1990 316i-what wheels?

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noj66
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Wed Jul 17, 2019 2:56 pm

Hi,been a member a long time but rarely post. I'm picking up a nice 316i auto tomorrow. It's absolutely bog standard,been garaged every night for over 20 years by a fastidious owner. I know its going to be sedate to say the least but I'm not buying it to rag around. I've owned 6 E30s over the years and just fancied a nice original car.
Anyhow,it has steel wheels and hubcaps but I wondered what alloy wheels would have been an option on a base spec 1990 316i? It has colour coded wing mirrors,electric windows and mirrors but no sun roof. It still has the original Blaupunkt Oxford head unit and leccy aerial that works still.
I think the 14" cross spokes only came on Lux models at that time? I know I sound like a fanny but I want to keep it original.
Be30
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Wed Jul 17, 2019 7:45 pm

Hmmm,
14” bottletops are the only other wheels that pop into my mind apart from the 14” BBS.

My 1989 318i lux came with the 14” bottletops, not to my taste but it was the original spec.
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noj66
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Wed Jul 17, 2019 8:31 pm

Cheers for the reply. I'll probably leave it on the steel wheels for the austere tuetonic look.
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ocde30
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Thu Jul 18, 2019 10:18 am

Sounds like a great find you have - hope you post some pictures.
I bought a bog standard 318i touring new in 1989 ( see attached ) - the only option I could afford was metallic black paint.
At the time I liked the steel wheels and plastic covers that it came with. Easier to keep clean than my current 14"BBS however the BBS do make the car look just that bit special.
Attachments
H728_Emley_2.jpg
IMG_7008.jpg
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noj66
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Thu Jul 18, 2019 11:31 am

Great photos. I probably would get a set of 14" BBS if I can find a nice set. Will definitely post some photos.
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terryjippo
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Thu Jul 18, 2019 2:33 pm

Enjoy your 'new' car. If it were me, I still don't think you can beat stock 15 BBS, they would have been an option surely even for 4 cylinder cars, if sir had the money back in the day?

Keep the steelies, get some 15s also.

On another note, being slightly odd I always fancied sticking 15 steels on mine, and using the E34 wheel trims of the same design as those shown above. I once saw an E36 with exactly these in Italy and reckon thelarger size would look super cool on an E30. But the only time I've ever seen a 4 stud steel wheel that they'd fit in was a spare I had in a j reg E30 Cabrio. I didn't check the part number so not sure if it was oem stock, or someone had added it later...
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noj66
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Thu Jul 18, 2019 3:07 pm

Yeah the 15" BBS always look the business. Shocked at the prices asked for centre caps, I'm sure I bought some from Cotswold BMW for about 40 quid each about 3 years ago.
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