WHEEL CONVERSION 17 S
 

I need to switch out my 18" sport wheels for the OEM standard 17" BMW X5 wheels. What difference is the ride ? I would use the 235/65/17 tires. Anyone still ride on this? Gas mileage? Winter driving? Overall impression? Are any 17 " bmw wheels interchangeable? Sedan , wagon, etc?

Im running the 235 65r17's on mine and like them. Ride great. I get 18.9 mpg city and 24 to 28 mpg highway.

Btw, do you still have the air bag rear suspension? I am looking for a less stiff ride with minimal body roll. Your gas mileage is amazing. I get combined 18-19 and around 22 highway. I may be doing some CO winter driving, I imagine they're better for that.

Great website. You know your stuff. Interesting choice, I have to agree with you. Love my old 3.0 auto. It's done well , orig engine and tranny, picked it up with 38K it's now 233541K miles. I did 60 K tran fluid changes. The only reoccurring issue is the trifecta light. It's on and off all the time. I imagine I have to test the abs sensors, they're original except for the right rear, but that's a misunderstanding of code most mechanics don't understand. What' s your experience been with this?

If tire diameters are the same mileage will be the same. If tire diameter is smaller mileage may decrease some, if larger it could increase. If the tire diameters are the same the 17s should be a softer ride and likely reduce max cornering speed.

All of my abs sensors are factory as far as I can tell.

On the airbag suspension I don't have it on mine so cant help there.

When I test the abs sensors I watch them on my scan tool. If the speedometer is working the rear one works :)

What are the exact codes your getting?

No...not all BMW's have the same wheel specs...see chart below:


http://bimmerboard.com/members/q/ori...date Nbr 5.jpg

WHEEL CONVERSION 17 S
 

There are hub rings to deal with size difference also the ET offset can be adjusted with spacers.

The e53 is designed to use 235/65-17 or 255/55-18 I've used those interchangeably. I've also used 235/60-18.

They are all very close to the same rolling circumference and won't affect mileage. The thinner tires will affect cornering ability but will improve winter traction.

Trifecta will kick on for a few reasons including voltage drop below 12v even momentary or brake fluid level is low. I've had both happen on the same drive!

Brake fluid low: brake word will be red.

Loose abs sensor will trifecta also. I have one where the retaining screw snapped off and it is now "press fit". Though the winter it held tight but in spring when ambient temp rose it got loose enough to wiggle and would trip abs during a normal stop until it kicked trifecta.

The pulse is very sensitive and if you have 3 new I would replace the last one.

If the retaining screws are sound and you can remove them I would remove clean and replace also check the connections. I had instant trifecta once after hitting large puddle and I suspect a leaky fitting.

If enough grime got in between the sensor and the bearing it can throw off the hall effect sensor. Cleaning can fix them (by no means a guarantee)


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I have both 17's and 20's in the staggered set up. The 20's look cool, but the ride is harsher than the 17's and there is definitely a MPG penalty. The 20's are ridiculously expensive to replace as well. That's why I'm running the 17's right now. I think I'm going to stick with the 17's.