20" SAV wheels in snow country...

aceman · #1 12-28-2010, 10:09 AM

Folks -

I REALLY like the 20" Rims you can getw/ the SAV package - how easily do they get destroyed with good new jersey pot holes? should i stick w/ 19's???

Any experience/advice is appreciated...

Aceman

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TRAINER · #2 12-28-2010, 10:32 AM

I never bent a 20" rim here in NJ and I'm on my 4th SUV with 20's. With that said, I don't "aim" for pot holes either!

Naz24 · #3 12-28-2010, 10:36 AM

The rims should be ok with potholes. i'd be more worried about the tires they give you. they are not exactly snow friendly...

Go with the 20s, find a back up snow set on ebay or buy all seasons for your 20s

TRAINER · #4 12-28-2010, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naz24

The rims should be ok with potholes. i'd be more worried about the tires they give you. they are not exactly snow friendly...

Go with the 20s, find a back up snow set on ebay or buy all seasons for your 20s

Agreed 100%. I currently have snow tires on aftermarket 19" rims for the winter months. I wouldn't be able to get out of my own driveway with the OEM 20" summer tires.

KYZRSOSE · #5 12-28-2010, 10:57 AM

with 112K on the odo, lemme tell you a thing or two about the 20 inchers. I've had each wheel bent, or cracked, or even cracked in two spots. I get them repaired each time, but they will bend, crack, etc. This comes from NJ and NY. Should I buy diff wheels or setup, sure. Will I? No. I love these wheels too much.

As for Snow Friendly, never changed them to a snow setup, just drove smarter, oh and I'm on the Bridgestone HP Sport RFT's. The Dunlaps are slicks after 10K and are ultra summer tires.

AnthonyL88 · #6 12-28-2010, 02:51 PM

My friend just told me, he drove his new 2011 X5 M Sport with 20" wheels in the massive blizzard in the NYC area and didn't have any trouble.

KYZRSOSE · #7 12-28-2010, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnthonyL88

My friend just told me, he drove his new 2011 X5 M Sport with 20" wheels in the massive blizzard in the NYC area and didn't have any trouble.

Me too....now if Nassau and Queens counties can get there asses in gear and give us one more lane on the highway, we can get home faster... on our 20"ers.

AnthonyL88 · #8 12-28-2010, 03:35 PM

I left my X5 SAV at home and didn't want to bother with driving in the snow. I see too many people getting their car stuck.

two-five boy · #9 12-28-2010, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnthonyL88

My friend just told me, he drove his new 2011 X5 M Sport with 20" wheels in the massive blizzard in the NYC area and didn't have any trouble.

Was he driving on the Dunlop SportMaxx's? Surprised to hear he has no issues w/these tires in snow.

TRAINER · #10 12-28-2010, 05:32 PM

We had the same blizzard, I'm 10 minutes out of NYC. His truck would have been stuck many many times here.

The difference is that the heat from the subways helps warm the ground and also NYC is bascially flat. Not to mention NYC has a massive budget for snow removal.

My point is that you can't just say something like, "My friend has an X5 with 20's and did great in NYC during a blizzard". You know what that's going to do? It's going to put a false sense of security to someone on the fence on to or not to buy dedicated snows for their BMW.

Everyone has different needs and expectations. I live in a very hilly area of NJ and the side streets are so tight that it's hard to plow as well as needed sometimes. Furthermore I have two very young children that I drop off and pick up from pre-school daily. I need my X5 to perform well in all conditions and expect to get through the snow.

I will NEVER take ANY chances when it comes to their safety. It cost me $2500 to set my $75,000 X5 up with a great set of wheels and snow dedicated snow tires. A small price to pay for piece of mind and safety.

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