Just so you understand the full situation, here’s how it played out. It started with this message from David:
David did ask for honest opinions here, so he’s getting what he wanted. I saw the Saab wheels and my first reaction was this:
Because, of course the Saab Inca wheels would be better. They’re always better. At this point, we were all having fun, gleefully enjoying the combination of wheel and car, and then whammo:
Oh shit. Now we’re in trouble. I pressed Adrian for clarification:
Of course, Adrian isn’t wrong that lots of effort, design and engineering-related, goes into the wheels chosen for a given car. No question about that. But does that really mean you can never do some mix-and-matching? Other Autopians chimed in:
I admire S.W. Gossin’s boss-level not-give-a-fuckery on that Stratus Coupé, and I think Adrian is delusional if he thinks Thomas has any clothes from Hugo Boss or Giorgio Armani. I know what we pay him. Seeing how this was going, I decided to stir the turd a bit:
I don’t know, I still think that looks pretty great. Knowing how much this was driving Adrian bonkers, I couldn’t help but remind him of the existence of these:
Yes, the Ronal Teddy Bears. You’d think that would be the trump card against anyone complaining about aftermarket wheels, right? Anyway, here’s the takeaway: the genuine, professional car designer who works for us says that it’s a sin to put wheels from one carmaker onto another car. While I can understand this purist argument, I’m personally not sure I agree, as my fundamental automotive rule is the same as what Aleister Crowley proposed for his Thelemic brand of sorta-Satanism: Do What Thou Wilt. If it’s making you happy on your own car, have at it. And, I do think there are some wheels that can work great visually crossing carmaker lines. But I never graduated from the Royal College of Art, of course. So, let’s put it to the Autopian Collective Mind: is this okay? What do we think of mixing OEM cars and wheels? Tell us! Explain! Prove Adrian wrong!
Also, sorry to say it, but the designer insists that the OEM wheels are what belongs and that nothing else can work, as though wheels aren’t just one compromise among many between design, engineering, financial, and many other departments. If people prefer a different compromise, as long as the offset and spacing and all that is the same, more power to them for doing something unique with their vehicle.
Taste is purely subjective. I would respectfully suggest that Adrian watch the road in front of him and let people mod their cars as they please
However, saying that most aftermarket wheels don’t look good is short sighted. I could as easily say that most OEM wheels are ugly because the term “most” throws it all out of whack. For every classic like the Torq Thrusts or the Minilite wheels, you’ve got a dozen sins against nature such as the Pro Comp 74 Series Trilogy wheels (sidenote, why the HELL are truck wheels so godawful ugly?) The OEM side isn’t as heavily weighted towards bad design as they are, by nature, more conservative in their design. That doesn’t mean that the Mustang didn’t get the 6-spoke Tri-bars for several years, the VW GTi didn’t have those awful 5-spokes from ’05-13 (called Hufeisens I think?,) and Mercedes didn’t have those awful x290 monoblock wheels.
Everyone makes mistakes. Venerating one over the other exclusively is silly
And I hate the general public.
Ironically, I run E36 M3 dsii wheels on my 2011 128i. It’s a rare scenario where an older wheel works on a more modern car, IMO.
I agree that other-OEM wheels rarely if ever look good, but people are free to make mistakes.
But to be fair, I am someone who think all mods should be invisible and for speed, and/or reduced noise and more comfort while looking as stock as possible.
For instance, I would love to take a Toyota Avalon, and either tune the 300hp V6 to maximize its power, or replace it with a more potent engine, but leave the exhaust alone. The cooling, suspension, and brakes would also then get changed to match the type of uh….spirited highway driving that would (safely) occur on long stretches of open highway. So, a total dad-mobile that also goes like hell.
But it should look 100% stock externally. This is the kind of thing I find to be fun and hilarious.
I think if you are going to change the wheels, they should not only be OEM, they should be a size smaller…because most vehicles have wheels that are too large with tires that do not have enough rubber. This is both a ride comfort choice and for asthetics. I like more tire/smaller wheels. Nothing excessive, but a 19 down to an 18 or 17 at most. So, what a winter wheel/tire combo looks like, but without winter tires.
These were used on MGB’s and Capris alike. Although they can be considered OEM because both cars came from the factory so equipped.
Most of the arguments concerning fitment have been covered here. You know a BMW wheel will fit other BMW’s. And there are dozens of choices if not hundreds. I personally think E92 wheels look pretty sharp on earlier E46 coupes.
Most people won’t notice Toyota wheels on a BMW, though. But we’re not most people. Gearheads will notice and it won’t look right to them. Although there are always exceptions.
However, like the Rostyles, branded wheels from an external supplier that are offered as OEM are an exception. BBS is BBS, whether they’re on a BMW or a Porsche.
Today, my dads 2018 BMW X1 xDrive 2.8i rides on Mini Cooper Countryman OEM rims winter (sans ‘Mini’ centre disk) and the BMW OEMs summer. After all, that model X1 was a Mini underneath.
So is it okay with Adrian if badge families can cross pollinate? 🙂
Factory wheels are often the ugliest god damn things and IDK why designers/management keeps pushing such terrible choices onto the general public when it’s been proven TE37s look good on damn near everything.
Case in point: BRZ/GR86: The wheels are TERRIBLE and look like they came from Sears in 2003
I’ve gotten 3 or 4 sets of OEM wheels from craigslist/FB marketplace or junkyards to put on other vehicles very economically with a lot of success. Sometimes I’ll keep it within the family (Mazdaspeed 3 wheels as winters on the RX-8, mazda6 wheels as summers on the Mazda5), but mixing and matching has worked out well too (Chrysler Sebring wheels on Toyota Celica, Hyundai… something? don’t remember… on a previous Mazda5). The key is to make sure that they are OEM wheels, and inspect them closely for cracks, dents, and roll them to look for a wobble or something when buying. Usually you can get 3 or 4 good ones from a set of 4 take-offs in the $200 range, then if you need to replace one just check car-part.com for a match in a junkyard, those are usually only $75 or so.
Aesthetically, to each his own, but Saab has made some nice looking wheels over the years (the ones David chose wouldn’t be my top pick, but they aren’t bad and if you can get a full, undamaged set from a junkyard, who’s to argue?). Those are from one of the later 2007+ 9-3’s I think, which shared some parts of the epsilon platform (although Saab apparently reworked it substantially) with the Chevy Malibu, Pontiac G6 etc. Similarly, many bits of the powertrains were shared with other epsilon & delta (like the cobalt, HHR etc) platform vehicles too, so I’d have no concerns about that swap. The wheel diameter looks a maybe an inch or two too large for the HHR styling, but for junkyard wheels/tires there may not have been much of a choice since these used a somewhat odd 5x110mm bolt pattern.
