Upsizing wheels
 

2007 X3......go from 17" wheels with standard 235/55/17 to an 18" wheel and was thinking 245/45/18 tire. I know the standard 18' tire size on the X3 is 235/50/18....should I stick with standard size or go wider and lower? Any experience?

You're better off going to what BMW uses for the 18", that's what I did when I bought a set of 18" summer wheels/tires, and I still use the 17" for winter tires.

There are more tire choices in the P235/50 R18 size and proportionally that size looks proper as well.

it's really all about personal preference.. i know on my X5 i love the 315/30/R20s but then again, you have a much smaller car. I love the staggered look, maybe go with wider in the rear? I'm sure it would look great

I have the 20" wheels off of my sold 4.6iS on my wife's X3. They look amazing, 275front/315 rear.

they fit?! can we see a picture? thats an interesting combo

pics please
any spacers required , any mods or are they a straight fit .

there is no real harm in going with a tire size for 18" wheels that is different from bmw's standard size. however, in this case, 235/50/18 is closer to the total radius of the 235/55/17 than 245/45/18. this means that your speedometer will read closer to the way it did before.

+1

OP, unlike the recs of others who have replied, i do not recommend staggered setup f/r on an awd car especially if the radius difference between front and rear wheels is significant. the reasoning is the same for why it is strongly recommended that you replace all 4 tires (or have replacement tire shaved) when you get a flat if the tread depth is signifcantly less than the brand new tire depth.

I will post pics this weekend of the 20"s. No spacers, direct fit, same lug bolts even. The rear sticks out just a bit because of the massive width of the rims and tires, some might not like that. It looks mean though and I get nothing but compliments. People even think that is an X5.

i bet it looks pretty cool. anxious for pics :thumbup: