Alpina B3 - wheels question
Discussion
Hi
I am placing an order for a new Alpina B3 and am trying to decide on 19” wheels or the classic 20”. I initially stuck with the 19s as I quite like the design and smaller wheels are obviously “better”
However, I then read that the 20s are actually lighter than the 19s as the 20s are forged, not cast (I think it was actually a PH review of the car that said this).
Also, all the reviews are based on cars with 20s, so you know what you are getting with the 20s. But they cost 2k more!
Has anyone driven a car with 19s? Would there be any material difference between the two wheels dynamically? I can’t find any reviews, comments etc on this subject on the internet.
TIA.
I am placing an order for a new Alpina B3 and am trying to decide on 19” wheels or the classic 20”. I initially stuck with the 19s as I quite like the design and smaller wheels are obviously “better”
However, I then read that the 20s are actually lighter than the 19s as the 20s are forged, not cast (I think it was actually a PH review of the car that said this).
Also, all the reviews are based on cars with 20s, so you know what you are getting with the 20s. But they cost 2k more!
Has anyone driven a car with 19s? Would there be any material difference between the two wheels dynamically? I can’t find any reviews, comments etc on this subject on the internet.
TIA.
I am personally very inclined to your way of thinking! I've never seen a definitive answer either, admittedly.
Worth bearing in mind that 20" tyres are invariably heavier than 19" ones, so the overall unsprung mass is probably closer than anticipated.
How bad are your roads? That'd sway me toward cast wheels, as many forged wheels (with ultra-low profile tyers) end up getting bent out of shape.
I've never had a problem with the forged Mugens on the S2000, but that's comparatively light and has sidewalls. I've heard Audi owners who grumble and end up swapping out their forged for casts!
FWIW, I think the 20" look a bit stupid on a B3 but look acceptable on a B5 due to its colossal size. And the 19"s are probably less of a faff to clean.
You'd best ask on the Alpina Register - the cars are too rare for here.
Worth bearing in mind that 20" tyres are invariably heavier than 19" ones, so the overall unsprung mass is probably closer than anticipated.
How bad are your roads? That'd sway me toward cast wheels, as many forged wheels (with ultra-low profile tyers) end up getting bent out of shape.
I've never had a problem with the forged Mugens on the S2000, but that's comparatively light and has sidewalls. I've heard Audi owners who grumble and end up swapping out their forged for casts!
FWIW, I think the 20" look a bit stupid on a B3 but look acceptable on a B5 due to its colossal size. And the 19"s are probably less of a faff to clean.
You'd best ask on the Alpina Register - the cars are too rare for here.
Cheers. Yes, I agree the 19s look nicer in my eyes and the 20s look fractionally too big.
Our roads aren’t great, but they are more bumpy with broken surfaces than full of deep pot holes.
I’ve had 20s with rubber bands on before (Cayman) and it was ok.
If the car handles as well with 19s as it does 20s, then it is a no-brainier. I would go with 19s.
I will join Alpina Register as you say - thanks.
Our roads aren’t great, but they are more bumpy with broken surfaces than full of deep pot holes.
I’ve had 20s with rubber bands on before (Cayman) and it was ok.
If the car handles as well with 19s as it does 20s, then it is a no-brainier. I would go with 19s.
I will join Alpina Register as you say - thanks.
I’ve got 19s on mine. I think that they look better, but that’s a personal thing, of course. The ride is better and potholes are not so much of a potential disaster if you don’t see them.
I had 20’s on a D5 and they drove me nuts : the lockable centre caps are a pain. One of them rattled, which I could never fix. Also, they tended to seize up on the wheel, which meant that tyre changes and inflating was often very difficult. Trying to prise off a hubcap with a screwdriver on an alloy wheel is no fun at all.
I spent the £2k on HUD and HK.
I had 20’s on a D5 and they drove me nuts : the lockable centre caps are a pain. One of them rattled, which I could never fix. Also, they tended to seize up on the wheel, which meant that tyre changes and inflating was often very difficult. Trying to prise off a hubcap with a screwdriver on an alloy wheel is no fun at all.
I spent the £2k on HUD and HK.
Hawmaws said:
No, I haven’t. I’ve never felt short of braking power, though. If you’re going to be tracking it, may be worth it, but the std brakes are good.
The best option for me is the HUD. First time I’ve had it and I really miss it when driving another car. Particularly satnav in cities.
This is the danger of coming on a forum! I’m now tempted to change my spec - your car looks lovely in the blue with the 19”s! (I’ve gone for green…for now).The best option for me is the HUD. First time I’ve had it and I really miss it when driving another car. Particularly satnav in cities.
Thanks for the comments on the brakes. I don't plan on going on track, so should really ditch the brakes and try and save some money.
I’ve gone for HUD and HK already.
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I haven't driven a B3 with the 19'' Dynamic wheels, but just in case it's of help I don't regret ordering the 20'' Classics for mine. The design and overall look was a big factor, I admit, and I took comfort from plenty of journo commentary on the quality of the ride pre-order. My previous car was a C43 estate, and the B3's ride is several orders of magnitude smoother than that was, although that's partly an unfair comparison given the Mercedes came with run flat tyres. A fair amount of my driving is in and around London, so less pothole risk, but plenty of bumps from things like expansion joints on raised road sections, and the car soaks them up. The engineering on these Alpina cars is just awesome.
But if you prefer the Dynamic design, go for it, and tick some other options with the savings! I can't find any data on the relative weight of the wheel + tyre, but it does look like the 19'' recommends tyres with a 225/40 front and 255/35 rear, compared with 255/30 and 265/30 for the 20'' Classic, so maybe worth checking that out more. You'll definitely get more sidewall cushion with the smaller wheels, but quite a difference in front axle feel?
Green would be a good choice! Good luck with everything.
But if you prefer the Dynamic design, go for it, and tick some other options with the savings! I can't find any data on the relative weight of the wheel + tyre, but it does look like the 19'' recommends tyres with a 225/40 front and 255/35 rear, compared with 255/30 and 265/30 for the 20'' Classic, so maybe worth checking that out more. You'll definitely get more sidewall cushion with the smaller wheels, but quite a difference in front axle feel?
Green would be a good choice! Good luck with everything.
A word of warning from me - The forged 20” wheels on my 2021 car have been nothing but aggro, they tick the vanity box, but they are super soft.
To put this in perspective, I have run the car for 17k miles, in that time I have had individual wheels straightened 7 times, one wheel cracked and 5 tyres renewed due to blisters or damage, none of which had worn out. The car is currently stranded with a completely flat tyre in Wales, my wife took it away for the weekend and I suspect that it is another cracked rim - Let’s see what BMW assistance finds, but basically that will potentially be a weld repair which is major grief.
Am I careful with the wheels? Yes, you bet - with this history of woes I literally tip toe down the road, damage seems pretty much unavoidable, partially due to the state of UK tarmac. No spare means BMW assistance every time, it really is not fun, I’m thinking of getting some aftermarket wheels……...My wife says she doesn’t want to take the car on any long journeys due to this hassle, as we drive to go skiing each year, it looks like we won’t be going in the Alpina any time soon.
To put this in perspective, I have run the car for 17k miles, in that time I have had individual wheels straightened 7 times, one wheel cracked and 5 tyres renewed due to blisters or damage, none of which had worn out. The car is currently stranded with a completely flat tyre in Wales, my wife took it away for the weekend and I suspect that it is another cracked rim - Let’s see what BMW assistance finds, but basically that will potentially be a weld repair which is major grief.
Am I careful with the wheels? Yes, you bet - with this history of woes I literally tip toe down the road, damage seems pretty much unavoidable, partially due to the state of UK tarmac. No spare means BMW assistance every time, it really is not fun, I’m thinking of getting some aftermarket wheels……...My wife says she doesn’t want to take the car on any long journeys due to this hassle, as we drive to go skiing each year, it looks like we won’t be going in the Alpina any time soon.
Wow, Tin Hat! That is painful enough just to read about, let alone having to actually experience that many problems.
I don't think I'd have had the patience you have had in keeping going with the car. A pothole cracked the wheel of my previous car and the repair guy said it happens all the time now with run flat tyres. I was hoping to escape that issue with the B3, but clearly that was too optimistic.
Hope you find a reliable solution.
I don't think I'd have had the patience you have had in keeping going with the car. A pothole cracked the wheel of my previous car and the repair guy said it happens all the time now with run flat tyres. I was hoping to escape that issue with the B3, but clearly that was too optimistic.
Hope you find a reliable solution.
Thanks guys, just as a thread hijack update, it’s another new tyre ( they are Alpina specific, although I’m not sure that I am getting an ‘ALP’ one ( the Alpina version of the Pirelli tyre) this time in any case ), it’s due tomorrow afternoon in Wales, so my wife will stay there until Tuesday, which has caused some disruption.
It’s another £300.00 on top of the £130.00 last week ( plus half a day off work) for the latest crack repair, the wheels/tyres to date must have incurred about £2.5 to £3k of unexpected expense which seems frankly ridiculous.
The only positive is that our neighbours in Wales were super helpful, they even had a trolley jack to help my wife when BMW assistance were unwilling to drive up an icy hill.
The Alpina is great, but Mrs Hats 2.0 Macan has only absorbed 4 tyres in 38k miles, it is also roomy, economical with a 525 mile range and suitably comfortable.
To think that I used to read articles about Maserati Biturbos and think to myself what kind of madman would buy something so indulgent, yet something that cannot realistically be relied upon………all that said, I’m sure I’ll still be moaning about this in another 2 years - albeit having bought another 5 or 6 tyres.
It’s another £300.00 on top of the £130.00 last week ( plus half a day off work) for the latest crack repair, the wheels/tyres to date must have incurred about £2.5 to £3k of unexpected expense which seems frankly ridiculous.
The only positive is that our neighbours in Wales were super helpful, they even had a trolley jack to help my wife when BMW assistance were unwilling to drive up an icy hill.
The Alpina is great, but Mrs Hats 2.0 Macan has only absorbed 4 tyres in 38k miles, it is also roomy, economical with a 525 mile range and suitably comfortable.
To think that I used to read articles about Maserati Biturbos and think to myself what kind of madman would buy something so indulgent, yet something that cannot realistically be relied upon………all that said, I’m sure I’ll still be moaning about this in another 2 years - albeit having bought another 5 or 6 tyres.
Thanks guys, just as a thread hijack update, it’s another new tyre ( they are Alpina specific, although I’m not sure that I am getting an ‘ALP’ one ( the Alpina version of the Pirelli tyre) this time in any case ), it’s due tomorrow afternoon in Wales, so my wife will stay there until Tuesday, which has caused some disruption.
It’s another £300.00 on top of the £130.00 last week ( plus half a day off work) for the latest crack repair, the wheels/tyres to date must have incurred about £2.5 to £3k of unexpected expense which seems frankly ridiculous.
The only positive is that our neighbours in Wales were super helpful, they even had a trolley jack to help my wife when BMW assistance were unwilling to drive up an icy hill.
The Alpina is great, but Mrs Hats 2.0 Macan has only absorbed 4 tyres in 38k miles, it is also roomy, economical with a 525 mile range and suitably comfortable.
To think that I used to read articles about Maserati Biturbos and think to myself what kind of madman would buy something so indulgent, yet something that cannot realistically be relied upon………all that said, I’m sure I’ll still be moaning about this in another 2 years - albeit having bought another 5 or 6 tyres.
It’s another £300.00 on top of the £130.00 last week ( plus half a day off work) for the latest crack repair, the wheels/tyres to date must have incurred about £2.5 to £3k of unexpected expense which seems frankly ridiculous.
The only positive is that our neighbours in Wales were super helpful, they even had a trolley jack to help my wife when BMW assistance were unwilling to drive up an icy hill.
The Alpina is great, but Mrs Hats 2.0 Macan has only absorbed 4 tyres in 38k miles, it is also roomy, economical with a 525 mile range and suitably comfortable.
To think that I used to read articles about Maserati Biturbos and think to myself what kind of madman would buy something so indulgent, yet something that cannot realistically be relied upon………all that said, I’m sure I’ll still be moaning about this in another 2 years - albeit having bought another 5 or 6 tyres.
Thanks for the recent posts. And sorry to hear about your woes Tin Hat. That doesn’t sound like fun.
I need to decide today.
I had a go in the demo with 20”s recently and it was just OK. Not as comfortable as I was expecting, but it handled tidily and I only had one wince inducing run in with a pot hole.
Comfortable enough for a daily on our crappy roads? Probably not. So I am now leaning back towards 19”s.
I need to decide today.
I had a go in the demo with 20”s recently and it was just OK. Not as comfortable as I was expecting, but it handled tidily and I only had one wince inducing run in with a pot hole.
Comfortable enough for a daily on our crappy roads? Probably not. So I am now leaning back towards 19”s.
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