Has anyone just gone ahead and used the 20's in the winter?

[PUZZ]

Are the 20's that bad in areas of moderate snow with good snow removal infrastructure? I'm still undecided on the 20's and it's bugging the sh-t out of me.

[Krunk Man]

what tires do you have?

[brian5]

Originally Posted by PUZZ

Are the 20's that bad in areas of moderate snow with good snow removal infrastructure? I'm still undecided on the 20's and it's bugging the sh-t out of me.

The 20's (214's with Dunlop SP Sport MAXX i.e. summer tires) are USELESS in the snow. I had them on my car in November when we had our first snowfall of less than 1". My 2008 X5 just slid down my blacktop driveway when I braked!

I had already planned to buy the 18" winter wheel/tire combo and did that immediately. The 18" winter wheel/tire combo were so great throughout the winter; I cannot believe how this X5 stuck to the roads in NY, CT, MA and VT.

[PUZZ]

How did you justify the extra cost for snow tires and wheels after already paying extra for the 20s'?

[cmyX6go]

Originally Posted by PUZZ

How did you justify the extra cost for snow tires and wheels after already paying extra for the 20s'?

Necessity justifies it.

[Boston X5 4.4]

Originally Posted by cmyX5go

Necessity justifies it.

You will literally be driving a 5,000lb sled if you run 20 inch summer tires in snow.

[brian5]

Originally Posted by PUZZ

How did you justify the extra cost for snow tires and wheels after already paying extra for the 20s'?

When I bought my $70K+ X5, I knew that I was going to have buy snow wheels&tires for another $3K...

[Canon2441]

Does anyone know if you would still have problems during the winter with the 20" with winter tires on them? Some people are saying the 20" are too big that is the reason why they will not work during the winter. I love the 168s but I don't want to buy an extra set of rims and tires for the winter.

[brian5]

PUZZ and Canon2441,

There are lots of posts on this subject. Here's one of them. http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e70-forum/...ghlight=winter

Note that it's the tire width, tire composition and thread pattern (and possibly more factors) that impact the driving in ice/snow. Some have said the 19" with all season tires work OK.

[Boston X5 4.4]

Originally Posted by Canon2441

Does anyone know if you would still have problems during the winter with the 20" with winter tires on them? Some people are saying the 20" are too big that is the reason why they will not work during the winter. I love the 168s but I don't want to buy an extra set of rims and tires for the winter.

Even if 20 snows did work as well as 18's/19's snows, 2 reasons I would not use them.

- PITA to have to swap out tires each year. You have to go to a shop twice a year to get it done ands run the risk of them screwing up the balance and/or nicking your wheels each time. You could change out a set of winter wheels yourself in your garage or at a local tar joint in little or no time.
- 20's + NY roads/potholes in the winter do not go very well.