New guy - a little help please......
 

My wife just went thru the worst driving winter of her life and I must admit, even I had a ton of trouble drivin' in the snow with her '06 4.4i, X5. It has the sport package and 19in. wheels with brand new Michelins (255's and 285's) that we got intentionally, right in the middle of our snow season......nice idea, but didn't work worth a darn.

My questions are: (1) Will reducing the size of my wheels definitively help while drivin' on snow/ice? (2) Is it better to go to a 17in. or 18in. from a 19in. wheel to have the best opportunity to realize better road handling on snow/ice? (3) Is there any other conversions/change outs/additions of any type that I will need to have done to switch over from 19's to either 17's or 18's ? (4) Is the fact that the rear (285's) tires are so much wider than the front (255's) part of the reason our X5 sucks so bad on the snow/ice and if so, do you guys run the same width tires on your winter change-out tires? (5....and lastly) Does the "Sport Pacakge" have anything to do with our X5 being so useless in the winter as opposed to non-sport packaged X5's? I ask this because a guy on EBay is sellin' some mint 18in. stock BMW wheels and some new Dunlops for a reasonable price and he specifically pointed out that sport packaged X5's might as well be left in the garage during the winter if they didn't ride on those wheels and tires. Now I understand the sales pitch here.....I'm unpleasant, not stupid, but I'm just wondering if our sport packaged X5 contains certain options (suspension, etc.) that may enhance issues of driving on snow/ice?

I appreciate any and all posts as I am not willing to have my wife suffer through another winter like that. It was, at best, very dangerous for her to be drivin' that X5 set up as such......and she really loves her X5.

Thanks much,

Ken

Welcome to XOutpost.

There have been lots of threads on this topic, you can use the search button above to find a variety of detailed answers to you X5 questions. If you have an issue or question about your X, chances are there are others that have already posted and received input on it.

Just one example - http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...aris-snow.html

You make no mention if the Michelins you purchased are summer or all season tires. If the former that is your issue. No matter what vehicle you install summer tires on, they will not be safe in the snow.

You can get all seasons or snow tires and switch them out in the spring. There is NOTHING wrong with your X5 regardless of packages. It's all about the tires. Really.

Good luck.

It's the tyres (summer/winter), not the size that matters.

Winter tyres use a different compound. We switch over every winter and have driven on snow and ice with no problem.

I run with 18" Bridgestone Blizzak's in the winter and the X5 will get through anything. Get a dedicated winter setup with the right tires and you'll be all set.

:xoutpost:

First off - thanks for the replies so far. I appreciate you guys takin' the time to respond.

The Michelin's are the "Diamari's, which my wife just drove off with, but I believe that they are all-season tires.

I am a little confused as I read a FAQ here that stated that the 19's and 20's are useless in the snow, but that the 17's and 18's were the ticket for much better road handling in such conditions........?

All I know is that our '06 X5 with these low profile 19's is as close to useless, even with these new Diavari's, in even minimal amounts of the white stuff.

I do try to do a bit of homework before cheating off my neighbors paper and have read here just lately that many members change out both wheels (always going smaller in diameter) and tires during the winter months. Since this seems to be happening quite frequently, I'm wondering why these members would go to both the trouble and expense of purchasing both new wheels and tires if purchasing only snow tires would resolve the issue?

I don't like the idea of changing over from all season tires to dedicated snow tires each and every year as, IMHO, that can't help the integrity of the tire's being continually changed out. I'm not sure that they even make a dedicated snow tire for these low profile 19's even if I were to choose that route.

Again, I appreciate the responses and would welcome further posts regarding this subject/issue. If $ were no issue, I'd just buy a set of smaller wheels and dedicated snow tires and give 'em a go next winter and hope for the best, but I'd prefer to take my best shot now, which is why all the questions. That said, if by chance smaller wheels and dedicated snow tires are the answer, I'm not handcuffed enough not to buy exactly what I need to ensure my wife's safety and confidence in her X5. Nothing trumps safety.....IMHO.

Thanks again guys and I hope that any new info in this post better defines both what I tried to say initially as well as to why I'm a bit confused currently (regarding the FAQ I referred to earlier stating that the acquisition and use of smaller wheels/tires can substantially resolve the X5's snow handling issues).

Ken

The Diamaris are summer tires. They are great handling in warm temperatures but are like sleds in the cold and snow.

Some here run snow or all season tires on 19s and 20s. Most of those that change to dedicated winter packages run snow tires on smaller, narrower wheels. 17s or 18s are fine.

Ken,
As all posters above said, real snow tires are the answer to your needs...
You have basically 2 choices: find snow tires in your oem tire size, (may
be hard to find and/or very pricey, esp the rear size), or buckle down and
keep an eye out here for a full wheel/tire set.

-most here go with a 2nd wheel/tire set as it allows for smaller/narrower
wheel and tire size
-2nd set is a half hour change over in your garage or, at a tire joint
-2nd set precludes some tire knucklehead banging on your oem wheels
twice a year, changing out tires
-you can run that winter set for 3-4 years, mileage and tire wear-wise.

Time is on your side: wheel sets come up here frequently...
Imo, while 17s look less "cool", an oem or replica 17 wheel with dedicated snows,
makes for an XDrive X that is almost unstoppable, though many here do go with 18"
wheel/snow tire sets, with great success.
GL,mD

Thanks cmyX5go......a little bummed about the Diamari's, but since I'm likely headed towards a complete winter set anyway, I guess that we'll be GTG in any season now. I'm always lookin' for the positive........especially when I've made a move that was less than being on top of my game........grin.

Thanks for the response and clarification. Good sites/forums are easily discerned by their members.....much more helpful than judgemental.

See ya,

Ken

motordavid - great post as well!! What more could I want!

I do lean heavily towards the complete winter change-over set. In fact, I'm currently attempting to see if a member here has sold his set of winter tires (advertised as in great condition 17's and 85% left on his winter Dunlop's) from the "for sale" section. If not, I'd perhaps be interested in seein' if he and I can put something together.

Thanks again for the very informative post.....good stuff that.

Ken

You're welcome. You will not be disappointed come summer. The Diamari tires are awesome gripping. I used to eat entrance ramps for breakfast. And like Motordavid said, once you get your winter set up, you'll be good to go.