First off - thanks for the replies so far. I appreciate you guys takin' the time to respond.

The Michelin's are the "Diamari's, which my wife just drove off with, but I believe that they are all-season tires.

I am a little confused as I read a FAQ here that stated that the 19's and 20's are useless in the snow, but that the 17's and 18's were the ticket for much better road handling in such conditions........?

All I know is that our '06 X5 with these low profile 19's is as close to useless, even with these new Diavari's, in even minimal amounts of the white stuff.

I do try to do a bit of homework before cheating off my neighbors paper and have read here just lately that many members change out both wheels (always going smaller in diameter) and tires during the winter months. Since this seems to be happening quite frequently, I'm wondering why these members would go to both the trouble and expense of purchasing both new wheels and tires if purchasing only snow tires would resolve the issue?

I don't like the idea of changing over from all season tires to dedicated snow tires each and every year as, IMHO, that can't help the integrity of the tire's being continually changed out. I'm not sure that they even make a dedicated snow tire for these low profile 19's even if I were to choose that route.

Again, I appreciate the responses and would welcome further posts regarding this subject/issue. If $ were no issue, I'd just buy a set of smaller wheels and dedicated snow tires and give 'em a go next winter and hope for the best, but I'd prefer to take my best shot now, which is why all the questions. That said, if by chance smaller wheels and dedicated snow tires are the answer, I'm not handcuffed enough not to buy exactly what I need to ensure my wife's safety and confidence in her X5. Nothing trumps safety.....IMHO.

Thanks again guys and I hope that any new info in this post better defines both what I tried to say initially as well as to why I'm a bit confused currently (regarding the FAQ I referred to earlier stating that the acquisition and use of smaller wheels/tires can substantially resolve the X5's snow handling issues).

Ken