[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by sspade

Are there any OEM 18's that you are aware of that fit this bill? That's ultimately what Id like. Very happy with my current OEM 18's but they weight 27.5 lbs each. 20lbs might be a dream but I would love to be in the low 20s with my next set.

for oem 18", the forged 513M comes to mind. they are 19.6lbs, 20.8lbs. the widths and offsets are aggressive though since they are for M2/3/4-series. you'll have to run 235/45 or 245/40 up front and 265/40 in the rear. i've seen peeps run'em with the M tire sizes on'em, 255/40, 275/40.

[kern417]

Yep I'd recommend the 513M as well. The only downside is someone let the cat out of the bag about them, and now their prices have skyrocketed over the past few months. But in general OEM wheels are going to be heavy because the OEM is more concerned with strength than light weight.

[Stopsign32v]

I'd think aftermarket would open the floor gates with good light weight options in 18 inch, no?

[sspade]

Does lightweight often correspond with easily bent? Like say by hitting that, once every few months pot hole?

Im not worried about curbs, at all.

[alohasurftoad]

Originally Posted by sspade

Does lightweight often correspond with easily bent? Like say by hitting that, once every few months pot hole?

not at all. although its cost may be more than a cast wheel, flow formed or rotary forged wheels usually have low pressure cast faces and barrels that are thinner and lighter but still strong due to the spun forging process. personally, rotary forging is a minimum requirement if i'm going aftermarket.

most well known wheel brands offer a flow formed/rotary option in their line ups.

[kern417]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

not at all. although its cost may be more than a cast wheel, flow formed or rotary forged wheels usually have low pressure cast faces and barrels that are thinner and lighter but still strong due to the spun forging process. personally, rotary forging is a minimum requirement if i'm going aftermarket.

most well known wheel brands offer a flow formed/rotary option in their line ups.

I think it's a little more relative than that. You can make a forged wheel that is as strong as a cast wheel but it's not always the case. Say for example our stock wheels. At 25lbs they may be as strong as a 20lb forged wheel, but the OEMs go ahead and add additional features that increase the weight more and further improve it's strength. So many aftermarket forged wheels aren't as strong as OEM wheels, but they're strong enough for most driving situations. That's also why OEM wheels are so much heavier than even a lot of aftermarket "quality" cast options.

Forged wheels also tend to bend before they crack which is typically preferred from a safety aspect. So to further reduce the chance that cracking happens, OEMs beef up the spokes and barrels. Then they paint the windows of the spokes grey/black to make them not look as gaudy.

[MacklinUSOB]

Originally Posted by Stopsign32v

I'd think aftermarket would open the floor gates with good light weight options in 18 inch, no?

APEX wheels are very well known in BMW circles and their ARC-8 wheels are a staple for those who track. Their 18 inch wheels start around 18 pounds and are very reasonably priced.

Originally Posted by sspade

Does lightweight often correspond with easily bent? Like say by hitting that, once every few months pot hole?

Im not worried about curbs, at all.

The capacity to bend on impact is more to do with metallurgy than weight or thickness. BMW wheels are soft as hell and do not cope well with northeastern roads. I've had to have all of mine straightened, my Indy says almost every modern BMW he gets on a lift has wheel bends.

[That340i]

Have you looked at the 401M wheel's? I think those look the best now on the 3.

[Eddien123]

Mine has them. They're not extremely common but also not rare. If you wanted to you could sell for probably $1100-1500

[Zacbmw]

I live in Dallas, TX but open to possibly getting them shipped. PM me

[Infamous039]

I also have a set for 403 M wheels for sale. Let me know if your interested they come with tires and sensors as well.

[CalCarNut]

397s are 26lbs.....(12kg).

Not bad.

[SUETHEBMW]

Ive got a set currently on my car. I need a buyer lined up to get new ones. Letting them go for $1000, someone just has to wait for me to get my new ones and install them.

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by kern417

Yep I'd recommend the 513M as well. The only downside is someone let the cat out of the bag about them, and now their prices have skyrocketed over the past few months. But in general OEM wheels are going to be heavy because the OEM is more concerned with strength than light weight.

Yes and no about "cat out the bag". There's always been a following of the 513m, even from other chassis owners. Prices just vary based on region. From my observation, more east coast M3/M4 owners went with 513m so prices have been lower on the east coast due to availability. 513m tend to be more rare since majority went with 437m on the west coast, hence higher asking prices. Nowadays 513m just seem more rare to find in general.