This is a cry for help- RIMS

[ThoreauHD]

I noticed that most of the newer bmw's have shiny chrome rims. I met a guy last week that had them refinished to a powder because he said it was too cheap looking OE from the dealer. It was a new 3 series model. He was very happy with the outcome. I thought they fit the car well. I didn't see the rims before they were finished/sanded.

And I'm not saying anything about the kid. It didn't hurt my feelings. It just hammered home what I've been reading and seeing elsewhere.

He was honest, and I appreciate that. But when it comes to rims, I'm thinking function before form perhaps. Sort of like- Hey, there's less rubber on the tire if the wheels to big. My ass will hurt. That pothole will drop my exhaust into the pavement. I spent all this money so I can't drive up an inclined driveway. That's bad.

And the asthetic part of it for me is- does it match the style of the car. Or does it stick out like a sore thumb. I guess it's just taste in the end.

So I appreciate the other point of view, because it's more prevalent it seems in other car models. And most people want wagon wheels that have a very high shine and very little rubber. I'm trying to figure out why this is exactly. I guess it's just preference and I'm going to have to get used to not getting it.

[HDhandyman]

My taste in what is "good looking wheels" changes all the time. I'm still an O.G. running O.E. "bottlecaps". When I first got the car, and got hooked on the forum, I thought they were the ugliest fukin wheels in the world, "why BMW, why?". But, as time passed, my taste has changed over and over again. Sometimes I think polished, other times powdered, other times I want something really classic like a porsche, sometimes I want Schnitzers IIs (unafordably unjustifiable) in a sixteen so that they'll look like an old S.S. wheel, blah blah blah blah blah. I remeber the first time I saw some Alpinas like Nuclear Fusion I thought, "god, those are ugly".

Then, something changed. I wore myself out on wanting my car to be something that it isn't. I had the car detailed for the first time and I thought "gee, that looks really nice". And why shouldn't I have thought that? I thought my car looked great untill I became a member of this forum; where everbody knows your name!, list after list of mods, clear corners this, and M pars that. ------This place will brain wash you into thinking that your car doesn't measure up.

Long story short, I love my bottlecaps. I understand now that BMW really knew what they were doing when they put this car together. Sure, I've done a few things to the car, but I realize now I don't need my car to look ten years younger because it will always be a BMW........and BMW has nothing to do with looks, mods, clear corners, wheels, turbo, polish, etc. It's about the fact that it was pimp when it came off the shelf, and if you take good care of it, it's still pretty pimp today!