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  #11  
Old 04-02-2011, 05:52 AM
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I don't think this is a Sport. How do you tell?
My X5 doesn't have a sunroof (I had an MX-5 for 12 years and a hole in the tin roof doesn't exactly light my fire), nor a CD stacker, but gets Sat Nav and TV for some reason.

Judging by the wear on the spare (10 spoke 17") the car must of come with 17s. I suspect it only had 20s fitted for the car yard period. I also drove it on 19s with the wider rears, but they wanted extra $$$ so I suggested they could keep them and give me a set of OE 17s.

I thought 18s was the ideal compromise until I really started to throw the X5 around to explore the limits. An old motor racing habit of mine where you find the limits of adhesion and then you know what the car feels like if you ever need to use everything at your disposal to avoid a big bang. My car is currently wearing Toyo Proxes on 235/65/17s which have shown a remarkable level of grip for a 2 tonne Tessie. The roll centres (suspension) on this car are really well set and makes the car feel much closer to the ground when cornering than I would have expected.

The tyre noise on smooth tarmac is a bit much for a road tyre though.
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  #12  
Old 04-02-2011, 06:24 PM
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Over and above a standard 3.0d, the Aussie delivered 3.0d Sport came with sports suspension, staggered 19s (225/50 front and 285/45 rear), door handles in body colour, sports steering wheel, sports seats, electric seat adjustment with driver memory, anthracite roof lining and auto-dipping rear view mirror.

Just to complicate things, most of these options could be ordered individually. The sat-nav and TV on your X would have been options.

The 235/65s are the standard tyre size for the 17s. Regardless of what wheels E53s came with (17s, 18s, 19s or 20s), the spare was always a 235/65R17 as it is the only size that the wheel-well will accommodate properly. That's why I mentioned that particular advantage of the 17s ... your spare is a full match for the road wheels.

Last edited by Fraser; 04-03-2011 at 12:41 AM.
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  #13  
Old 04-04-2011, 02:05 AM
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So the rolling Diameter of the 17's is the same as the the other sizes because of the profile adjustment. Does this mean the Spare wheel well has trouble with increased width not diameter (because that doesn't change)?
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  #14  
Old 04-04-2011, 02:07 AM
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That would also explain why larger wheels come in sets of 4 not 5. (Lightbulb moment)
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  #15  
Old 04-04-2011, 02:13 AM
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Hi Dan, when I bought My 3.0d i was particularly concerned to NOT get the sports suspension or large tires as my forum research would indicate that both factors impact substantially of ride quality.
I think Fraser would agree with me that a non sport 17 clad 3.0d is a fine way to go and i agree with you Dan that the X corners better than it should in standard form.

Nontwithstanding the larger wheels do look good and so I am interested to hear your comparisons.
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  #16  
Old 04-04-2011, 05:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Schtonky View Post
So the rolling Diameter of the 17's is the same as the the other sizes because of the profile adjustment. Does this mean the Spare wheel well has trouble with increased width not diameter (because that doesn't change)?
100% correct
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  #17  
Old 04-04-2011, 05:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Schtonky View Post
I think Fraser would agree with me that a non sport 17 clad 3.0d is a fine way to go and i agree with you Dan that the X corners better than it should in standard form.
Yes,
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  #18  
Old 04-05-2011, 08:45 PM
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Arrow

The only way to get 5 matching wheels with a width larger than 235 involves serious floor surgery, which is out of the question for many reasons. The body work and particularly the rear guards look empty with the factory 17s, but putting 9.5" wide rims on the rear is as Fraser says "a case in vanity" not to mention the stupid prices. And where do you put this nice looking wide wheel in the car if it gets punctured on a country trip with a full boot of gear?

I have been slowly exploring the limits with the stability nanny stepping in because I have ignored the flashing amber dash lights. The Xdrive does a great job of shuffling the drive around with various tyres front and rear chirping under acceleration mid corner before the system says enough. On a nice clear day in the country I will see what the stability system is hiding, but that might be some time off as I can only do this properly with an empty car minus the other stability warning devices (Wife and Kids).

This is the wheel style from the early V8s that I am getting stripped, rolled (if required) and re-painted. I may have jumped the gun on this as I too prefer 5 matching wheels. On my last car (Subaru Forester) I upsized the wheels to a later type and modified the boot area to suit. Unfortunately the X5 spare wheel is stowed face up which means that some storage space is wasted. I will keep you posted if I can find an answer to the wheel storage issue.
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Last edited by DanX5d; 05-09-2011 at 08:01 AM.
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  #19  
Old 04-05-2011, 09:22 PM
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Dan, like Fraser are a mine of information. I too have the same two stability control systems. However although the second is quite audible. I am yet to see the first light up. Maybe because I am too scared to get my new X out of shape and look at the dash at the same time. Those wheels look nice who is refinishing them for you?
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  #20  
Old 04-05-2011, 09:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DanX5d View Post
This is the wheel style from the early V8s that I am getting stripped, rolled (if required) and re-painted. I am may have jumped the gun on this as I too prefer 5 matching wheels. On my last car (Subaru Forester) I upsized the wheels to a later type and modified the boot area to suit. Unfortunately the X5 spare wheel is stowed face up which means that some storage space is wasted. I will keep you posted if I can find an answer to the wheel storage issue.
The 17 will still work okay as a 'get out of gaol' spare for your 18s as the rolling diameter is the same. It's just not ideal.

I live in the country where punctures are a way of life so the 17s are ideal for me. The 17s also ride a little better than the 18s and are less prone to sidewall damage, both important country-driving (gravel roads etc) attributes.

And, on the subject of the electronic stability control, I think that BMW has done an excellent job of calibrating it so as it's not too intrusive. Even on gravel and dirt roads where it tends to come into play far more often it really works a treat.
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