Wheel Size Question

Ziggypup · #1 02-14-2009, 06:58 PM

Does anyone know of any online articles dedicated to discussing the pro's and con's of increasing wheel size? I don't know much about tires and wheels and want to get educated.

I have 19" wheels on my 07 X5 and was wondering what you gain or lose when you get a larger wheel. Do you get a better ride/handling and/or road holding ability? Or is it purely cosmetic?

Thanks to all and be safe.

Ziggypup · #2 02-16-2009, 12:21 PM

Don't everyone chime in all at once.............lol

FSETH · #3 02-16-2009, 01:35 PM

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=108

Here is a start.

Ziggypup · #4 02-16-2009, 07:30 PM

[Here is a start.[/quote]

Yes, it is a start. Thank a lot.

Ziggypup · #5 02-23-2009, 12:20 AM

An amazing response to what sounds like a legit question...........

FSETH · #6 02-23-2009, 12:46 AM

Ziggy, sort of a free bump...by the way, what size wheels were you wanting to put on your X?

Ziggypup · #7 02-23-2009, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FSETH

Ziggy, sort of a free bump...by the way, what size wheels were you wanting to put on your X?

Hello. Here is my issue. About 6 weeks ago I bought a 2007 X5. It has the sport package with the 19" wheels.

I am not that crazy about the wheels that I have now. I don't love them, nor do I hate them. So I figured that I'd buy some snow tires eventually and use those wheels as my winter set-up. Plus I hate the RFT's that are on their now anyway.

So obviously now I need to look for a set of rims that I can use as my spring/summer set-up.

So I was wondering should I just get another set of 19"' wheels, or go up to 20". Since I don't know much about wheel sizing, I was looking for a little help.

Are their any pro's or con's by going up one? Will I gain or lose any ride/handling charactoristics or is it all just cosmetic?

And I can't wait to get these Latitude RFT's off my car and get some conventional rubber. I don't like the ride with the sport package and the RFT's.

I have another question.......LOL. I thought that BMW didn't give you a spare tire if you have the RFT's? I have RFT's all around and I have what looks to be a decent size spare under the rear deck with a jack sitting on top. My 2006 325XI had RFT's and no spare.

Anyway, thanks for your time. Maybe you can clear up that sizing issue for me.

FSETH · #8 02-23-2009, 10:42 PM

If you are only increasing rim size one inch, it will not significantly affect your ride quality very much, IMO. The larger wheel will probably weigh a little more, but you switching to regular tires will save weight over the heavy run flats. Run flats are known to ride a little more harshly due to their stiff sidewalls, so going up one rim size and switching to traditional tires may even out nicely. The larger wheels are mostly for looks.

I can't help you out with the spare tire issue. I was under the impression that if the car came with run flats, there was no spare.