BMW M3 wheels on a 528i… can I file the hubs on the rims so they’ll fit?

I bought M3 wheels (the second set of ,000 rims i bought for my car that won't fit, although I was told they would). I have a 528i E39. The lug pattern matches up and the rims will fit fine, but with one small problem. One sixteenth of an inch of too much metal on the hub on the new rims won't allow it to fit over the hub on the car. But I may not be totally screwed, I was told that I could just file or grind the hub on the rim that small amount so it will fit over the hub on the car. There's only a 1/16th of an inch difference, and this is on a small, half-centimeter lip on the front of the rim hub. The guy I bought them from said to just have it filed and they'll be fine. He said he's seen the same rims put on other E39's and all they had to do was file the hub (he's a BMW repair man). What do you recommend? Anyone with detailed info or other questions to further explain to me what to do feel free to email RobezBMW528i@yahoo.com and thanks!

Comments

2 Responses to “BMW M3 wheels on a 528i… can I file the hubs on the rims so they’ll fit?”
  1. SomeGuyRandomWeirdo says:
    October 18, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    What kind of M3 was it?

    E30 E36 E46 E90?

    Almost all 5 lug BMWs have the same lug pattern (5×120)

    Some have different hub sizes and that is your problem.

    You could grind away at the wheels but then they will not be hubcentric, if you want it perfect; measure the hub and the wheel and then take the wheels to a machine shop to hog out the wheels so they will fit right.

  2. AS says:
    October 18, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    That is a horrible idea. The hub is made to be load-bearing, and there is no way that you can file the wheel perfectly round so that it fits onto your hub, transferring the weight evenly. Instead of ruining a perfectly good set of rims and burning $1,000 for a wheel that will give you driveability problems, sell those off and get yourself something that will fit.

Leave An Answer

Tell us what you're thinking about this question...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!