When BMW launched centerlock wheels in November 2023, North America missed out on these upgrades that are part of the M Performance Parts catalog. The good news is that they’re now finally available on this side of the pond. Prepare to pony up serious money, though. While the wheel set costs a somewhat reasonable $5,000, fitting them necessitates new wheel hubs and special torque multiplier tools.
Factor in installation costs, and you’ll end up paying as much as $20,000 to have centerlock wheels. The 963M works with the G8X cars, making them compatible with the latest-generation M2, M3, and M4. The lightweight forged wheels come in matte Jet Black and have a Y-spoke design with M Performance lettering. The shoes measure 19 inches at the front with 275/35 ZR19 tires and 20 inches at the rear with 285/30 ZR20 rubber. Beyond the models mentioned, you can also have them in Europe on the M3 Touring.
Let’s face it – you don’t really need centerlock wheels, but they do look cool and send a race car vibe. Having to take off only one lug nut instead of five enables quick swaps at the race track. But unless you have your own pit crew to do the dirty work, they’re pretty much pointless. Porsche is best known for offering these special wheels on its track-focused GT models. Additionally, exotic brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Koenigsegg are no strangers to selling wheels with center locking.
BMW mentions that single central screw locks by applying a torque of 930 Nm. A centerlock wheel does reduce rotating masses compared to having several lug nuts spinning around the center of the wheel. They’re also harder to steal and can sometimes weigh less than the conventional wheel with four, five, or more lug nuts.
If you’re interested, you’d better hurry since BMW centerlock wheels are available in limited quantities in North America. Dealers have more details about costs and installation. We’ve already shown how to install them on the uber-rare 3.0 CSL, which came from the factory with a flashy gold/bronze version of the 963M set. In case you haven’t seen the video, we’ve attached it below.
