work with for the installation. This wasn’t like going to Costco to have a set of stock tires put on a Camry. I needed a shop that catered to enthusiasts. Some places have no interest in the business as soon as you tell them the wheels and/or tires are not stock sizes. Nor would I want them touching my brand-new wheels.
Old-fashioned word of mouth guided me to Brothers’ Garage in Alexandria. A guy I know from the gym, who owns multiple modified BMWs, highly recommended them. Co-founder Aum Sung is a hardcore enthusiast and well-known in the tuning industry. One visit to the shop to explain what I needed was all I needed to know that this was the right place.
I brought a front and rear wheel with me to the shop and initially Aum thought a 5mm. spacer would be needed to make the front wheels fit the car. That was a bit disappointing since the E46 Dinan wheel offsets were not supposed to need spacers. When installed it turned out front spacers were not required, and the cost for installation was lower than the original quote.
Brothers’ Garage also worked with me while I was out of town. I had the new tires shipped to their location. I decided to go with Kumho Ecsta Sport S max performance summer tires, 265/30 fronts and 275/30 rears. The rear tires were not available locally or from TireRack, my preferred supplier. I found them at a retailer in the Philadelphia area with free shipping. Many enthusiasts default immediately to Michelin tires, but these Kumhos are category leaders per TireRack and over $500 less.
Appearance was definitely the reason I made this switch. But there are driving benefits as well. Each wheel is about 5 pounds lighter than my stock Style 163 competition wheels, reducing unsprung weight. And I’ve reduced the stagger – the difference in width front and rear – from 30mm. to 10mm, coming close to a “square” setup. This reduces understeer and also sharpens handling.
I’m really happy with the service I received from Aum and Brothers’. I like to stay involved with any work on my cars and understand exactly what is happening and why. The reaction you get from the shop tells a lot about its culture. Do they seem a bit irritated you want to understand everything, or do they freely share info and recognize a fellow enthusiast? It was definitely the latter with Brothers’.
The swap is finally done, but everything done on these cars begets more questions and possible projects. These wheels make it obvious that my brake calipers badly need painting. I’m also not sure what to do with my stock wheels. They are the best-looking stock wheels IMO for the car; many owners want them, and BMW has discontinued making the front wheels. So the value is sure to increase.
Recently on Bring a Trailer, a very clean set with Michelin tires went for the incredible price of $7,100. OTOH, I only have the four Dinan wheels with no spare. What would I do if one gets damaged? For now the Comps will remain stored in the basement.
Decisions, decisions! <smile> Wishing you easy miles until next time.