Anyone running 295/40 on 20" Rims

[JohnD]

I am thinking of buying the following wheels and wonder if anyone else has tried running 295/40 all the way around - I like the stagged looks but am not a big fan of Toyo tires.. Thanks to all who respond. JD

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AFS-B...76426994QQrdZ1

[silkster]

i ran it for a year. its a bigger look in the front .. than the 275/40/20 factory offset..I am currently running the staggered with the toyos... the goodyear gave me a smooth ride got a little noisy between 8-10k miles of wear and not as much handling as the toyos but overall not a bad set up considering the tires can be had for under $175 a piece fron tirerack

[Driver8]

I run the 295/40s. I did this on my '02 4.4i as well. I prefer the look, personally (for a view of my former X5, check out the post on the front page of X5World at http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x3/w...mw-wheels.html and scroll down for the picture of the Steel Grey 4.4i).

I just did this same upgrade to my '04 3.0i, even using the same Goodyear RSA tires (which I have had great luck with), except I went with the Style 132 20" reps that I felt were a better match for my facelift X5 than the Style 87s.

IMO, the 315 rear/275 front tire sizes on the OEM-style 20" wheels look too overdone on a non-4.6/4.8 fenderlipped X5, while the 295s pair nicely with the staggered wheel sizes and still very much give the staggered look. Believe me, there is NO mistaking the stagger! The 295s give the front tires a little more "fill" for the front fenderwells while reducing slightly the "steamroller" appearance of the 315mm rears. The car feels a little better balanced front to rear with the 295s in terms of braking and handling. Finally, the 295s do not extend out of the fenderwells front or rear, which means you're not throwing road crap up onto your paint.

Everyone has their own preferences and these happen to be mine. Bottom line - the 295s work out just fine.

[JohnD]

Did you use the same size wheel all the way around, or did you use 9.5 in the front and 10.5 in the back?

[Driver8]

Originally Posted by JohnD

Did you use the same size wheel all the way around, or did you use 9.5 in the front and 10.5 in the back?

I have the staggered wheel sizes - 10.5" R and 9.5" F.

[midwesterner]

Have people had bad experiences with the Toyos? Or is there a recommended tire brand for the 20' wheels?

[Hal88]

Originally Posted by Driver8

I run the 295/40s. I did this on my '02 4.4i as well. I prefer the look, personally (for a view of my former X5, check out the post on the front page of X5World at http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x3/w...mw-wheels.html and scroll down for the picture of the Steel Grey 4.4i).

I just did this same upgrade to my '04 3.0i, even using the same Goodyear RSA tires (which I have had great luck with), except I went with the Style 132 20" reps that I felt were a better match for my facelift X5 than the Style 87s.

IMO, the 315 rear/275 front tire sizes on the OEM-style 20" wheels look too overdone on a non-4.6/4.8 fenderlipped X5, while the 295s pair nicely with the staggered wheel sizes and still very much give the staggered look. Believe me, there is NO mistaking the stagger! The 295s give the front tires a little more "fill" for the front fenderwells while reducing slightly the "steamroller" appearance of the 315mm rears. The car feels a little better balanced front to rear with the 295s in terms of braking and handling. Finally, the 295s do not extend out of the fenderwells front or rear, which means you're not throwing road crap up onto your paint.

Everyone has their own preferences and these happen to be mine. Bottom line - the 295s work out just fine.

I didn't know that you could install all same size tires on staggered rims, excellent tip, I will definetely consider this when I purchase mine.

[Hal88]

Originally Posted by Driver8

I have the staggered wheel sizes - 10.5" R and 9.5" F.

You probably know this, but just in case you didn't notice the wheels on the ebay add are 20x9.5 all around.

[MC©]

Originally Posted by midwesterner

Have people had bad experiences with the Toyos? Or is there a recommended tire brand for the 20' wheels?

Very pleased with the Goodyear RSA's. No issues to report, quiet tire and driveable in snow - had no issues. Someone else here reported a blowout w/ toyos that damaged the fender/bumper if I recall. Not sure what exactly occurred.

As for the GY RSA - Tirerack has them for approx 150 each.

[Driver8]

Hal - The wheels I got are indeed the staggered ones, of that there is NO doubt! The company I sourced my wheels from is O.E. Wheels/moore9911 on Ebay. He sells a staggered set of 20" Style 132 replicas that are quite nicely done.

MC - Ditto on the kudos for the Eagle RSAs. This is my second set (the first set was on my last X5). I found them to be a very good looking tire with neutral handling and excellent ride characteristics in nearly all conditions. Even going in deep snow and ice are not an issue when combined with a little common sense. I got about 20k out of the rears (wore out on the inside tread edge) and would have probably gotten 30-35k out of the fronts. When you look at the price - $150/ea at TR - they are very hard to beat for a daily driver.

Midwesterner - I have no experience with the Toyos. They seem to be a pretty popular choice, if that's a reliable measure of satisfaction and quality for you.

Mike