Style 135 color change and a couple questions

[Kimber]

I've been debating about buying new wheels and going square setup for some time now. I love our 135's and it's one of the reasons I bought the car. I have a '06 titanium silver convertible and the stock silver color is just too much silver for me. I don't want black, but something in the grey or anthracite category.

So here are my questions for you guys:

I know there is a performance gain by going with new, lighter, wheels, but I REALLY love our wheel style and am really thinking I am going to keep them. I am looking for anyone that will talk me out of keeping the stock staggered setup. So many people seem to be going square, but from what I have been told/read its more of a track thing, and I will never be racing my car. So stay staggered, or go square?

For the center caps, do you guys have the rears that are flat and the fronts that are sort of bubble out? I'm wondering if the PO lost a couple and bought 2 new stye ones for the front and left the flat style on the rear wheels? I'll try to put pics up later, but my rear "flat style" have like a lip of aluminum around the edge that isn't looking to nice. So maybe i just switch them all to the same. Anyone know the cheapest place to get them?

How about the M stickers, anyone know a cheap replacement, as I have a couple missing.

Is there a benefit to getting a kit like ECS sells for the wheel bolt replacement to studs other than ease of mounting the wheel easier? Here is what i found for $120, but its not like I am switching wheels all the time, so if that's the only benefit, then I will stick with my bolts I have now. I do like the black lug nuts though since I am switching my wheel color to a darker color.

I'm also getting new Michelin's as well and wanted to know do we have sensors in our wheels? I know there is that button under the radio, but honestly never read up on what it does. Can someone fill me in on what I might need to replace inside the wheel?

Thanks everyone!

[KevinC]

I have a silver coupe. I love the 135's too - despite the fact that they're so damn heavy, and difficult to clean. I solved the latter problem by switching to Akebono brake pads early on - they stay clean as a whistle now.

Personally, I think darker wheels would look awful on your car. If I'm in your shoes, I stay stock. These cars are getting older, and the desirable ones are the ones that have a 100% stock appearance at this point. Pretty much holds true for all cars as they age, especially cars like ours. The 135's are part of what makes a ZHP, a ZHP. A big part of it since that wheel wasn't used on any other USA-bound BMW.

Pretty sure there are no sensors in your wheels even though it's an '06. E46's didn't have them, they started in the '06 model year with the E90. But yours is a late carryover E46, so I doubt they were added - someone else should be able to confirm.

[fredo]

I'm pretty sure no ZHP came with the factory with TPMS sensors. But I heard you can retrofit them in some way. I had an early e90 (2006 330i) and it didn't come with such sensors.

[Sreten]

Not the best picture, but my first ZHP 330Ci auto had factory equipped TPMS.



If you don't have this button, then you probably don't have it.

[Dual]

Sreten: I'm not so sure that BMW wasn't fitting a proprietary tire pressure monitoring system as opposed to TPMS. I have something from BMW monitoring the tire pressure on my car. There are a few pages in the manual which discuss a "Flat Tire Monitor", going back as far as 2004, I believe.

I found asian knockoffs of the tiny ///M stickers on CL or Amazon: weren't hard to locate. EDIT: here you go.

My Alpine white has a staggered set, painted BMW B39 Mineral Gray Metallic, which appear darker here 'cause I like to push "Clarity" in Lightroom. While I don't want to wade into the "tastes great/less filling" debate I will say my wheels look clean pretty much all the time.

[anandoc]

There are no TPMS sensors in the wheels on our cars. The TPMS works via the DSC system through the wheel spin sensors. You can check out this DIY for retrofitting the TPMS system:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...e-doityourself

[Sreten]

You are right. Correct name for it would be 251 Run Flat Indicator using VIN decoder.

I guess that and TMPS are two different things. Learn something new everyday.

[Kimber]

Sreten: I'm not so sure that BMW wasn't fitting a proprietary tire pressure monitoring system as opposed to TPMS. I have something from BMW monitoring the tire pressure on my car. There are a few pages in the manual which discuss a "Flat Tire Monitor", going back as far as 2004, I believe.

I found asian knockoffs of the tiny ///M stickers on CL or Amazon: weren't hard to locate. EDIT: here you go.

My Alpine white has a staggered set, painted BMW B39 Mineral Gray Metallic, which appear darker here 'cause I like to push "Clarity" in Lightroom. While I don't want to wade into the "tastes great/less filling" debate I will say my wheels look clean pretty much all the time.

Thanks for the link, I saw some stuff on there as well, just didn't know if its a crap shoot finding decent quality stuff. I might get some center caps from ebay as well for cheap, as the OEM ones are crazy $$ for some plastic and a BMW sticker. LOL

I actually took them to Costco today and popped the tires off, no sensors, but i do have that button, so it seems everyone is correct about having the wheel spin monitor it. At least that saves me some money getting new sensors.

[Kimber]

I have a silver coupe. I love the 135's too - despite the fact that they're so damn heavy, and difficult to clean. I solved the latter problem by switching to Akebono brake pads early on - they stay clean as a whistle now.

Personally, I think darker wheels would look awful on your car. If I'm in your shoes, I stay stock. These cars are getting older, and the desirable ones are the ones that have a 100% stock appearance at this point. Pretty much holds true for all cars as they age, especially cars like ours. The 135's are part of what makes a ZHP, a ZHP. A big part of it since that wheel wasn't used on any other USA-bound BMW.

Pretty sure there are no sensors in your wheels even though it's an '06. E46's didn't have them, they started in the '06 model year with the E90. But yours is a late carryover E46, so I doubt they were added - someone else should be able to confirm.

I get ya about keeping it stock for resale, but I am keeping this car for a LONG time. I have pretty much refreshed every part on this car and have YCW coilovers that are being finished up and hopefully done within the month.

The thread a couple down from this one about color change has a titanium vert just like mine and his color is a little too dark for me, but something like that is what I am going for. Stock is just too much silver for me. LOL

[johnrando]

You can get good M stickers on ebay. Staggered wheels promote understeer, you don't need that. Plus, you get a bit more rotation ability with square. For sensors, you don't need to replace anything.

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