2009 BMW 750i: Whatever Happened to BMW's Cool Wheels?

On the left is a flat and dull picture of what you're not supposed to like. On the right is a bright, shiny, and colorful picture of what you're supposed to like. Kinda reminds me of the before/after pictures in exercise commercials.

Even after all my bitching, I agree with Ed. Much better looking wheels.

Bangle happened. I miss those old 740i sport models. Same with the same era M5.

I don't know, I like the wheels on the new one much better than the old one in the picture. The old one looks very aftermarket and almost cheap.

The rims on the new 7 series don't do the car justice. Maybe BMW thought if people can afford an $85,000+ car they'd spend more money on buying their own personalized set of rims?

Then again, BMW could have capitalized on the market and offered a better variety of rims on their accessory list.

I totally agree --- BMW used to make some of the best looking wheels in the industry. Personally, I think the 18 inch Parallel Spoke (pictured, and originally designed for the e34 m5) is their best looking wheel of all time! Followed by the Contour rim for the e36 m3 and the modified version for the M coupe and roadster. The common feature on each?? They were all designed with lips in a staggered setup.. no one designs lips on their wheels nowadays, its all about concavity (which is cool in it own way too)... I guess wheels with lips are too "dated" looking for current car designs

I like the new wheels, no better or less than the old ones though. The new alloys just seem very fussy and those would be a pain to clean.

I think that SAAB has cool alloys. They are usually quirky and different.

I just wish BMW would come up with some magic juice to get the damn brake dust off the wheels. My wife's 535xi is a mess.

The rims on the current 7 are terrible and I'm glad this came up. Dont like the rims on the M3 either. Nothing is worse than the base rims on the 3 and 5 series. 335i rims and 550i rims are nice.

Audi has nice rims. GM's trucks/SUVs and Pontiacs have nice rims. Camaro and Corvette have great rims. Volvo and Saab design nice wheels but Saab has removed the best wheels from the 9-3 over the years.

These rims look like they belong on a Hyundai, not on BMW's flagship sedan.

That was the 1st thing I noticed on the new 7-series, the stock wheels are a lot less aggressive! It is even smaller in size, the last 7-series sport had 20s, now is only 19s. Maybe BMW is trying to get better gas mileage?

To be honest, I like the new rims better. Maybe its just the photos? I've always been a fan of the many-spoked variety.

I'd say, on the German front, Mercedes took up the slack big time. I truly dislike the new C-class...however the wheels can make it look half decent. The new AMG wheels are elegant, yet pretty aggressive as well.

Best looking factory wheels are any AMG wheels. They are always staggered and most have 'lips'. S5 19"s are awesome as well, as posted above. The 19"s on the new A4 s-line 19" package look sweet too.

Are you sure this isn't just a matter of tastes have changed but yours are stuck in the past? For looks, I don't prefer one over the other, but the new one follows current design trends. Certainly the older ones are preferable from a practical standpoint-- the flush rimless look in vogue is much more likely to collect curb rash.

Ha, I just came across this -- you need the M-sport pkg on 7 -- wheels are MUCH better looking --

http://www.7post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=275738

Those M-Sport wheels are the wheels that the U.S. 7-Series should have with the Sport Package. Any idea if the M-Sport is going to make its way stateside?

And I still think the E38 with the sport package is the best looking 7-Series.

I agree, I don't like the new 750i's wheel offerings with or without the sport package. They really don't do a lot for the car.

On the other hand, those M-Sport wheels are hot!

Personally, I think the NEW wheels look better, the old ones look like cheap after market rims for an econo-box. The only olders ones that I like are the ones on the 2000 7 series in the link.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsyt_wQ2awY/SKBfjabFCFI/AAAAAAAAFB0/CxADu9NzqAU/s400/BMW-7_Series_Protection_2000_800x600_wallpaper_01.jpg

dougtheeng said:

"To be honest, I like the new rims better. Maybe its just the photos? I've always been a fan of the many-spoked variety."

I agree with that, and with the other posters who consider the older '99 wheels tacky and aftermarket-looking. I've always been partial to spokey wheels. They look more elegant and understated.

However, the industrial gray color is less than flattering.

I have to agree, there isn't much in terms of attractive wheels in BMW's current lineup. A lot of the 1 and 3 series wheels are OK but generic, I would say I liked the E90 330i/335i's 18 inch sport wheels though...that's about it. The 5-series has just flat-out ugly rims throughout the lineup, but I also think it's just an ugly car.

the S5 does have some amazing wheel options, but for me, the options on the A8 absolutely take the cake...

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/vehicle-pictures/2008/audi/a8/5094-042-wheel-profile-480.jpg

Agree that Audi makes very cool looking rims.

"Best looking factory wheels are any AMG wheels. They are always staggered and most have 'lips'."

Most AMG wheels are staggered, but not always. The CL550 with the AMG package got the same wheels/tires all the way around. I was shocked to see that too.

To be honest, both set of wheels look nice to me, with neither looking any more special or sharp.

I'll take the wheels on the left. Between the two. What I really want are the performance wheels for the 135i ;)

http://image.eurotuner.com/f/15317462/eurp_0904_08_z+our_cars+bmw_performance_wheel.jpg

It's funny, my thought when I saw the first picture in the "Twins" post was, "I like those wheels on that car." I'm a fan of the new ones.

BMW will never radically alter the appearance of their cars. Every time a refresh/update comes up, the car is basically the same with a upgraded engine and features content. Money well spent on its drive rather its look. Bimmers will always be bimmmers. Thats why we love em.

The '99 rims may have been better for their respective era, but absolutely not today -- they're ridiculously dated looking. The only thing that really bothers me about the new rims are that they look heavy -- sport package rims should be low unsprung weight.

I like the wheels, but would hate to clean 'em.

Maybe if you tire-shined the tires they would look more appealing...

Five spokes or give me hubcaps!