19'' Winter Tire Options 2021 Edition

[richardb]

Hey all, I'm about to buy some winter tires for our 2010 X5 M-sport with the staggered 19'' wheels.

Limited options for the 19'' which is a bummer. Not sure I want to buy a second set of wheels right now, in 20'' or something.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...port%20Package

Thoughts on these? I don't want runflats

[josiahg52]

Staggered 19" wheels suck for tire selection and the straight 19" Style 211 seemed heavy to me. I purchased a set of 18" Style 210 the same day I got my X5 and put 255/55R18 Michelin X Ice XI2 tires on them the next day for the upcoming winter. Used those for five winters and they looked like they could go another five. I even ran them through last summer just to try and burn them out.

I used 255/50R19 Michelin Premier LTX tires on the originally supplied 19" Style 211 wheels in the summer. Fantastic wear and fuel mileage with those 60k+ plus miles and 20+ mpg without trying. I think I averaged 28.6 (or 26.8) mpg on a cross country trip in 2016; that was a hand calculation using ALL the miles accrued leaving and returning to a gas station near my house and ALL the diesel purchased for the trip including the last tank at the same nearby gas station.

Before those wore out, I purchased a set of 18" Style 446 wheels intending to use them for summer use. Thought better of it after having used the Premier LTX through one winter. I was satisfied with their snow performance, although they aren't a winter tire to be sure. Instead of switching back and forth, I now just use the Style 210 with 255/55R18 Michelin Premier LTX tires. Yeah, they're not sexy or cool looking but they wear well, perform great, and I'm not complaining about the fuel consumption. I also don't have the hassle of switching over tires every year.

I'd buy 18" wheels and put 255/55R18 snow or good all-season tires on them. Tire Rack sells winter packages if you are inclined to purchase from them and want to do the swap thing.

[richardb]

Thanks for your reply. I have style 223 on this car, and with the m-sport arches, a square setup looks kind of wonky, with a big gap.

Also, Tire Rack says if using the 255 50 19 in the rear, the tires must be run flats to satisfy the load index ratings. Interesting.

You're right, the 19'' selection is almost non existent for the staggered setup. There are maybe 3 tires to choose from at all. Swapping tires over and storing a set is a royal pain. But the peace of mind in the winter with a serious snow tire is worth it, I guess.

[josiahg52]

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...&diameter=19#0

XL is XL. If you're considering swapping actual tires to and from your wheels, don't. I guarantee you will quickly grow tired of that. At the very least, buy a set of wheels to dedicate to your snow tires. Another option is a good set of all-season tires and sensible driving. I mean, winter tires are great. My first winter with my X5 was 2014-2015 in Connecticut. Had a couple big storms and I was out driving as soon as they reopened the roads. The combination of the X Ice XI2 and xDrive were confidence inspiring.