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[MEMMEZZ]

Hey everyone. Just wanted to share my experience with all of you. Friday morning I proceeded to getting in my car and going out to take care of some things. I was on a local street when I hit a very small pothole. Keep in mind this pothole was not anything disastrous or big. Idrive shows I have a flat, so I pullover. To my amazement, my front passenger wheel is bent so badly from the outside you would think I hit a 2 foot pothole. I had the car towed to bmw and just got the damage report today. Both the front and rear passenger wheels are bent,(front wheel is bent in the outside and inside and rear wheel is bent in the inside) and I will need new ones.

My mechanic that i'm friends with told me this would have never happened if I had oem wheels and that the wheels should not have bent because of a pothole that big. I purchased these wheels new in July so it has not even been a year. I now know why these wheels are $1000 new. I guess you do get what you pay for. I know that now.

[GewoW]

Well lemme just start off by asking you how big the rims were...?

[MEMMEZZ]

Originally Posted by GewoW

Well lemme just start off by asking you how big the rims were...?

The rims were 19's with stock specs. 19x8.5 in the front and 19x9.5 in the back.

[GewoW]

Ok, good lol. I though you were one of those that like to put 22s on your M and complain about rim strength .

But with 19s, especially where you live where I guess the roads should be fine, you shouldn't have a problem. VMR wheels just focus on looks, not quality...they are not forged they are gravity-casted. If you want good quality rims, they will not be cheap. The cheapest and best quality I can think of off the top of my head are VOLKs and CCWs, and those are about 6-800$/rim but are forged.

Sorry to hear of your troubles man...

[tom @ eas]

There are a lot of variables to what was actually the cause since only you were present when it happened.

We've been using the VMRs for over 4 years and even used them on our track event at Mfest last weekend - all performing to our expectations. All of our employees tun the VMR brand and we've hit the ocasional pothole from time to time.

No one brand excuses being alert while driving, and sometimes bad luck happens. By all means, let's not immediately blame things before knowing the actual reason beforehand.

To throw a wrench into the analysis, A friend's wife has bent 3 wheels on her 335 with runflats within the past 12 months - which are stock OEM. We're not blaming the roads or the wheels, only that more attention needs to be paid on the road while driving.

[GewoW]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

There are a lot of variables to what was actually the cause since only you were present when it happened.

We've been using the VMRs for over 4 years and even used them on our track event at Mfest last weekend - all performing to our expectations. All of our employees tun the VMR brand and we've hit the ocasional pothole from time to time.

No one brand excuses being alert while driving, and sometimes bad luck happens. By all means, let's not immediately blame things before knowing the actual reason beforehand.

To throw a wrench into the analysis, A friend's wife has bent 3 wheels on her 335 with runflats within the past 12 months - which are stock OEM. We're not blaming the roads or the wheels, only that more attention needs to be paid on the road while driving.

Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but the 335 OEM wheels are cast, and the runflats are extremely stiff and have caused an insane amount of bending/cracking. Both my rear style 230 wheels on my 335 were cracked and when I brought them to get repaired, the person I met with mentioned to me that they handle a very large number of cases from the nearby BMW dealer because of the stiff runflats.

So bottom line - runflats suck...and cause problems, and cast wheels are never as good as forged wheels, unless they weigh a lot more. I believe VMRs weigh in the low 20s...so that's a pretty bright red light in my book.

And I hope you shipped my CoolCarbons Tom

[ghosthi32]

vmr quality is not so great since it is gravity cast.

[calintexas]

Under inflated tires can result in a more concentrated load applied to the rims.

Lots of people here and on E90Post have VMR rims. Seems like there would be lots of complaints if they were abnormally weak.

[Definitive]

Have been running VMR's for 4 years. Not one bend in any of my rims... I think something else aided in this happening as others have said.

D

[OzStriker]

My VMRs have been on for over a year now with heaps of use and no issues.

[M3V8Driver]

That sucks. Any pictures? How long have you owned them? I wonder if the warranty will cover any of it, or your insurance.

On the flip side, I was driving my wife's Audi A6 on a rainy night when I hit the worst pothole ever. It was filled with rain, so I couldn't tell that it was 8" deep (as measured by the police after I filed a report). Actually, it was 5'Lx2'Wx8"D. The impact was so violent that the spring instantly broke in two and I limped it to a gas station with a cover. The OEM wheels suffered no damage and the tire wasn't even flat (Michelin X-ice winter tire). Simply amazing.

[GewoW]

Originally Posted by M3V8Driver

That sucks. Any pictures? How long have you owned them? I wonder if the warranty will cover any of it, or your insurance.

On the flip side, I was driving my wife's Audi A6 on a rainy night when I hit the worst pothole ever. It was filled with rain, so I could tell that it was 8" deep (as measured by the police after I filed a report). Actually, it was 5'x2'x8". The impact was so violent that the spring instantly broke in two and I limped it to a gas station with a cover. The OEM wheels suffered no damage and the tire wasn't even flat (Michelin X-ice winter tire). Simply amazing.

8''!!!! That's almost as long as my...

[montreal red]

i dont know bout vmr but i previously had miro m6 reps on my e90 and i used them for a good 6 month with no issues at all despite going through some pretty rough roads. people have complained bout miro as well for being 'cheap, low quality rims'. i guess its just luck. i have also seen people with very expensive forged rims crack their rims by accident when going through a pothole.

there is a positive side to all of this -- you can get 2(even 3) sets of vmrs for the price or some forged rims out there. so its not exactly going to break the bank. imagine if you bent or cracked a custom multipiece forged rim, you'd be crying when you hear what the replacement cost for just one rim is going to be.

[SUB-ZERO]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

There are a lot of variables to what was actually the cause since only you were present when it happened.

We've been using the VMRs for over 4 years and even used them on our track event at Mfest last weekend - all performing to our expectations. All of our employees tun the VMR brand and we've hit the ocasional pothole from time to time.

No one brand excuses being alert while driving, and sometimes bad luck happens. By all means, let's not immediately blame things before knowing the actual reason beforehand.

To throw a wrench into the analysis, A friend's wife has bent 3 wheels on her 335 with runflats within the past 12 months - which are stock OEM. We're not blaming the roads or the wheels, only that more attention needs to be paid on the road while driving.

Well, typically, VMRs are not the first set of wheels you think of when looking for a performance oriented quality wheel. However, if one is looking to save money and change up the look of their ride, VMR would be a consideration.

Secondly, VMRs are vastly inferior to BMW OE wheels, especially the factory forged wheels. So why would anyone change a set of factory forged 19" for a set of cast VMR? A different look would be the only reason I could think of. However, you get what you pay for.

Personally, if I were to go aftermarket cast, it would have to be a reputable wheel manufacturer like BBS. Not that VMRs are not reputable but, there is a reason why they are so inexpensive.


Just my two cents..
-SZ

[H Bomb]

ran them as a winter set with no problems. did have one that leaked air bad but VMR replaced it and then no problems all winter and we got alot of potholes here

[M3Captain]

Its a cast wheel, what do you expect?

[LateBraking]

Originally Posted by M3Captain

Its a cast wheel, what do you expect?

Welllllll.................

I run BBS CH's as a daily driver wheel, and they're casted, and I hit a disastrously big pothole. It ruined my tires, but my wheels still look round and fine. I'm waiting for the wheels to get back to me from being checked out, but everyone thinks they're okay.

I'm glad BBS are so tough, you have no idea how badly the tires were done....And remember, OEM M3 18's are cast wheels too. My friend went straight up a 6 inch curb on his OEM 18's at a decent speed, and other than curbing his wheels badly, his wheels were fine. It's more about getting what you pay for, I think.

[GewoW]

Originally Posted by iBeJayKaying

Welllllll.................

I run BBS CH's as a daily driver wheel, and they're casted, and I hit a disastrously big pothole. It ruined my tires, but my wheels still look round and fine. I'm waiting for the wheels to get back to me from being checked out, but everyone thinks they're okay.

I'm glad BBS are so tough, you have no idea how badly the tires were done....And remember, OEM M3 18's are cast wheels too. My friend went straight up a 6 inch curb on his OEM 18's at a decent speed, and other than curbing his wheels badly, his wheels were fine. It's more about getting what you pay for, I think.

It's not really the same...the BBS and OE wheels (BBS as well) are cast, but heavy as hell...The VMRs are light - and so, weak.

[LateBraking]

Originally Posted by GewoW

It's not really the same...the BBS and OE wheels (BBS as well) are cast, but heavy as hell...The VMRs are light - and so, weak.

Right. I was just commenting on the above post. It sounded like he was saying that cast wheel = automatically weak, which isn't necessarily true. I'm saying that it depends on what materials are used, amount of materials used, manufacturing process, quality control, etc.

[Chill72]

Pics of damage?

[brandon @ eas]

I have personally been using VMR wheels on my cars since 2007- not one bent rim or one single problem. I currently have my stock M3 wheels on, and one of those are actually bent from going over a mild hole in the road that didnt even bubble, or pop my tire so I will be replacing these with yet another set of VMR wheels down the line

[isugoo]

Originally Posted by SUB-ZERO

Well, typically, VMRs are not the first set of wheels you think of when looking for a performance oriented quality wheel. However, if one is looking to save money and change up the look of their ride, VMR would be a consideration.

Secondly, VMRs are vastly inferior to BMW OE wheels, especially the factory forged wheels. So why would anyone change a set of factory forged 19" for a set of cast VMR? A different look would be the only reason I could think of. However, you get what you pay for.

Personally, if I were to go aftermarket cast, it would have to be a reputable wheel manufacturer like BBS. Not that VMRs are not reputable but, there is a reason why they are so inexpensive.


Just my two cents..
-SZ

Very well said. I took off my OEM forged 19s to Alu's SF71.
It's not lighter, it's not wider than stock 19s. But just for the look, I changed it.