[zesty]

Although I'm usually very much a keep-it-stock kind of guy, I've for a very long time wanted to make a change on my 650i from the ellipsoid wheels to these Avant Garde M359 wheels (which are very similar to the M3 wheels on the current M3). I've never seen these wheels on a 6 series, but I had strong hopes they would look as nice on the 6 as they do on the M3.

I was finally able to convince myself to go for it and I was able to install them last night. I kept it the same 19" size wheels as before and the same stock size on the tires. After reading a lot of very positive reviews, I decided to change away from the run flat tires and I went with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. I look forward to experiencing the improvements in handling and wear with these new tires over the stock run flats. I think I'm going to try to get some sort of mobility kit and hope that will suffice if there might be any future flat tire issues.

I hope to have better pictures soon, but these are a couple from last night in the garage I can share - along with one picture from before the wheel change. So far I think I'm quite happy.

zesty

Wheel/Tire Specs:
Front: Avant Garde Hypersilver M359 19" x 9" (18mm offset) with 245/40/19 Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires
Rear: Avant Garde Hypersilver M359 19" x 10" (25mm offset) with 275/35/19 Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires

 

[Patton63]

They look great. Congrats!

 

[Mulchman]

They look great. Congrats!

+1 :thumbup:

 

[coug60]

Good choice on the rims...

 

[tampamark]

Very nice! Love the garage also.

 

[BADRIDES]

Very nice

 

[gregb]

nice - very sweet wheels (and I've always like that color)!

 

[Yorgi]

They look great. Love that concave.

 

[GOTONE!]

NICE! Love the wheel choice. Any plans on lowering it? How big is the gap in the front?

 

[bismarck]

Yes quality choice on rims! If I'm ever to upgrade it will be to a similar euro style (are those from the e46 m3 csl?) I feel like we're on a similar page style-wise given what you've said! Congrats.

 

[pablo645]

Sweet upgrade zesty! Love those rims. It's amazing what a new set of rims can do to a car. Looks like night and day moving from the ellipsoid. :thumbup:. Oh, I've got to say that the addition of the persian rug for stepping out of the car is a nice touch.

 

[zesty]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. To answer a few questions:

There is plenty of space with these wheels and no rubbing of any kind. These wheels were specifically designed for recent 5 and 6 (and maybe also 7) series BMW with staggered setup. They fit perfectly and the offsets and wheel size provide a rough equivalent to the stock setup. They are almost exactly a replica of the same wheels for the current 2012 M3 (thought they are offered on M3's in either black or silver).

As for the Persian rug in the garage - that is funny stuff. That rug was from college many years ago and was probably the only decorative touch my college housing had at the time

I did get so excited about these wheels that I decided to add similar wheels to my Audi A5. While the A5 didn't get as nice a wheels as these Avant Garde wheels, they work well and I think are a nice improvement from the stock rims on that car (and I took the opportunity to upgrade those tires to Continental DWS tires).

I was able to take a few better pictures to post.

Thank you,
zesty

 

[tampamark]

Very nice, not to change topics, but how do you like the A5 compared to your 6? I test drove the S5 convertible and even though it is less HP than my 6 it was noticeably faster!!! They seem like great cars.

 

[ModBargains]

Very nice choice of wheels! Those M359s look amazing on that car, especially that color. Looks like you have plenty of room in the front also! The Avant Garde M359 is a win win on every car! Its tough to beat the Competition Style M3 replica Enjoy!

 

[def-one]

Very nice! Those M359's look great. Huge improvement from the ellipsoids.

 

[zesty]

Very nice, not to change topics, but how do you like the A5 compared to your 6? I test drove the S5 convertible and even though it is less HP than my 6 it was noticeably faster!!! They seem like great cars.

Hello Tampamark - I enjoy the A5, but I would also say that comparing it to my 650i is apples and oranges. The 6 my dream car and I baby it as my weekend and special occasion car. I love they way the 6 drives, the way it looks and I was very careful to wait to get just the color scheme I wanted.

The A5 is a nice car, and is all wheel drive quattro, but is also in a different league than the 6. It drives nicely and has decent power, but feels quite a bit slower than my 6. It also doesn't have the higher quality fit, finish and upgraded feel, especially on the interior, as does the 6. This said, it is nice to have the all wheel drive when needed and it is reasonably sporty. I do have to imagine that the S5 is a real monster, by comparison, and it does have quite a few upgrades over the A5, including more than just the motor, and would probably be more in the league with our 6 series. The Audi also, for reasons that yet baffle my mind, gets far more attention and compliments than the 6 (for what that is worth). I will say that the Audi is very much an artistic beauty in design and flows beautifully from the front to the back.

All this said, I'll take the 650 all day if I had to pair it down to one - but then again, it's kinda fun to get to have the Audi as a DD and the 650 as my fun car.

zesty

 

[tampamark]

I can tell you that the S5 is on par with the 6's interior, at least the Prestige model that I drove was! Not to mention just a quicker car, between the all wheel drive and very snappy transmission it just really ripped. As you may notice the 6 spools up into it's power, kinda takes off and then really starts pulling. The S5 starts off pulling and doesn't stop.

I still prefer the 6 though, just one of the most beautiful designs in my opinion. :thumbup: