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Jalopnik asks, BMW Wheels vs. AMG Wheels, which are better?

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An interesting article/thought was posted on Jalopnik today.

"BMW Wheels Vs. AMG Wheels: Which Are Better And Which Have The Deeper Catalog?"

Credit is due and must be given to the no longer used but iconic AMG Monoblock 5-spoke and its derivatives, there is no question that they were a pretty wheel and more importantly were able to make standard Mercedes-Benzs of the time look sporty, which was not easy as the cars of the time were usually not designed with that intent.

BUT... There can be no question about the superiority of BMW's wheel designs.

So here is the official Bimmerpost response to their question:
How can anyone with an ounce of oil in their veins pose this question?

BMW has a long history of making some of the best driver's cars on the planet. As we all know, wheels and tires are critical to that goal.

With that said every ///M car has come with wheels that not only fit the character of the car but also amazingly combine elegance and sportiness. Wheels that will perform over and over at the track but still look great out on the street. Sure we all love to modify cars and change the wheels for one thing or another, but that is usually a reflection of people's desire to be unique rather then a negative statement on the OEM wheels (usually).

Let's just start from the beginning of car time, as marked by the BMW M1. Just to recap, the car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and developed with Lamborghini, both of whom have a similar ethos of mixing performance with style. The wheels of the time did just that. In fact the wheel design is so iconic that when BMW went ahead and created the M1 Hommage, they also Hommage'd the wheels to great effect.

This wheel design was used on the BMW M1 racecars as well and its almost that an M1 can't be imagined without these wheels, lets take a look at an M1 Procar of the time.

When M1 Procars were not wearing these wheels they of course had the wheel next in line to become iconic for BMW, the lip'd crossmesh BBS wheels. When I think of a wheel that is sporty and badass at the same time, I can think of very few others then this wheel design. At times it feels like everyone of us and their mother either got a set of BBS cross mesh wheels, wanted them, or atleast respect them. For BMW to sell a car with these wheels out of the factory. Wow. Housewives drove to the mall on a set of crossmesh BBS wheels from the factory, who would've thought it.

It pulled of the job so well that BMW used it on a large number of cars of the time where they wanted to convey just those two things, including the 6 series, culminating with the E39 5-Series.



Speaking of the E39, well then there was of course the E39 M5. When that car came out it seemed like everything about it stunned us all. The wheels were no doubt one of the star attractions. A 5-spoke wheel superimposed on a 5-spoke wheel to create a mesh wheel. Something we hadn't seen before. And to top it off, they were finished in a brilliant yet classic 'chrome shadow' finish. Literally everyone in the BMW world wanted, no, needed these wheels. eBay became chock full of replicas for any car you wanted. They were that good.

Shortly after the E39 became an icon for BMW, they released a car destined to icon status, the E46 3-Series. They mixed classic design with modernity like no other. When the first pictures of the car were released our collective jaws dropped, not only with the beauty of the car but how it truly mixed classic and modern in a way that it looked like both at the same time. The wheels on the 328i Sport Package were critical to achieving that and were a new direction for BMW at the time.

The peak of the E46 chassis had to be the E46M3 CSL. While its true that nearly every E46 3-Series variant had special wheels, the CSL came with wheels that are regarded as yet another icon. So much so that alot of us just call them 'CSL Wheels'. Funny how that works out? I've never heard anyone say "AMG Wheels".

Oh and for the record, the stunning wheels on the W/C205 C63S are beautiful, but only because they are CSL Wheel derivatives

Which brings to mind, which other manufacturer have named wheel designs that live on to this day? CSL Wheels... Let's look at a few more shall we?
M-Parallel


Style 666/Comp Pack Wheels


But there are way many more wheels then its possible to go over now. The history is extremely rich, I'll leave you with a few more to look up, Z3M Coupe/Roadster, E36M3.. the list doesn't end.


So, BMW what have you done for me lately?
Whoever is in charge of wheel designs at BMW right now, they are firing on each and every last cylinder while the rest of the automotive field seems derivative. BMW is doing the impossible right now, which is to actually be shaming their past wheels. We've reached a point in automotive-dom where alot of BMW enthusiasts don't think about changing their cars wheels from the factory anymore. Yes for much of the past, that was considered one of the first upgrades to be done, but now the designs are so good that individualism has to bend to the OEM, since in many cases putting an aftermarket wheel on the car would be a 'downgrade'!

For which other manufacturers besides the exotic cars is this happening in the enthusiast world right now?

I'll just leave us with a collection of wheel pictures from the current BMW catalog. There can be no doubt here that BMW tops AMG by a very healthy margin.



Put up your favorite wheels pics if you got them, the list is endless...

Source: Jalopnik

[No Boost]

437M in black ftw

[cwulffy]

They both suck and Porsche wins.

[spatterson007]

These are my wheels. Originally standard luxury wheels on my 3 series but in black powder coat they are beautiful.

[peikko]

As a champion Kerber of alloys I vote for Black steel rims

[jeddo45]

E92 M3 and the E60 M5 wheels are some of BMWs best.

[AWSB328iM]

BMWs wheel selection after around 2010 has gone to shit.

I remember going to the dealer in the late 90's and getting a catalogue of awesome wheels available for the entire lineup of cars.

[Mr Carrots]

To be fair BMW has made an awful lot of unaesthetic wheels, but the 437s and m4 cs wheels are awesome

[Art__Vandelay]

Originally Posted by jeddo45

E92 M3 and the E60 M5 wheels are some of BMWs best.

Definitely, beautiful designs.

[moff]

Easy... I love the 405M's.

They should be a stock option

[babaikram]

669M alloys are the best wheels as far as I am concerned

[YearOneOne]

313s make me drool

[JimVonBaden]

Best looking factory wheels of any car I have ever owned.




But "best looking" anything is subjective.

[JimVonBaden]

AMG Wheels from my 05 CLK500.


Meh.

[HXS]

Best BMW wheel: 2002 Homage concept wheels

[ska///235i]

Originally Posted by HXS

Best BMW wheel: 2002 Homage concept wheels

Winner

[aaaaah]

The Bangle era actually had some of the best BMW wheels in it throughout.

[ShocknAwe]

Most of the wheels coming on new BMW and Merc cars look like they belong in an import tuner catalogue from the 90s.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by jeddo45

E92 M3 and the E60 M5 wheels are some of BMWs best.

lol no they definitely are not

[White340]

I was never a fan of Mercedes rims. BMW always had bolder designs whereas MB rims look meh to me, even AMG wheels. Lexus rims are also boring to me and seem dated.

[Germanauto]

I feel BMW has had more handsome and timeless wheel designs, especially in the late '90s. BMW seems to have more intricate designs where Mercedes goes for a more simple look.

[jeddo45]

Originally Posted by rjd598

lol no they definitely are not

I think their nice. I wish I could get a hold of any of them for my 335i.