Thread: Legality of aftermarket 17" rims for D3

Graeme, I took a BMW X5 wheel to my local (highly-reputable) wheel repair/modification business to see if modifying (machining) it is possible to allow OE nuts to fit. No way, as there isn't enough spare alloy material to be machined out & still leave strong base for nut to engage, either with standard LR nut or with turned-down nut/washer that fits into the narrower BMW hole.
His opinion: "Studs are too short to use on unmachined wheel, & wheel has insufficient alloy material to allow machining. 6 turns not enough or legal to use. Don't do it!"

Caverd3, studs on D3 hubs are integral, I believe. They can't be "punched out" & replaced with longer ones. I saw this on another forum, probably the UK one. So we're stuck with the studs we get as standard, & so can only use a nut that can engage 9 or more turns on them. i.e. OE nuts on OE rims, or tapered nut on Dynamic or similar steel wheel. All alloy rims have a minimum of 7mm (typically 10mm) of alloy beneath the seat the nut screws down onto. It's this 7-10mm which prevents the nut engaging the stud enough. Theoretically, 7mm alloy allows 12mm of engagement - still not enough.

I sit reading this and now fee pretty pleased I was able to pick up OEM 17 " alloys for a good price.

I hadn't considered the back of the BMW rim and the lack of spare face and can see that enlarging the 16mm holes to 23mm wouldn't leave a lot for clamping, although still more than the washer on the nut.

Correction to earlier info - there would be a need for an additional 4mm washer, not 6mm.

Topline wheel nuts in the USA make ET sytle conical seat nuts in 14mm x 1.5 if their catalogue is correct which appear to suit with only a slight enlargement of the hole, although the seat angle might not be the same as BMW rims. These tapered nuts have a shank that fits into the hole to gain extra threads. The catalogue part numbering inconsistencies suggests the catalogue might not be correct and I haven't been able to find a supplier (even USA) to confirm what they have.

D3 wheel studs can be replaced even though LR don't list them. Someone found D2 studs to be identical, which doesn't help the length problem other than to say that the studs can be removed. Galpro Engineering in South Australia make various studs and nuts so maybe they could supply appropriate studs. I inquired about shorter D3 nuts but their price was more than s/h D3 nuts that could be shortened by 4mm to avoid using an extra washer.

Ahilliar,
I spent a lot of time investigating 17" wheels.
1. I listened to experienced LR owners, but took what they said with a grain of salt.
2. I did the internet thing. Lots of mis-information.
3. I spoke with vendors. Some mis-information.
4. I spoke with wheel-modification specialists. Lots of very good advice.
5. I took a real example of an alloy rim I wanted to use to vendors, mod-experts, & then VicRoads. Decision final. Not legal, not modifiable.
6. I went for a wheel alignment. Tripped over a set of OE 17" rims by accident.
Bought them on the spot.

How lucky can you get? As lucky as the amount of effort you put into solving a problem properly.
I put a lot of effort into the exercise, but then I just got lucky.

Khama....

Graeme,
The only solution to this problem is longer studs than OE D3 ones.
If someone offers that solution, then any aftermarket alloy wheel (with an offset close to OE 52mm) using a 14x1.5mm stud with conical wheel nut (which engages at least 14mm) will work and be legal.
Longer studs would mean that BMW X5 17x7.5" wheels (quite cheap) are suitable & legal.
As would be Performance Wheels' BB6 17x8" wheels.

Anyone with BB6 alloys should check with their insurer (ultimately VicRoads or equivalent in other states) if 9mm nut engagement is adequate if the legislation states 14mm.

From an engineering point of view, it might be "adequate".
Legally, & insurance-wise, it wont, without an independent engineering certification.

After having another look and measure of the BMW rims, I am quite comfortable with enlarging the holes to take LR nuts, but would definitely not just use the tapered nuts supplied with the rims. If people are not having reliability (cf legal) problems with using tapered nuts on std studs then IMO enlarging the stud holes would have totally benign effects. However its most likely a moot point for me because I have a D4 on order.

What's the load rating on BMW rims?