Which wheel is more sturdy: Style 68 or Style 119?

[VAB5]

My son is about to get his license, so my ZHP will become my DD between Alexandria and Washington DC. I love the style 135, but I've already replaced all 4 due to bending/cracking (mostly from previous owner). I just think the roads around here aren't suited for such a fragile wheel. I'd rather store them in my garage.

So, I'm looking at 68 and 119. Which are more sturdy? I love the looks of both of them.

119:

http://i.imgur.com/nxkDEO4.jpg

68:

http://i49.tinypic.com/hx0xzr.jpg

Thanks!

Paul

[san]

Kinda hard to say (for me atleast) but the 119 seem to be more sturdier. But if you are going to run the same tire on both and say you go into a giant pothole then rim would most likely bend or crack at the edge and in that case it might all come down to the material...


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[BMWCurves]

I will say I prefer the looks of the style 68s. However, when I purchased my '03 330Ci ZSP in Philadelphia back in 2013, three of the four style 68 wheels had bends in them. I had them repaired near the time of purchase. A year and a half later when I was moving back to the west coast and prepping my car for the cross country drive, I went to the mechanic to have them give it a once over. Three of the wheels were bent again due to the potholes in Philly. They're not the sturdiest wheels in the world but they worked fine for me.

[slater]

Style 68. they are staggered, light, and look awesome. please keep them silver. :)

[PetesZ]

I see those around all the time. Save the 135��

[az3579]

The only way I can see someone being able to bend/crack a 17" wheel is if they are aiming directly for the potholes and driving into them. There's so much tire between the rim and the ground that I don't know how it's possible to bend/crack a wheel if you are getting around them.

Personally I haven't bent or cracked a wheel yet. The only wheel that I've had that had a crack in it was from someone else driving the car, someone who doesn't pay attention.

If you're worried about bending and cracking, I'd recommend you start keeping an eye on where you are placing the car. Don't hit potholes directly, drive around them. It's 100% doable, I do it every single day. It does require keeping a vigilant eye on the road directly in front of you though, which is the downside, but I keep scanning up and down in front of me to make sure I'm looking ahead enough to be aware and making sure I don't hit what's directly in front of me.

Also make sure your tire pressures are where they should be. You can try increasing the tire pressure to help mitigate the damaging effects on the wheels, though it will result in a stiffer ride. Don't go too high or you'll run into improper tire wear.

I have a feeling the previous owner was just an inattentive driver and didn't bother avoiding potholes. I'm thinking you'll be more vigilant than s/he was, so this probably won't happen as often (if at all) to you.


As for wheel choice, I'd choose 68's... but I am biased. :)

[VAB5]

Amen!

I didn't realize how prescribed a pothole-avoidance path I used on my commute until I let my son drive downtown. Every 10 seconds I would alert him to ease left or ease right to avoid a hazard. It must have been exhausting for him.

[az3579]

Amen!

I didn't realize how prescribed a pothole-avoidance path I used on my commute until I let my son drive downtown. Every 10 seconds I would alert him to ease left or ease right to avoid a hazard. It must have been exhausting for him.

Yeah, that's the problem for people who don't really care about cars. They don't pay attention or care about stuff like this...
If he does care, then he's trainable! :biggrin

[STREETFIGHTER50]

I'd say the 119s are more sturdy. Ask me why? Look at my post for having to switch my dad's set up to 16s lol! My dad bashed up his 119s as well as some of my other 17s I lent him. They're all ugly now, but they've held up. The 68s are one of the lightest OEM BMW wheels so I doubt they'd be as durable. Stick for stock they look awesome, especially when ran 8.5" squared with some fat tires on em :)