Do 18" wheels need different lug / bolts?
 

Hi Guys,

I was looking at RealOEM for the 18" wheels for the 4.8is, and I noticed they had listed 36136781153 as the pn for 17mm lug bolts for a set of style 99's. Is there any reason why I can't use the 19mm lug bolts from the 20"s?

The orig BMW bolts that came with your 4.8is should be no problem!

I suggest either going bigger or getting spacers for your winter set up (making an assumption that's what this is for) otherwise it looks silly.


Edit: here's 18s on a 4.6is without spacers http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/09/30/ry4u7a5e.jpg

I took a wheel off my new-to-me X5 -- with the Sport package and stock 18" wheels -- for the first time today, and was surprised to find that the wheel bolts were 19mm instead of 17mm, and each of them had a tapered washer on it. At first I thought it was just an e53 thing, but I guess not.

edit: I was just poking around in RealOEM, and couldn't find any wheels that spec'd a 17mm wheel bolt. :dunno:

i used the 18" wheels for the winter set up and did not even think about changing the lug bolts - used the same ones from the 20" wheels on the 18"...

spacers might be due for that set up - it sure looks soooo silly on the wide kit... :)

Umm, here's a question "my friend" wanted me to ask. Is it ok to tighten the lug nuts by hand with a lug wrench or do you really need a specific torque wrench?

if you have a torque wrench, i am sure the torque wrench is much better... otherwise, i use the weight of the torso on the lug wrench, going around a few times until the bolts don't turn anymore...

i also try to get back to the wheels after a short drive - i had an incident, when i obviously did not tighten the front left wheel correctly, and after 15 miles of driving, and feeling the "beat" at the front, i found the loose lug bolts...

since then, i go back after a short drive just to make sure they are tight...

get a $15 torque wrench from harbor freight. perfect for simple things like wheels.

Check here: RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.8is BMW light alloy wheel, spider spoke 99

It says on that link you can use 17mm bolts, go figure.

Oh youre buying those wheels? I've seen them on an X before, pretty decent IMO.

I have a square style 87 set up for the winter--The 20s do just fine in the snow with my pirelli scorpion ice and snows :thumbup:

Ah, okay. I wanted to go with smaller 18" (hahaha - that sounds funny) wheels since it costs less than 20" tires and they perform better in the snow. With that said, 20's look way better than the tiny 18's.

So, would I still need those 17mm lug bolts?