Before & After Pics: 18" Factory Wheels on 4.8is as Snow Setup

[CA777]

jvit27: good question, I noticed it looked a bit lower than usual too. I didn't lower my X, and it was on the regular setting when I took the photos (not the lower loading/unloading setting.) I'm guessing that because the sidewalls are bigger on this set up it might give the appearance of less room in the wheel wells (?) ...then again the 18" rim protrudes 1" less into the wheel well which has the opposite effect...so who knows...hopefully the X isn't stuck on the low setting now! lol

[TB151]

dude, u need spacers asap

[CA777]

I hear where you're coming from, but I'm not quite sold on spacers yet. I like the fact that the snow/salt/dirt/gravel doesn't spray up on the body, like it did with the 20's b/c the snow wheels are tucked into the wheel wells more. Also, I don't want to deal with the extra wear and tear on the wheel bearings caused by the spacers so for now I'm going to let it ride so to speak.

[X5 Meister]

Again, what tires are you running on those 18"'s? Also style # are those 18"'s? If the offset is not the same as the 18"'s for the E53 X5 aren't you slowly destroying your suspension components? At the very least your handling will be affected with wheels of the wrong offset.

[CA777]

mgruber,
Hmmm...I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you on the point that the snow setup is causing damage to the suspension . I don't consider myself a wheel and tire expert, but from what I've learned and experienced, this is my take on it: Sure, if you start out with narrow wheels and tires on a vehicle, and then put on really wide rims and tires then yes, you are putting more strain on your suspension components (like those guys you see who put 22 x 10.5's on an old cutlass, and drive around tearing up the rear end b/c the gear ratios are way off, and their suspension as well since since the stance is so much wider and is exerting much more force on the wheel bearings and hubs.) But, if on the other hand you start out with wide tires and rims, and that's what the suspension was set up for originally, and then you put wheels and tires on that are narrower, you are actually putting less strain on your suspension while you're out driving around. Handling will definitely be affected b/c the contact patch and height of the sidewall have both been decreased, but that's exactly what I'm looking for in a snow setup (ie: more tire give on beat up roads full of potholes, and a narrower footprint so that the tire cuts through the snow down to the road where it gets traction rather than floating around on top of the snow like a snowshoe does (or a wide tire does for the same reason.)

They guys at the dealership said the only thing to worry about is whether or not the rims cleared the calipers, which they do, and they said it wouldn't hurt the car or affect the warranty b/c they weren't crazy wheels way outside the specs of the ones that BMW offers from the factory (like the ones you see on the cutlasses.)

I'll write down the tire size and post it back to the thread, and I'll see if they guys at BMW know the style # b/c I didn't get it from the seller during the purchase. What kind of snow setup are you considering?

[X5 Meister]

You misunderstood my point. Yes a narrower tire is optimal in snow and yes the 18"'s will clear your calipers, etc. but the issue is the wheel offset. Your analysis of "stance" wider or narrow makes little sense in the 3-D world of suspension geometry. Your car's suspension geometry was designed for/with a particular wheel offset (the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. When the width of the wheel changes the offset changes as well to account for the difference. If you have the wrong offset for your car then you at the very least will wear your wheel bearings faster due to the stress and at the very worst will adversely affect your handling. This is the basic reason why BMW specs specific rims for a given car. Just because the 4.4i sport package can accept 19" rims doesn't mean that you should slap on any 19" rims BMW makes.



BTW are you ever going to reveal the snow tires you are running or going to try to make it a bigger secret then the formula for Coke?

[teknic]

This is one very few times I've seen someone downsizing in wheels setup.

Looks good though.

[CA777]

Not trying to be elusive, I kept reminding myself to check the tires in the morning, but then would forget in the midst of the morning work routine.

Anyhoo, the wheels that came on the E70 rims from the factory and which are now runnig on my 4.8 are Michelin Latitude Tour HP's, 255/55R18, extra load M+S. That's what's written on the sidewalls.

WRT to your reply, what I meant by stance was exactly what you indicated: the distance between the centerline of the rims on any given axle (offest to offset.) I'm betting that the smaller rims have a smaller offset and therefore if anything, I'm reducing the downward force on the wheel bearings and suspension. I don't know what style they are and google searches haven't helped any, but I have to stop by the dealer to pick up some new keys, so while I'm there I'll see if they can provide the style # and offset and reply back. Yes definitely handling has been affected, and come May when I put the 20" staggered setup back on I'll get back to the previous performance levels. Thanks for the insights on geometry and what not, I'm learning as I go and so far loving every minute of the X5.

[X5 Meister]

Hey, I was just kidding around about the elusive bit. I'm just curious on the snows that's all.
As far as the rims are concerned it would be wise to read up on suspension geometry etc. or, like you said, at the very least get the wheel specs and determine how different they are from stock E53 X5 rims so that you know precisely how to correct for the offset if it's necessary at all. I'd just hate for you to unknowingly destroy your wheel bearings, etc. Lots of people don't realize stuff like that until it's too late. If you are still under warranty then a BMW dealer would even have cause to deny warranty replacement of the suspension parts due to the not recommended components being used.
Otherwise, enjoy your X5. That's precisely why we are all here!

[JayX5]

Looks hot! Did you need hubcentric rings?