New to E70..Wheel and fender clearance..my X sport seems short..

[ZetaTre]

Originally Posted by jc1surf

Hi guys first question on the E70 forum...thanks in advance. Getting use to the transition from E53 to E70...for some reason my 2011 X5 35d sport 20" rims seems short/lowered. No known tampering of suspension to my knowledge. 4.5 inch clearance between top of wheel tread to edge of fenders. Equal measurements all around. I was parked next to a CRV yesterday and it was almost of equal height.
Please chime in w/ your guys' height ...

thanks for your time...

Going to do first fill up on the 35D later on today...hope the local pumps have the correct nozzle.

I've recently looked into ride height and found the following specifications.

First the BMW methodology to measure ride height: "measured with a tape measure from the lower edge of the wheel rim to the bottom of the wheel house perpendicular passing through the center of the wheel"

Said measures for an X5 with 20" rims are

Front -> 732mm

Rear (no air suspensions) -> 722mm
Rear (with air suspensions) -> 732mm

Because of the way BMW measures it said numbers changed depending on the rim size.

Based on my experience the rear measure is taken with the car empty, nothing in the trunk (including the spare & jack) and right about half to 3/4 tank. I have no air suspensions in my d that's why I see minor changes in ride height.

But let's also do some math here.

20inch rims are 508mm in diameter.
The 315/35-20 you have in the rear have a sidewall of 110mm (that's 35% of the width of 315mm). The front are 275/40-20 but have the same sidewall height of 110mm.

If we take 722mm per BMW - 508mm in rim - 110mm in sidewall you get 104mm or 4inch between the wheel and the edge of the fender.

If you take 732mm per BMW - 508mm in rim - 110mm in sidewall you get 114mm or 4.5inch between the wheel and the edge of the fender.

If my theory and calculations are right, your car is fine and you have rear air suspensions.