Alpina and Borrani (CMR) 13” Steel Rims

[johninsf]

Thanks all, this is exactly the info I was in need of.  As soon as I get the new wheels on and the Borannis cleaned up, I will put them up for sale.  With those new old Pirelli Centurato tires they would be great for someone.

 

[johninsf]

New wheels are on.  Here are the rim stamps to help increase data on these wheels.  Two are CMR 70 and the other two look to be JJ 69 and 68.

 

Thanks again for helping me out on these.

[Pitopop]

Can someone tell me the best color code to paint a set of Borronis stamped 4-80?

 

What is the best tire spec for 13" Borranis?

 

Regards

[Conserv]

39 minutes ago, Pitopop said:

Can someone tell me the best color code to paint a set of Borronis stamped 4-80?

 

What is the best tire spec for 13" Borranis?

 

Regards

 

No, and it depends...

 

Most April 1980-manufactured 13” Borrani steelies came in black.  Earlier, particularly in the first five years of the 1970’s, they generally came in a beige-gray color discussed elsewhere in this thread and shown below.  If you want black, just ask for black.  If you want the beige-gray, you’re probably going to have to have it custom-mixed: a few here have done just that.  But many ‘02 owners who run Borrani steelies like silver, just because it looks good — it’s also possible some of these rims, particularly in the late 1960’s, may have come in silver.  But I don’t have a color code for the silver other than to say it’s generally close to the silver used on OEM steel and alloy rims, which is close to Wurth’s Wheel Silver and Krylon’s Dull Aluminum.  So, no, I don’t have a color code.

 

Because 13” Borrani steelies came in 5”, 5 1/2”, 6”, and 6 1/2” widths — and have frequently been widened to as much as 10” — the answer to your second question depends partly on the width of your Borrani steelies, your car (flares or no flares?), and your personal taste.  The sizes start with 165/80/13 — the stock tre size for an ‘02 — for a 5” or 5 1/2” rim and builds from there, generally stopping at 185/70/13, 205/60/13, or wider (very hard to find nowadays).

 

There are several very good threads on 13” tires, which you might find...illuminating.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by Conserv

[MOJOJOY]

Top left 5” opel Borrani/CMR no dates 

Top right 5 1/2” Alpina/CMR 5-73

Bottom left 5/12” Borrani no dates

Bottom right 6 1/2” Borrani 8-74

 

[Conserv]

19 hours ago, MOJOJOY said:

Top left 5” opel Borrani/CMR no dates 

Top right 5 1/2” Alpina/CMR 5-73

Bottom left 5/12” Borrani no dates

Bottom right 6 1/2” Borrani 8-74

 

 

Thanks, Daniel,

 

I have a bunch of the 5” Opel rims (15 oval cut-outs).  All of my examples were manufactured by Lemmerz or Kronprinz (one of each shown below).  Yours is marked “CMR”?

 

The Lemmerz rim below is model 1312-2, and is a May 1977 (“5” over “77”) example.  The Kronprinz rim below is model 5504, and is a February 1978 (“2” over “78”) example.   Both of these rims are marked “ET37”, obviously a sub-optimal offset for an ‘02.

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited March 25, 2018 by Conserv

[bluehills2002]

Steve, do you have any thoughts on these wheels?  They  are for sale close to me, but the photos are not great.  Is the 31 offset too much for a stock front end?  Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Conserv]

On 9/14/2018 at 9:56 PM, bluehills2002 said:

Steve, do you have any thoughts on these wheels?  They  are for sale close to me, but the photos are not great.  Is the 31 offset too much for a stock front end?  Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

I’ve seen a set of these before, but only knew that they were CMR rims. I didn’t have any of this detail: “CMR   6JX13H2 -4/82  R1-644 E31.”  So they were manufactured by Costruzione Meccaniche Rho, S.p.A. in April 1982.  The model number is R1-644, which probably also signifies, by its R1-xxx convention, that they were manufactured by the Borrani division of CMR (formally, Ruote Borrani Milano). They are 6”-wide, 13” rims with a typical “J”-style outer rim and a double-hump (“H2”) barrel, to keep tire beads in place under hard cornering or extreme conditions.  Offset is ET31.

 

They remind me somewhat of a Low alloy rim:

or even of CMR’s bi-metallic rims produced for Alpina and others:

 

They look like steel rims, but steel rims designed to emulate aggressive ‘70’s alloys. Can you confirm they are steel, e.g., with a magnet?

 

The ET31 could actually be excellent, only 2 to 6mm from the optimal ET29 to ET25 range. I’ll bet a 185/70HR13 will work perfectly and.....the benefit of too high of an offset is that you can always add spacers.  If the spacers are approximately 5mm or less, you might be able to keep the original lug studs.

 

As a word of caution, however, I have no idea what these cars were designed for. Opel? Fiat? I’d recommend you measure the PCD to confirm they are 4x100 rims, and not 4x98 rims! Assuming they are 4x100, the ET 31 suggests they might be for an Opel.

 

Great find!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Conserv

[bluehills2002]

Thank you Steve, great info.  I will do some follow up investigation.

[Flunder]

Publicity photo circa 1970 for the ALPINA 5 1/2 x 13 stahl wheel by CMR showing chrome lugs and center cap as well as the rarely seen manufacturer decal. Note that the wheel is shod with the BMW factory optional 165-13 Michelin XAs radial which featured an  assymetrical tread pattern and was highly rated by the motoring press of the time.

Edited September 15, 2018 by Flunder

[markmac]

Center caps for these are being re-made again now, though they are slightly different for those who are mired in details.  I saw a NOS set of these sell  4 or 5 years ago for over $1k (crazy).  The original caps have a very narrow lip that is angled, the new ones (or at least the ones I see on ebay and the like) are rounded and the raised part is wider.  I have a set of original alpina caps that I am just about to send out to be fixed up and re-plated (Sherms - Sacto, CA).  They also used these caps on the 3 piece alloy/race wheels.  Not much of the cap shows through on the race alloy wheels as the center has quite a bit of material on it.

[Conserv]

5 hours ago, Flunder said:

Publicity photo circa 1970 for the ALPINA 5 1/2 x 13 stahl wheel by CMR showing chrome lugs and center cap as well as the rarely seen manufacturer decal. Note that the wheel is shod with the BMW factory optional 165-13 Michelin XAs radial which featured an  assymetrical tread pattern and was highly rated by the motoring press of the time.

 

Uhhh...you also posted this back on March 14th, 2017.... ? That’s when you know a thread has gotten too damn long for its own good!

 

Some of us still run 165HR13 XAS’s, which have been continuously available since their introduction in 1966!  A painted hubcap, not a chromed wheel cover, on a 2002 (blacked-out grilles), suggests a 1968 or later date for the XAS ad below.

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

 

Edited September 15, 2018 by Conserv

[bluehills2002]

Steve, those wheels checked out so I picked  them up.  $125 for the set, no shipping cost so I    cannot go too far wrong.  Here’s a couple of better photos for your records.  (The seller bought a bunch of parts from a “VW/Porsche guy” and has a second set, same price, 6x14 offset 45, which is probably too much, if anyone is interested.  They are under “Italian wheels” on the Boston craigslist.)

[Conserv]

6 hours ago, bluehills2002 said:

Steve, those wheels checked out so I picked  them up.  $125 for the set, no shipping cost so I    cannot go too far wrong.  Here’s a couple of better photos for your records.  (The seller bought a bunch of parts from a “VW/Porsche guy” and has a second set, same price, 6x14 offset 45, which is probably too much, if anyone is interested.  They are under “Italian wheels” on the Boston craigslist.)

 

You got a fabulous deal at $125 the set! I’ll bet one or another of the Alpina, Borrani, or whatever center caps will fit that center bore, which I’m guessing might be 57.1mm. That and a set of finished lug nuts (e.g., 1974-76 OEM style, assuming these are steel rims) will make these look great!

 

Again, I’m assuming, based partly on the VW/Porsche pedigree, that these are 4x100 PCD rims.

 

Congrats!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by Conserv

[bluehills2002]

Thanks Steve.  I brought my magnet and ruler per your instructions so I think I am good.