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

[motordavid]

I ran 17s with Michey Alpins for 4 winters in the Mtns of western North Carolina, and they made our '01 sport, non-XDrive go like a Mtn goat.
The trade off is a bit less handling in hard cornering, and cosmetics, but you are doing the right thing going with 17s, imo. You will be well
equipped & impressed, I believe.

Yes, the 17s were std on many non-sport E53s in the earlier model years.
GL, mD

[realchef]

Originally Posted by motordavid

'01 sport, non-XDrive go like a Mtn goat.
The trade off is a bit less handling in hard cornering, and cosmetics, but you are doing the right thing going with 17s, imo. You will be well
equipped & impressed, I believe.

+1

[DocMike]

I left my 18's at an ex's house only to find out she sold them this summer when I went to pick them up. So now I am going to use 17's, as I never did my brake upgrade. IMHO minus sizing is better for snow traction for the 95% of X5's that are not 4.6 or 4.8. I considered buying tires for the type 87 20's but then I figured who the heck was going to buy those tires if I ever sold the car. So to make a long story short, I opted for a set of OEM 17's type 57. Tires for this are so cheap and easy to find 235/65/17. And since I have the fender flares I will need a spacer pair in the rear.

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by Kev

Did BMW fit this wheel tyre combination as standard on any of the E53 X5's?. Kev

17s with 235/65 tyres were standard on all non-sport six cylinder (petrol and diesel) E53s both pre and post (04) upgrade here in Australia. I have no trouble with mine at high speeds (+140km/h) even with mild off-road tyres (Pirelli Scorpion ATRs in that standard 235/65 size).

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by Kev

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).

Given that you only have four 17s, what will you do for a spare?

[anguswolfendale]

I have a 2001 4.4i Sport. I bought a set of 17" E53 rims off ebay and have fitted Kumho KL78's (235/65/17) all round. Grip in snow is brilliant. As the overall diameter is 1mm different from my 19" wheels, I have no problem using the 19" as the spare to get me home.

[CondorX5]

Just swapped out my 19" Sport wheels with their wide Diamaris' for a set of 17" OEM wheels with Vredestein Wintrac XL tyres. The UK is in the throes of one of the worstwinters in decades, so I reckoned the tyres would make a big difference on the snow and ice....the journey home tonight on the Vredesteins flt very solid, no sign of slipping on the snow / ice, and the ride quality was really good. I too will use the spare in the boot if needed as the rolling circumference is pretty well the same as the 17"s.

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by anguswolfendale

I have a 2001 4.4i Sport. I bought a set of 17" E53 rims off ebay and have fitted Kumho KL78's (235/65/17) all round. Grip in snow is brilliant. As the overall diameter is 1mm different from my 19" wheels, I have no problem using the 19" as the spare to get me home.

So the 19 fits in the spare tyre well OK? What size tyre is on it?

[Fraser]

Originally Posted by CondorX5

I too will use the spare in the boot if needed as the rolling circumference is pretty well the same as the 17"s.

Isn't your spare a 17?