Having Hamann HM2 Problems! Need Advice

Hey guys,
Just put on some HM2 rims that I bought used from my friend off his e36 325. I took it to a shop to have the wheels put on and balanced but when I drive, the steering wheel seems kind of
"loose", kind of like I don't have a lot of control over it. It is kind of annoying because when I drive down my street, if I don't have my hand over the wheel it will really steer out of control. I took it back to the shop and they said that can happen when I put rims on and that I should buy some things that they put in between the rim and where it attaches to the car. Is this a common problem or does anyone know what I can do? Should I get new tires or check if the wheels are bent? Its really annoying! Thanks

First thing is to have the wheels/tires checked to make sure they are balanced and not out of round.

Thanks for the quick reply. I just came back from having it balanced at American Tires. I took my car back there and they said the did the balancing correctly and told me to buy those things to put between the rim and where it attaches to the car. I think this is BS, should I ask for my money back?

I have the HM2's mounted to my 323i. I have had no problems with vibration or steering "looseness".

I think the shop you went to is suggesting you put on spacers? I don't know why you would need this though, as the wheels are direct bolt-ons to an E46.

Take it to a different tire shop and have them re-balance the wheels and tires.

Good luck!

Cool, thanks for the advice, I will do that right now. One more question, do you think getting new tires would help the problem? I am not sure anyone would know the answer to this unless they have had the same problem as me =)

Sounds strange...You should not need spacers for the HM2s. They have an aggressive offset to begin with. Putting spacers on them would push the wheels out even more, causing fender rubbing.

I think what they mean is that you need to have new lugbolts. The HM2s should have come with new lugbolts to use to mount. You should not use your OEM lug bolts with aftermarket wheels as they will be different lengths (depending on the offset of your aftermarket wheels). Perhaps this is what they meant.

Calbmwboy, did you get new lug bolts with your HM2s? If not, ask the seller to give them to you.

I would hate to speculate and give you advice that may be totally off without actually seeing the problem firsthand.

Start with the wheel/tire rebalance at a reputable tire shop. Ask the people there for help if you feel the tires may be the cause of the problem. If they're knowledeable, (and trustworthy), they should be able to help you diagnose the cause of your problem.

Good luck!

hub-center rings from the tire shop, they cost $3-4 each rim and will eliminate the vibration.

although, since Hamann is made for BMW - you should not need them....

Originally posted by Froggie
hub-center rings from the tire shop, they cost $3-4 each rim and will eliminate the vibration.

although, since Hamann is made for BMW - you should not need them....

Yes get the center rings, they should have come with them, but maybe got stuck on your buddy's ride. Also maybe your just not used to the wider tires & your car is tramlining excessively?

I think you received some bad advice. If your not experiencing excessive vibration in the car or left/right vibration in the steering wheel, you don't need to rebalance the wheels/tires.

The looseness you are referring to may be due to excessive air pressure in your tires that make it easier to steer than you are accustom to. I would recommnend you check the inflation pressure.

sounds to me that your tire pressure is off. i had the same prob with stock style 68 rims. i thought it was an alignment prob but the car was only 2 weeks old. took it to the dealer and they said i had about 6-10 pounds too much pressure in my tires. needless to say i felt like a dumbass after correct pressure (and slight toe-in adjustment), my car tracks straight as an arrow. plus, i bought a new digital pressure gauge.