My E34 540

[Jehu]

Here are a few pics of my new ride... Can anyone positively identify those wheels? Are they Rondel 58s or are they Genuine BMW wheels....?

Note** EMBEDDED MUSIC**
http://users.adelphia.net/~cpkver8/

[SC David]

Looks great! Those are Rondell wheels, not the OEM BMW ones from the E39 530i. I like those more because of the huge lip...but I like the OEM ones because of the rivets...tough choice!

[SchnellE34]

Very nice, those wheels have a huge lip! Great find!

[Jehu]

Looks great! Those are Rondell wheels, not the OEM BMW ones from the E39 530i. I like those more because of the huge lip...but I like the OEM ones because of the rivets...tough choice!

The Independant BMW shop to which i brought the car for a Pre Purchace Inspection insists these wheels should not be on this car. I have the 50 mph shimmy so while i've been too busy with work to take it to a shop even for the State Safety Inspection, i am still trying to gain as much information as i can to know in which direction to move to fix it.I am told by some these are aftermarket wheels and if they contribute to the shimmy, hubcentric rings will fix it. Others say the hubcentric rings will only fit with Genuine BMW wheels so if these aren't then no luck. I imagine someone with a machine shop could manufacture some custom hubcentric rings if that would reduce the shakeing. The seller replaced the tie rod ends and a rear sway bar bushing. The PPI shop said it also needed upper caster arms and bushings but the seller overlooked that. A friend who owns a 2000 528 said he had warped rims and had to replace them to fix his shimmy but still has a slight vibration at times. I want this car to get right. I don't care what needs to be replaced, i'm not looking to cut corners or save money. I'll take it in for the state inspection to a local BMW dealership and bring any information they give me about repairs to the seller and see if he's willing to work with me toward getting this car stable. Everything else seems fine..

[SC David]

Well, the only reason you would need hubcentric rings is if the wheels weren't fitted for your car in the first place. If you are running E39 wheels, which is a possibility, then you would need hubcentric rings to fill in the gap in the hub. E39's have a 74.1mm hub I believe, while E34's have a 72.56mm hub. If you do need these you can go to www.tirerack.com and search for part Tirerack part #A670, which are the rings you're looking for. But if the wheels were made for an E34/32/38 etc, then they may be bent which could be causing the shimmy.

However, your best bet is to replace some of your suspension components. Thrust arm bushings are a common replacement that usually help eliminate the 50mph shimmy. Get those replaced with the 750iL bushings, as they are a better upgrade. If neither of those solve your problem then the shimmy could be caused by any number of components in the E34's oh-so complex front suspension.

[jjw]

It maybe nothing wrong except those tires/wheels are out of balance, will have the same shimmy as bad trust arm bushings. I would check for balanec and see if there are and bend wheels and if they do need hubcentric rings, wheels should stay in the middle when all the lugs are out, not drop down.

[BillionPa]

looks like you need some new brake pads and rotors too

[onewhippedpuppy]

The PPI shop said it also needed upper caster arms and bushings but the seller overlooked that.

That would be the thrust arms, as David has said. They're notorious for causing the shimmy. If you had a PPI at a good shop and they reported that they need replaced, that's probably the culprit. I would start there. Also consider a Hunter Road Force balance for the wheels, if they were only spin balanced the RFB may help eliminate further vibration problems. Here's a link to find a shop that has one.
http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/FindGSP9700.cfm

The wheels should sit tightly on the hub. Jack it up, pull the lugolts on one wheel, and see if it is loose on the hub. If it is, you need hubcentric rings.

[scott540]

Those are definetly Rondell 58's and there's no reason they shouldn't be on your car

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/scott540/136-3683_IMG.jpg

[Jehu]

Thanks! Finally someone who sounds like they actually know what they're talking about , as far as the shimmy goes that is...

[Jehu]

lol... the pads are new, the car has been on a lot outside for a while and we had Historicly heavy rains recently,the rotors are within spec i'm told but i'll look into their condition when i eventually get it into the BMW dealership for the State Safety Inspection next week.

[Rustam]

Here are a few pics of my new ride... Can anyone positively identify those wheels? Are they Rondel 58s or are they Genuine BMW wheels....?

Note** EMBEDDED MUSIC**
http://users.adelphia.net/~cpkver8/

What suspension setup do you have on this car?

[Jehu]

What suspension setup do you have on this car?

Strange as it may seem i didn't check it myself. The prepurchace inspection shop merely told me the front struts were "weak" but it does look lowered doesn't it ?Aside from the latteral shimmy the road grippage is firm and while I wouldn't say its hard neccesarily, it wasn't pillowy over potholes by anymeans .I'd say it was stiff though not jarring over rough roads. I'll make a note of the suspension components when i have it in the shop for the State Safety Inspection and post it. What do you think of these steering wheels?I'm not sure if there's a Law about removing a wheel with an airbag but i'd like something like this..
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1096/isottawoodsteeringwheel13fv.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7679/momofighterwood9mr.jpg

[Jehu]

Those are definetly Rondell 58's and there's no reason they shouldn't be on your car

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/scott540/136-3683_IMG.jpg
I heard back from Rondnell that the E34 can use only the 8 1/2" in the front.The dealer from whom i bought the4 car still has all the receipts from the POs and i'm not even certain the receipt for the Wheels is among them.Are the dimentions of these wheels stamped anywhere on the wheel that can be seen with out taking the tire off? Rondell says the 17" x10" in the rear and 17"x 8 1/2" in the front will work on the E34 with center rings but the 8" only works on the 3 series.

[Jehu]

Updated pix (http://users.adelphia.net/~cpkver8/)with the new Plate , fresh back from the BMW Dealership , Tulley in Nashua,NH for the State Safety Inspection. The word is the right rear wheel is bent and the place i bought it said they'd pay half the $80.00 to true it. It also had a cracked foglamp lense,I ordered the whole lamp at $180.00 and the left front marker light reflector was the wrong color so i ordered one of those, $23.00.The main belt had cracks and i have a Conti belt in the trunk that is the correct part number but the Dealership tried to suggest i use OEM. Is there anything wrong with a Conti Belt? Also i found the wheels are 17x8 1/2 in the front which is compatible so i need Hubcentric rings. Who makes them for Rondell wheels, Rondell?They said all my front end components are tight so my 50 mph shimmy is probably the bent rear wheel or , they actually said "rusty rotors"... wish me luck. If i don't return it in the next few days it mine for the foreseeable future..