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

[BAX5]

I notice the tracking isn't as nice as the bigger wheels. But when you hit snow you want smaller wheels with good snows. Running at speed isn't a prob. Go for it!

[X5 Meister]

Here's some good reading for you if you are interested:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...endations.html

[ecproductions85]

I am running kumho something 17'' factory rims they are the SHIT in the snow drives amazing

[ecproductions85]

I also drive very hard on snowy roads, dont drive much on ice or I would def go with a studded

[Tricky Martin]

Originally Posted by 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

I run this tires, they are ment for real winter driving, I'm not sure if you can get them in the UK, but with these tires you are safe up to 170km/H.
They are buildt for Scandinavia, so may be hard for you to get hold of them.

[madein]

Originally Posted by 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

So how did you sort it this problem?

Because I have similar trip within 2 weeks and still don't know what size of tyres I should use

[omodos]

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ear-front.html

There is an explanation here of the handling with smaller alloys but fatter tires....

[sprocket1200]

you will be able to find 17" OEM alloys all day long on craigslist for $200-400 for all 4! some with summer rubber even! just be patient...

[omodos]

cheers thanks for that good to know, and yup looks great, and nope dont want lower profile wider tires, need the spring that higher profile tires give so i can handle the useless roads out here

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by omodos

cheers thanks for that good to know, and yup looks great, and nope dont want lower profile wider tires, need the spring that higher profile tires give so i can handle the useless roads out here

The other advantage of sticking with the standard 235/65 is that your spare is a full match for your road wheels.

Not sure about where you are but around here, punctures and tyre damage occur all the time so having a spare that matches the road wheels is good insurance.