First impressions with 20" style 87s on 3.0 5 speed manual

[e39_touring]

I changed out my style 18" style 69s for a set of style 87s, and while I LOVE the look, I'm not sure I like how they ride/perform.

The ride quality is not that different. Smaller road imperfections (i.e. expansion joints, etc.) are more pronounced, but bigger bumps seem to be about the same. There's a bit more road noise, too. I'd say the overall ride quality differences aren't a big deal.

Performance-wise the extra weight (15-20lbs per corner! - see my other thread on wheel weights) is very noticeable. I can definitely feel the heaviness during acceleration and in overall nimbleness of the car. My current 105k mile non-sport suspension has a harder time controlling the heavier wheel movements on anything but flat surfaces.

Overall, the looks are awesome, and I'll have to see if I can get used to the degraded performance. I have a set of Eibach lowering springs and am waiting on delivery of a set of Bilstein HD's, which will probably help a lot (and mine looks a little jacked-up with the high-riding standard susp). But, as it stands I wouldn't recommend going to 20's on any X with the stock standard suspension and maybe not the 3.0.

I'm wondering if a set of style 63 fronts (19x9) on all for corners, maybe with a small 10-15mm spacer in the rear, would be a better option for the 3.0. That should weigh close to the 18s but have a lower profile tire.

[Eurowhip]

I’m surprised you feel the performance is diminished with that setup. I’ve been considering getting coils but now I may reconsider.

I went from 18” style 69 to the 20” style 168 (staggered setup) and couldn’t be happier. The look is great, and the handling and overall feel is much improved over stock.

I also wouldn’t consider the ride any harsher at all. Of course, that said, my fun car is an s4 with full bilstein coils and suspension, and my previous ride was an evo ix, so maybe I’m just used to harsh rides lol

I am on stock sport suspension and a 3.0. The truck seems to be much better balanced with the larger wheels. Steering feels great and the truck feels much more planted, though heavier. I would absolutely recommend the larger staggered set of wheels!

Just my two cents.

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by e39_touring

Performance-wise the extra weight (15-20lbs per corner! - see my other thread on wheel weights) is very noticeable.

Are these OE style 87's or replicas?

Edit:
Forget it. I see that they are OE in the other thread. I think the culprit is those runflats. My bet is they're way more than 41lbs. Great for the practical application, but runflats are notoriously heavy. Not usually a big deal on a car like the X5, but certainly noticeable on a 3.0.

I changed from 18" to 20" replicas on my 3.0 about 10 years ago and I noticed a difference in the weight as well. When I put the OE 20"s from my 4.8is on the 3.0, the difference was noticeable between the OE and replica- much like the difference you'd likely see with regular tires.

2 of my OE 20's got bent a couple years ago. I suspect a Pikes Peak off road romp was to fault. I replaced them with the replicas I am on now. I have 4 new 9x20 Style 87's in the garage but I haven't mounted them yet. I am anxious to realize the lighter OE wheels- at least as compared to replicas.

[e39_touring]

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

Are these OE style 87's or replicas?

I think the culprit is those runflats. My bet is they're way more than 41lbs. Great for the practical application, but runflats are notoriously heavy. Not usually a big deal on a car like the X5, but certainly noticeable on a 3.0.

Good point on the runflats. On the Bridgestone datasheet I have, it shows the non-RFTs as 36/41lbs and the RFTs at 41/47. That 5/6 lbs all the way at the outside is surely contributing.

[Dblock2151]

I upgraded to 22's, and had similar experiences. The bigger wheels weighed quite a bit more, and it did take longer to accelerate and BRAKE for my 3.0i. The reduction in braking performance was the most upsetting part, purchased a used 4.8is calipers for the front, and then ended up doing a BBK instead and the brakes feel better than the factory with regular sized wheels.

Also, as mentioned RF's are just horrible, very heavy, don't handle potholes/hard surfaces well. I switched out RF's for cobventional tires on my F10 550i, and it was the best upgrade I did.

[rwilson]

2006 3.0 6spd

I run staggered style 214 in the summer with Vredestein Suv Sessanta , and 255/55/18 Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow in the winter.

214's seem to be very sensitive to the crappy roads in the the NorthEast.

I do prefer the ride to the winter setup, less hopping around then the 214's

[Overboost]

Originally Posted by e39_touring

Smaller road imperfections (i.e. expansion joints, etc.) are more pronounced, but bigger bumps seem to be about the same. There's a bit more road noise, too.

I had similar experience when I went with 20" style 87 wheels. Drop a few pounds of tire pressure and it takes a lot of the stiffness out. I run 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front.

Can't do anything about the weight but it is a truck...

[bcredliner]

Tires are the center of handling since they are in contact with the pavement.

87s are wider than stock 3.0 rims. Stock tires on 87s will have a broader contact patch increasing cornering capability. The stock tires on 87s have much shorter sidewalls than the typical tires on 18s. That also helps handling. With all other things being equal 20 inch rims will result in a softer ride than 18s.

Increasing unsprung weight has negative impact on handling, however, since an X5 is so heavy it takes a considerable weight increase to change the percentage of unsprung weight enough to matter or be noticeable. As an example if the unsprung weight changes by 100 pounds the percentage only changes about 1%.

Aftermarket suspension components almost always result in a stiffer ride since most are for more spirited driving where the key is keeping the entire tire patch in contact with the road more of the time.

I would certainly expect changing nothing more than the rims from 18s to to 20" 87s with tires such as a Continental extreme contacts would result in a quite noticeable improvement in handling and result in a very similar ride. Turn in would be better, stability at speed would be better. The vehicle will be more fun to drive and one will feel more confident and likely more relaxed. Should put a big smile on ones face and justify the expense.

[Eurowhip]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

I would certainly expect changing nothing more than the rims from 18s to to 20" 87s with tires such as a Continental extreme contacts would result in a quite noticeable improvement in handling and result in a very similar ride. Turn in would be better, stability at speed would be better. The vehicle will be more fun to drive and one will feel more confident and likely more relaxed. Should put a big smile on ones face and justify the expense.

[e39_touring]

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

Are these OE style 87's or replicas?

I think the culprit is those runflats. My bet is they're way more than 41lbs. Great for the practical application, but runflats are notoriously heavy. Not usually a big deal on a car like the X5, but certainly noticeable on a 3.0.

Revisiting this, and PropellerHead was right-on. I swapped out the Bridgestone runflats for non-RFT Continental DWS, and boy what a difference! The small-imperfection harshness is practically gone, and the car feels more nimble again.

I weighed the runflat tires coming off at 38.6 lbs front and 43.2 lbs rear.

Replacement tires weigh 28.9 lbs front and 33.3 lbs rear with more tread - a savings of 10 lbs per corner!