E46 with MV18's

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After reading through I've gathered there's a few E46 drivers here and was wondering if any of you had those spokey 18's on them. The reason is I need to know what high speed stability, tramilining and just general front end twitchiness is like with them?

I'm coming from a Saab 95 Aero and have driven a 530i which although didn't have the speed of the Saab, certainly had everything else I'm after, particularly good stability at 80, and I loved it on fast A roads too. How does the E46 drive with those great big wheels on. I like the 330i but I can't find one locally to test. I'm a fussy driver and if it's a curse then I'll soon lose patience with it I know. I also hear stereos are poor in them too.

Any information is greatly appreciated.
 
I have an e46 with 18inchers:

AETV210664_2b.jpg


The ride isnt that great. It certianly doesnt waft you long. I do manage ok with it tho. The wheels do tramline a bit too. The only thing to do I think is to get out there and drive one.

Mine has the upgraded sound system (but not the HK one) and I like it. The standard system is pretty poor though.

If you want to try a BMW forum of which a few of us BMW drivers on here are members, try www.bmwland.co.uk.

HTH

Joe T
 
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spinneR~uk said:
I'm coming from a Saab 95 Aero and have driven a 530i which although didn't have the speed of the Saab, certainly had everything else I'm after, particularly good stability at 80, and I loved it on fast A roads too.
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The 530i is fantastic, suprised it didn't have the speed of the Saab though, unless it was a Steptronic you drove.


I also hear stereos are poor in them too.
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They are embarrasingly poor :(
 
hey there
ive got the 325CI with the M sport pack hence the 18" MV spoke wheels , they look really nice :) and add a more sporty finish to the car
the ride with them is quite hard id say especially with the sports suspension, however ive rarely noticed much tramlining and at around 80 or 90 the car is very stable ive taken it upto 120 and even then the car felt very solid and poised.

im not to sure about the stereo as i have the Harman Kardon system with the two big subs :D but a mate who has the normal system insists that the speakers are very poor and that they lack in any oomph! i think however theres a box called amp on top that dramatically boosts the power output and gives the speakers the woomph they need!

i can give u some pics if you like of the wheels etc. :)

*S

[Edit] the tyres at the back are 40's or 35's and are very low profile so kerbing the alloys can be a problem ;)
 
Joe T said:
The ride isnt that great. It certianly doesnt waft you long. I do manage ok with it tho. The wheels do tramline a bit too. The only thing to do I think is to get out there and drive one.
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I feared as much. Shame because they look gorgeous on those rims. :(

[TW]Fox said:
The 530i is fantastic, suprised it didn't have the speed of the Saab though, unless it was a Steptronic you drove.
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Manual 530i Sport on a Y plate. It was very, very good but the Saab is a HOT[260] model and once you're out of second gear they're extremely fast. On paper they may perform closely but the Saab just has power without trying where the BMW needed revs.

stig said:
the ride with them is quite hard id say especially with the sports suspension
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This is what worries me. I'm after the Sport model but I do enjoy a relaxing comfortable ride with effortless overtaking, something the Saab does beautifully.

I just scanned through and caught a glimpse of NickXX's BM [Link]. Looks fantastic and I want a black one like that but my head is saying 530i Sport. Just hope the stereo is better in the 5 than the 3...
 
the ride is hard but as i said its bearable its not like so hard that every bump will throw you of course, but its medium hard lol

my dad has the new 5 the E60 its a 530d and i can honestly say the stereo is a lot better ive seen a 5 with the logic 7 as well which is stunningly good!

if you want speed, comfort and luxury id say go for the 5
if you want hard core thrilling action with a hint of class go for the 3 :cool:

*S
 
The E60 is beyond my spends but something tells me I won't put up with the ride for long and end up getting a 5 anyway. I don't think they weigh much more than the 3's so I doubt there's any substantial performance gain going for a 3 over a 5. I think the 5 would suit me better anyway. While my mates had 205Gti's and Golf16v, I was rolling about in a Pug 405Mi16, which I might just add was a very fine car indeed.
 
I've got a 330 with MV18s and I haven't had any problems with the ride/handling but I've always had cars with sports suspension/setup so its the the kinda of ride I'm used to.

The wheels are fairly wide so you would need to find some large ruts for it to tramline in.

spinneR~uk said:
I also hear stereos are poor in them too.
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Yep very, but soon sorted that out by having all the BMW crud ripped out and some aftermarket gear put in.
 
The stereo in the 530i is better than the one in the 3 Series but only in the same way that a JVC home stereo is better than an Aiwa one.

Both are rubbish, but deserve to be placed in the bin.

Buy a 5. They rock.
 
Although quality sounds are important it wouldn't steer my purchasing decision but you're right about the 5's. It's been a couple of weeks since I drove the 530i now and I can still feel the way it flows along the A259 with serious speed. It's extremely hard to fault in every area and it just feels complete; very well engineered. Perhaps if I was nasty I would say the delivery is peaky. My style suits laziness. 530d Sport perhaps...

As for MV2's, I didn't know what they were but after a quick Google I recognise them now and yes, beautiful, however rim dimensions are probably similar and offer the same hard ride.

After spending some time sniffing around the forums, particularly the one Joe mentioned the 5 seems the better all rounder and since I'm in my early 30's now, the 5 would make me look like management, where the 3 would make me look like I'm after schoolgirls. Just need a medallion for the full effect ;)

Decided. Manual 530i Sport [Facelift]. Just have to find one now but that's the fun part. :D
 
spinneR~uk said:
Although quality sounds are important it wouldn't steer my purchasing decision but you're right about the 5's. It's been a couple of weeks since I drove the 530i now and I can still feel the way it flows along the A259 with serious speed. It's extremely hard to fault in every area and it just feels complete; very well engineered. Perhaps if I was nasty I would say the delivery is peaky. My style suits laziness. 530d Sport perhaps...
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If you've got the money, I recommend the 530d Sport over the 530i Sport every day of the week for everything except great sound.

The 530i sounds beautiful, but IMHO the 530d is more effortless to drive and also faster. I've driven both, the 530d quite extensively, the only reason I've decided to buy the 530i is becuase I cannot really afford a mint 530d Sport.

If I could, I would. Get it remapped as well and it's properly fast.

The problem with them is that they are VERY expensive - generally quite a few thousand more than the equivilent 530i Sport, and you'll never make that saving back in fuel. But if you can afford it, and are happy it will cost more, then its fantastic.
 
The only way to really know is to try for yourself. There is way too much bias around to use peoples opinions, especially owners opinions.

Every 530i owner is convinced the 530d is worse, the 530i is better and faster, it sounds better, its for proper petrolheads, and the 530d is only bought by people who cant afford the fuel for the 530i.

Every 530d owner is convinced the 530i is worse, its slower, needs thrashing to go anywhere, uses a load of fuel, etc etc.

So, go drive both and pick the best. Rather than go drive both and pick the worst due to budget constraints like me :p
 
My e38 7 Series has 18's, I'd advise going for the smaller rim if you want ride quality over handling, that said, the ride isn't bad, just not as good as a "non Sport" e38 of similar spec.

Fwiw, the BMW Business Stereo & Autochanger in my e38 is superb, punchy, crisp & clear. No use for driving around with the windows down & Fat Boy Slim banging out, but, hey thats hardly what an average e38 driver will use his stereo for....

Buy the e39 5, unless you want a bigger car with similair virtues, in which case get an e38. ;) :)
 
330ci with 18" MV2's as mentioned before the ride is firm, tramlining is sometime felt, but on a nice surface its still very comfortable

BMW.jpg
 
GSXRMovistar said:
I thought MV2s came on the facelift 3s.

EDIT: Ignore that, just realised a few things have been changed on that car from standard.
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yeah previous owner changed them and the mirrors, im not a huge fan of modding but I think they look good and luckily are genuine bmw ones not replicas
 
GSXRMovistar said:
Nice colour also, suits it. ;)
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lot brighter in that pic, its imola red which is a bit darker, i like it as there arnt many around in that colour, normally black, silver or topaz blue
 
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