help me decide which wheels

[bmw4life13]

i've narrowed my search to these two style wheels.....bmw 17" style#44 or hamann hm3 wheels. i realize that the bmw wheels are cast while the hamann's are forged but my friend insists that i wouldn't be able to tell the difference when street driving. what do you guys think? which one's would you get for an e36?

http://bavauto.com/shop.asp

http://cgi.aol.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43957&item=2449629422

http://pacificbmw.com/catalog/wheels/detail.asp?series=3 Series&pid=26

 

[manuel]

style #44 wheels aren't nice looking...get the hm3.

 

[Tom]

I'd get the Hamann wheels also.

 

[bmw4life13]

the hamann's are very nice but are ~$350 each!!! i found this shady ass place that's selling the bmw wheels used for $175 each. do you think that's a good deal?

 

[Big Daddy]

The Hamann's are really nice. Have you looked at Momo's? Check with Tony at Mechanic Masters, www.mechanicmasters.com and see what he will sell you Momo's for. He owns a European repair garage and is an authorized Momo and Dinan dealer. Tell him Dan sent you!

 

[bmw4life13]

i just found out that the hamann hm3's are cast wheels as well. this leads me to my next question.....why should i pay more $$ for a set of cast wheels when they both will perform equally on street driving?

 

[TCGray]

Whats up bmw4life13. I would definitely go with the Hamann HM3 wheels. They look much better and are higher quality. They may both be cast alloy, but the bmw style #44's are italian replicas that look cheap, while the Hamann's are made by OZ wheels which are german made wheels with a very good reputation. Also the Hamann wheels are wider which will make your car handle better. You can get Hamann HM3's for cheaper than $350 a piece. You can get a set of them for $1,099.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43957&item=2450069507 . In my opinion BMW's deserve high quality genuine wheels. I would not put Italian replicas on my BMW, I would rather save my money until I can buy some good quality German wheels. This is just my opinion though. Good luck with deciding on your wheels.

 

[bmwbenzpartz.com]

i got the hm3 in stock for $1149.99, ready to ship, made in germany, with new center caps and lug nuts, THESE ARE ORIGINAL HAMANN WHEELS

$1149.99, PLUS SHIPPING
www.bmwbenzpartz.com

 

[Pink_Floyd]

Why are lots of replica wheels made in Italy? I always thought of Italian craftsmanship, especially in the automotive area, to be quite good. Usually when you think of replicas or knock-offs you think of China or other poorer Asian countries.

 

[bmw4life13]

thanks for everyone's input. can anyone photoshop hamann hm3 wheels on an e36, preferably a 4dr? i would like to see how they look on my car before i buy them.

 

[gbf1lm]

ya i wil ry to photoshop them

 

[bmw4life13]

thanks gbf1lm. btw i spoke to the bmw parts manager and he said although most bmw wheels are made by bbs (labeled on the inside of the wheel) the syle#44 wheel is not. he couldn't tell me who made that wheel style. so i looked at my girlfriend's spare tire and the only label i could find other than bmw was AAC. anyone heard of them? i couldn't find any info on the internet about AAC.

 

[TCGray]

Bmw4life13, I asked the same question about some pics of an e36 with Hamann HM3's on this board and got a few good pics. Here is the link to the thread. http://www.bmwboard.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=1519&highlight=hamann+hm3 .

 

[gbf1lm]

ok i did these on photoshop. i couldnt find a black one with teh side view, since i thkn that is the color u have but here.

i found a pic in silver that i did it on, and i changed it too black but it never looks right when u change color to black . . . bc its not really a color.

 

[gbf1lm]

oops typed it wrong

 

[gbf1lm]

ok forget teh link il ljsut attach

 

[gbf1lm]

and the black 1

 

[gbf1lm]

also i did not know if u wanted chromed or not.

 

[bmw4life13]

thanks for the pics. i'm definitely going to get the hm3.

 

[gbf1lm]

ya i think you should definetly go hm3 they are really nice.

btw i did them unchromed but then i saw u took it off ur post, if u want the pic jus ask and ill ipload it