2003 BMW 325 Size of Wheels

JBSILKO

MEMBER
2003 BMW 325
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
50,000 MILES

I have a 2003 325i that was pre-owned. The prior owner replaced the wheels with 500-series wheels. I had some vibration and took it to the BMW service dealer. He told me the front control arm bushings were broken and need to be replaced. He also said the source of the problem was the 500 series wheels and that I needed some "spacers". He couldn't provide any more information. Can you direct me to what he's talking about?

1 Reply

DOCHAGERTY

MECHANIC
9,601 POSTS

I sure can. The body style of your car is called E46 and BMW uses a particular offset that is not the same as the 5 series wheels. Also the center hub is what BMW utilizes to "center up" the wheels, the 5 series is a larger hub and using the 5 series wheel, with its larger hub hole, disallows its ability to hold the wheel in the correct place, which can and often does cause vibration and handling concerns/issues. My recommendation is to obtain the correct wheels for your vehicle, you might try Autobahn recycling @(619)444-2290 They only do BMW and Porsche cars and they can set you up with what you need. John is the guy to talk to, tell him I sent you. Cheers mate, Paul Hagerty � � �