For some time I've been toying with the idea to lower my X5 by either using the H&R springs or the AC Schnitzer Sport Suspension. As I sold my factory 20" rims a few weeks ago I was also looking at possible replacements for them or to just buy a new set of 20" rims. After some research looking at various options I narrowed the wheel choice down to two options. The AC Schnizter Type IV Racing wheels or the 647 HRE wheels. In the end I opted for the AC Schnitzer Type IV Racing as the HREs had a little bit too much "bling" for my taste. The first part of the project was to lower the X5 by 1.5" using the H&R springs for the front and shorter links in the rear (the 4.6 has the air suspension ie. no springs). This worked out pretty well and the installation and alignment was performed by Bryan of BMW Tulley, the ride itself was fine and "softer" than I thought, however as I was still riding on snow tires it wasn't a real good test. Overall I was pretty happy and I think 99% of the X5 drivers will be happy with this mod as it's not very expensive (the kit resells for appr $250 + labor), however I felt a little bit of "bumpiness" in the ride and decided to go all the way by installing the AC Schnitzer Sport Suspension which consists of front and rear shocks, front springs and shorter rear links. After installing the AC Schnitzer Suspension the "bumpiness" was gone and overall the ride handles now very well. In addition to the suspension worked I had already the Dinan front camber plates a few months earlier. The overall combination of the suspension and camber plates now has the 4.6 handle very well and it drives almost like a go-cart ... However most folks wouldn't notice a huge difference between the stock 4.6is setup the AC Schnitzer setup as the 4.6 already comes with a pretty good stock suspension. My main motivation for this modification has been to lower the car by 1.5" have the wheels fill the wheel wells better. Now with the suspension done I moved on to the wheel/tire project. I ended up ordering a set of the new AC Schnitzer Type IV Racing Wheels in 9x20 for the front and 10x20 for rear. For the tires I choose to stay with the Michelin Diamaris in factory size (275/40/20 front and 315/35/20 rear) . The tires I ordered from The Tirerack as their price are very attractive and their service has always been flawless, Grant from Tirerack was great to deal with and had the tires shipped overnight and I couldn't be happier with his work. The wheels I order via 3rd party from CEC who are the authorized AC Schnitzer distributor for North America. In the process of ordering the wheels I went through multiple iterations of price and availability (due to the raising Euro ) but in the end I managed to get my hands on a set of 4 wheels including the X5 mounting kit which consist of a small spacer and special bolts for the front and rear wheels. This was the first photo 10 minutes after the first shipment arrived : and after opening the first box .... After collecting all of the parts (wheels, tires and mounting kit) I headed off to Sullivan Tire across the road to have the tires and wheels mounted. It turned out the store close to me has actually the latest Hunter balancing machine including StraightTrak. There had been some concerns on potentially scratching the polished lip on the wheels during mounting as the wheels are 'face down mounting' but it all turned out great with not a single scratch. Overall I couldn't be happier with the process and price for mounting these wheels. Below you'll find a couple of pictures of the wheels on the car and a comparison between the car with OEM wheels and no lowering and after lowering with the Type IV wheels installed Front view of the mounted wheels Rear view of the mounted wheels The first wheel mounted (rear) Wheels mounted and AC Schnitzer suspension installed Another side view of the Type IV and lowered by 1.5" compared to OEM wheels and not lowered If you have any questions, comments or remarks please feel free to contact me.