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

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by omodos

@Fraser cheers matey for the advice, it’s not that I will take the x5 to our local mount Olympus or anything but the sports suspension is stiff@sprocket1200 hehehe craigslist? alas I am pretty far from the u.s and shipping out the 17”alloys to Cyprus will cost me as much as the alloys, I have to look locally….@Fraser or anyone, got any pics of an x5 with the 17” alloys n the 235/65 tires look like?, also rims are narrower so do I need some kind of spacers in the rear to “push” the wheels out so they don’t look sunken into the wheel well? Thanks again and apologies for hijacking post

I reckon they look fine but, as with all things, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Will post some pics when I'm on my home computer.

[omodos]

thanks Fraser, good man, you are right, and instead of messing with spacers etc maybe best just to put the 17" alloys on full stop.....and the tire size has to be 235/65 yes? don't want anything lower profile of coures but if chunkier ones fit and do not cause issues maybe a good idea....

[Kev]

Hi,

Well in about a month from now the Winters will be going on so I'll get some pics up of my spaced 17" OE with 235/65/17 SnowSport tyres.

I bought H&R 25mm front and 30mm rear (each side - ie. DRA50 and DRA60). With the front and rear arch extensions the 235s would be almost invisible without the spacers

Not sure how it will look as I haven't mounted the wheels with the spacers on yet.

Cheers, Kev.

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by omodos

thanks Fraser, good man, you are right, and instead of messing with spacers etc maybe best just to put the 17" alloys on full stop.....and the tire size has to be 235/65 yes? don't want anything lower profile of coures but if chunkier ones fit and do not cause issues maybe a good idea....

235/65 is the OEM size for the 17s. You can go slightly bigger if you wish provided the bigger tyre is okay for the rim which is a 7.5 J. There are a number of tyre size calculators on the web that will give you an idea of any increase in rolling diameter involved with any bigger tyres you may choose. You could of course go to a wider tyre with a lower aspect ratio and end up with the same tyre height and therefore rolling diameter. The height of the sidewall is the critical thing, not the aspect ratio. A 255/60 will give you an almost identical rolling diameter as a 235/65. As I mentioned before, I like the way the relatively narrow 235s gives better 'bite through' on gravel and dirt roads. With a wider tyre on loose surfaces there's more tendency to ride on top of the loose stuff. Note that the works VWs and semi-works BMWs that run in the Dakar all run on tall, narrow tyres (235/85 R16s).

I'm more than happy with my 235/65s and think they look fine without spacers. From a durability and strength aspect I don't like the idea of spacers. Here's a pic of mine on its 235/65s. The tyres are Pirelli Scorpion ATRs

[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

[Helmuth]

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

Hi Kev,

living in the Alps I can tell you that you have chosen a perfect setup with the UGs. Not a lot better around. Or let's say it that way: I would love to have that setup.

Have fun

Helmuth

PS: it looks like that:

[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.

[nlbimmer]

Looking at picking up some rims/tires off tire rack for the winter. Have some pretty harsh winters here.

Question is, I know that smaller width would result in more traction and better overall performance in the snow, so would 20 inch rims that are 9 inch front and rear be sufficient with good winter tires? Or would it be better to get 18 inch rims with same width?

[Naz24]

^

I have 20s for the winter 9" wide all around (275/40/R20). Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they work great also. Pirelli scorpion ice and snows

[Naz24]

oh, and my mom's X5 runs 18s for the winter with continental snows, i honestly think mine work better.. maybe the pirelli's are just superior to the conti's.. I honestly think the 20s would be more than good for you!