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Originally Posted by HaroldC
Your salesman is incorrect. Performance in snow and ice is dependent on the tires, not the size of the wheels. The reason why your e39 was terrible in the snow with the new 18" wheels was that they were probably high performance tires, while your OEM 16" tires were All-Seasons. On my M3, I had 19" snow tires. I can drive anywhere in the snow and am only limited by the amount of snow because my car is so low.
Yes, a staggered setup will induce understeer more than a square setup. But how hard are you expecting to push your X5? Regardless of tires and wheels, the X5 is a heavy and tall vehicle and I wouldn't come close to expecting it to handle neutrally. That being said, with my 20" tires and Active suspension, it handles very very well. Not on par with the M3, but I also wouldn't expect it to either.
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You're correct, the grooves on my e39 18in tires were so wide, when snow gets packed in, it's like I am on 4 snowboards. -- Which is what I am seeing on the Dunlop 20's summer tires only -- what are you running during winter? in the snow? I do plan to put the 19's back on during winter. - I am told you'd want skinny and taller profile tires for winter driving.
Can someone share the difference driving the 19 vs. 20? Is it because the car is so heavy, that I wouldn't feel a difference? in handling? in braking? That sprung weight and unspring weight has no impact?