Lots of Winter miles to cover - Wheel/Tyre advice setup please.

[Kev]

Hi,

As much as I'd love to replicate the current setup of 20" 275 front 315 rear on the X5 with the Winter setup on Snow tyres, I just cant justify the cost for a once a year journey.

I have about 2500 miles to cover over Europe - including the Swiss Alps and deep Poland, so I need to have the right running gear.

The plan is to fit 235/65/17 Goodyear Ultra Grip snow tyres to four OEM (brand new) 17" five spoke wheels (I already had one as a spare so I just bought the other 3).

Will I notice any appreciable deteriation in the drive quality/road holding by going from the 20's to this 17 inch wheel tyre combination.

Not planning any 100mph+ runs on the German Autobahn - just wanna be safe at 85. Is this a bad setup?

I was considering putting 25mm spacers at the rear to maintain the staggered look (the X has the arch extensions all round). Bad idea? TPI or H&R?

From the research I did so far, this wheel/tyre combo - whilst not looking he best - is the most effective in Snow/Ice. Not sure if this advice applies to a car the size of the X5. Did BMW fit this wheel tyre combination as standard on any of the E53 X5's?

The car is a 2003 E53 3.0d Sport so no problem with brake clearance.

Thanks for any advice. Cheers. Kev