Got the same exact setup: '06 4.4i with the 132s and Michelin Latitude Tour HPs. Fantastic tires IMO. Excellent all-weather performance, including snow and sleet. And talk about long life. I've only now got down to the wear bars after 50,000 miles.:thumbup:

Hey Stan, glad to hear you are liking the Latitiudes as well. My only complaint with the X5 is I wish the suspension on the sport package could be adjusted not to be so harsh. The roads here are not the greatest. Every BMW I've ever owned (two 5 Series, and currently a 3 Series convertible) had the sport package and I've enjoyed the ride quality of all of them. The X5 is the only one where I think it is too much. But the seats and steering wheel and how the car looks (and handles) make it a must. I would never think about not having it. So I'll deal with it unless someone has a suggestion.

As far as 19's are concerned, I am partial to 63's...

Faz,
I don't believe accelleration was effected, well not that I noticed. Having said that I didn't do any standing 1/4 mile starts and what have you prior to fitting the 19's.

Apart from making my old girl look heaps better I noticed an immediate difference in handling. That is to say it handled much better, especially when pushing it through some twisties at speed. Bottom line, IMO good move upgrading to larger rims.

Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear. With the overall size of the X5, I didn't think it would make a noticeable difference, but as I said, my prior experience with the Miata is hard to get over. Slightly heavier wheels changed the characteristics / responsiveness of that car by a considerable amount and left a bad taste in my mouth.

I love the looks of the 19" wheels on X5, and will more than likely upgrade to them if I find a set that I like locally for a good price. :thumbup

I have a 3.0i running 19" Sport alloys, its a facelift and the alloys were part of the OEM package. It handles superbly on the 19" but then again, I'm using 17" winter tyres on a standard set of BMW original X5 alloys at present and its great on those, too. The winter tyre setup perhaps a little softer while the 19" setup on Michelin Diamaris is harder, crisper and more responsive. No problems with the 19s or the 17s!

hmmm are yu saying you are using the 17" tires on the 19" alloys?

No. He's saying his normal setup is the 19" set. For the winter season, he removes that set and uses a separate set of 17" wheels with winter tires.

Hey guys, I'm new. This is an old post, however, now that the e53 is looking older you HAVE to have 20" staggered rims. Anything less looks very average in my opinion. The new rims BMW are producing are awesome, and they look much larger than the e53 was fitted with. I think the e53 still turns heads, as long as it's kitted out right. Just my five pence.

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Very sweet. Love the color and the rims. :thumbup: