need to decide which wheels for winter setup
 

I decided to get a set of winter tires for the X5 for ski seasons. Probably will leave them on the car between Dec. and April each year, so they will end up getting at least 1/3 of the yearly miles.

Looking at the Blizzak LM-25 4x4 in 255-55-18 which are now on close-out at TireRack.

I found a set of nearly new 2009 X3 wheels in 18x8, 46mm offset locally.
They look like this:
http://www.dragtimes.com/images/18595-2009-BMW-X3.jpg

http://pics.niello.com/00095535f.jpg

alternatively I am looking at this wheel from TireRack:
http://wheelworx.com.au/stock_wheels...ce_Coating.jpg

Factory wheels are probably better wheels, but I like the look of the Elbrus a bit better. Both are same 18x8 size. Cost works out basically the same.

Thoughts?

jeez - no thoughts or opinions out there?

Well - I jumped on the 18" X3 wheels. they look brand new. Came off a 2009 X3 - the guy went to 17" instead because he likes the smoother ride and cheaper tires.
Kinda funny that I was picking up the 18s as a 2" reduction for a winter tire set-up!!

They should work out just fine.

Interestingly, the wheels are made by Ronal. And you could eat off these - inside or out.

I like the Elbrus look...powdercoated would be a nice winter touch. I'm currently running 20's style 87 - 275 all-around on dedicated M&S Vredestein wintrac rubbers.

Nice looking wheels. :thumbup: Will they fit the E53??




If I were looking for snow duty, I would try and go as low in width as possible (235/65-17) for better traction and deeper dig into the snow.

X5 and X3 have basically the same offset, so yes.

17" wheels do not clear the 4.6is brakes - they are 13.5 or 14" front rotor size. Huge-ass things.

I have OEM sized 235-40-18 Pirelli Snowsports on my Audi S4 and it has tremendous snow traction. I expect a good result with the 4.4i non sport OEM size tire of 255-55-18 using good snow tires. I could actually go with 235-60-18's, but I think the 255's will provide better handling during the winter months since I plan to leave these on all winter. And it doesn't snow where I live, only needed for ski trips on the weekends - I go quite a bit to the Sierra's in nasty conditions typically.

Thanks for the wheel info... good to know.

I am in SF Bay area myself. :thumbup:

I am in San Jose too!!

was checking out that Elbrus but did not come in bigger size.... i like the looks but still preffers oem.

How do those 20's work for you? I picked up a set of style 87 20 inchers for the winter and just bought Pirelli Scorpion I&S for them (265/45 front, 295/40 rear).

post up pics! you should prob get some spacers with those wide fenders in the back. it might look stupid without..

They work incredibly...i believe the dedicated snow tires make that much of a difference. I was a bit concerned with the 20's at first, as i spend a considerable amount of time during the winter season traveling to various mountains for snowboarding. I've driven in up to a foot of unplowed snow at about 20-30mph and they handled quite well.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3...wintracur4.jpg

18" OEM and the tree climbing Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme.
:popcorn:

will those rims clear the calipers on the 4.6is? If I remember correctly, only a few of the 18 inch rims BMW manufactures actually clear the calipers on the 4.6 and 4.8is. I have a set of 18" from an 05 sport 3.0i, and the wheel weights got knocked off since they didn't clear the brake caliper ....

I guess I better check before I order tires :thumbup:

If not, I guess I'll sell these and just order the Elbrus 18"ers from TR, or maybe just go with a 19".

I just bought a set of semi-new 57s with the 235/65/17 tyres,,for €180.00!
Just put them on for the "short" winter here in Portugal....and my...compared to my 20" starggered set up.these are so confortable,I feel like I am in a Limo;).....
They look bloody awful,though..-(

If you are intrerested in Vredestein, they do come in 19 and 20 inch sizes.
www.estrictlyforeign.com

Those X3 wheels are cool looking! I'd get those, especially since you say the price is right and they are OEM, not reps.

Oops - the OEM X3 wheels do not clear the 4.6is calipers. Well - actually the wheels clear, but the factory installed weights do not clear. And it is quite tight too.

I think I would be better off unloading these and going with 19" from TR or on OEM sport rims.

I might be interested in taking them from you if the price is right. ;)

My 17" wheels though have near new Latitude Tour HP's on them... I just spent nearly $900 on them a few months ago... don't know if I can get the wife to agree with another 'investment'. :)

You can have them for $500 - that is what I paid for them. I thought it was a very very good price considering they came from a 2009 and they look brand new inside and out - zero scratches or anything on them. Very nice rims.

But one thing I was thinking - couldn't I just remove the factory balance weights and have them balanced on another spot on the rim? I should bring one over to a tire shop and ask them about that. Maybe I could use them afterall.

They are still rather tight tho - worries me for snow rims because packing snow between the rim and caliper might fug up something. I would bet an aftermarket rim has more clearance in that area. I would have maybe 2mm.

:) good thing you checked ... 19's won't have any issues. There is a particular style of 18" BMW wheel that is made for the winter setup of a 4.6 or 4.8is .. I forgot the style number, though ... maybe someone can chime in?

so I went to a tire shop with one of the X3 wheels to ask if they could balance it only on the outside portion of the inner portion of the rim. They said no problem - it won't be quite as acurate as using an inner and outer weight, but should balance just fine.

So at this point I am leaning towards sticking with these wheels despite the tight clearance. I really need to put one rim on there again without the weight to make sure there is enough clearance.

I wouldn't worry about clearance issues and snow in our area... having moved here from Canada and having lived 5 years in the frozen hell that is Ottawa, I can tell you that in a place where 4 months of the year you are in snow and -20 'C temperatures, I wouldn't want t to have that tight a tolerance (ice buildup), but in our weather conditions, and Sierra, I don't think you will have any problems.

That is a good price though. If you want to get rid of them, let me know. :thumbup:

I don't think it would be too bad either. Although, I do tend to go skiing when the storms are the nastiest since I love to chase powder. But temps are normally in the 20's during the day and maybe down to 10 at night which isn't so bad. The problem I get with my Audi is packing snow in between the tire and the fenders since there is so little clearance. I have not seen snow up in the back of the rim at all.

I have a line on a decent set of 19" rims for $600 also locally. But my problem then becomes tires. I was looking at picking up the Blizzak LM-25 4x4 which is on clearance at TR. But the 19" size is now gone. They still have the 18" size for $169 each. So if I went with 19 that leaves either the Dunlop Grantek M3 or Pirelli Scorpion Ice without spending an arm and a leg. 18's are quite a bit cheaper overall.

OK - here are my options.

1. stick with the 18" X3 wheel and use either a 255-55-18 Blizzak LM-25 4x4 or Falken HS439 performance snow tire

2. go with an aftermarket ADR 19x8.5" wheel with the Falken HS439 or Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow

Overall cost adder to go to the 19" size is $250, which buys me better looks and piece of mind on the clearance issue.

I'm leaning towards the 19" at this point.

Here is Falken tire I am looking at:
Tires - Eurowinter HS439 - Falken Tire

Or the Pirelli, which is a more proven choice:
Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow

without the weights there you should be ok. you'll notice, though, that you'll have only millimeters worth of clearance

exactly. which kinda worries me for a winter / snow set-up...

well .. ice/snow tends to get stuck between the calipers and the wheel itself, so, if you live in a climate where sub-zero (centigrade) temperatures are the norm during winter, I would advise against using those wheels for a winter / snow set-up ... they do look nice, though!

I agree - decided to play it safe and go with 19" wheels. I picked up a set today. I plan to outfit them with Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow in a 265 or 255 size.

So Faz - let me know if you want to take a look at the 18" X3 rims because I do need to sell them after-all.

:thumbup:

I test fit it today and it fits perfectly. Very happy. Looks purdy too!!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/...d5cb785b_o.jpg


Now time to order up the tires. It will look better with those I bet.

you got those as winters??? the salt is gonna eat them up!!

I saw someone run Beyern Mesh 19inch on their X5 for the winter. They worked great but cleaning them was a pain! Just be careful with those, keep a coat of wax on them and you'll be fine

they do not use salt where I drive. CA, NV and OR. In the Sierra's they sometimes use gravel, but often all they do is plow so we get to drive on nice snow which is the best, IMHO.

18" style 74 OEM E53 wheels
 

happy days to all, and please chime in if you know the answer.

I just bought an extra set of these 18" style 74 wheels for the wifes 03 X5 4.4. Since she drives a lot in the snow I decided to run a designated snow tire and went with the Hankook I Pikes because my kids love these in the Colo snow country. (just got over 16" inches of the white stuff last night). So I was going to use these wheels as a summer set and I got to thinking...

If I choose an all season tire for the S 74 wheels, maybe I will use these on my 4.6 as a winter set up because the big wide diamaris are not that safe in snow. I try to keep her out of really inclimate weather but sometimes you just don't know what kind of weather you might run into here in the rockies. So I believe the 18" wheels will fit the 4.6 (berely) but does anyone know if I will need spacers or other than other than the OEM lug nuts?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Depends how much bad weather you anticipate. I prefer dedicated snow tires for that extra grip when it gets really cold... Why all season tires suck... note the Subaru Forester driver :D

I run Style 58 and it is very tight. Spacers are not needed unless you want it to look a little better (rear wheels only, fronts are fine).

LPMM,

Thanks for heads up on the wheels. Any advice on where to for spacers. Am I correct that if I use spacers, I will also need a longer lug nut?

Great video. We had a side street like this a week ago that dumped onto a busy 4 lane road. It was the second time my 4.6 has seen snow in its life and it was interesting trying to get her stopped, (hence the decision to go with the 255 X 18"s for the winter) My wife went thru the same intersection in her 4.4 a few minutes before I did and even with a decent snow tire had a hard time getting stopped.

You can get the spacers from ECS tuning which is a forum sponsor or any other place. H&R makes a complete set with everything you need.

I don't run any and the rear looks a little funny since the wheels are really tucked in there. OTOH, it keeps the crud where it belongs.

Here is a pic from LeMansX5 with 87 reps and no spacers (mine look tucked in like that)
http://www.onlineautoshow.net/img/S87-18frontq.JPG

And here is one from ncx with Style 58s and 30mm spacers in the rear
http://margraves.net/toys/x5/snows/DSCF0071.JPG

And Xoutpost with Style 99s and 30mm H&R spacers
http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/crew/u...2/DSC10003.JPG

I only mentioned the snow tires since you have a set of dedicated rims. It seems to me it would be a good combo between this and your summer setup.
We have 20" Toyo Proxes for Spring/Summer/Fall and 18" Blizzaks for winter and I like that combo. A little more "wiggle" with the snows but much more grip at lower temps.
But, it also depends on how much winter driving you will do and how cold it gets over where you are.

Where did you find this adr wheel ? I'm thinking of using my 153 for winter set up and going with a 19" for summer. Is the offset good for a 4.4 non-sport ?

Here are my pics after 30mm H&R spacers installed.

:iagree: