Tire Wheel Setup Question
 

Hey Guys - I'm close to pulling the trigger on an X5 and had a question. I love the 20" wheels but living in NYC I'm concerned about the potholes and having the setup with summer tires.

I was thinking of getting the vehicle with the sport package and the 19" wheels and purchasing a set of 4 replica 20"s, except not the staggered setup. Getting the 20 x 9.5 rims on all 4 wheels and maybe using an all-season tire something in the 275/45 range.

Are there any thoughts on that or has anyone tried that?

I say pay the $950 for the 20's and worse comes to worse, you can sell them and the money should pay for your replicas and a set of 19's.....I've got OEM 20's for summer and 19's (bought later) for winter.

i'm in NYC too... and i recently swapped to the OEM 214s staggered from the stock 18s...

no problems at all...i'm actually liking the ride even more... feels more planted and i don't notice a difference when hitting potholes..

i do have all-season non-run flats though.. and that's probably why it feels a little better than the stiffer run-flats..

the 18s were Ok.. but these are definitely better..

19s would be a good combo.. if you go with the straight non-staggered setup you can rotate them... and you'll get better traction in winter..(if you go with all-seasons)

if you're going with summer only tires then go for broke and get the 20s with the staggered setup... then swap back to stock wheels with winter tires...

i'm too lazy to swap back and forth so i have 20s with all years..

been doing this for a couple of years with no problems...

When ordering I asked my garage to change summer tires with winter tires on the originals M 19" rims and bought Replica 21" for summer. They made that for free.
I already mentionned things that could have an interrest for you here:
http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e70-forum/...-215-rims.html

get them staggered rims..

Every time i see them, I smile from ear to ear. I love the way they ride and look. (I actually prefer the ride and handling with them).

Judging from your post, it will kill you everytime you see your car that you don't have the 20s. I finally had it and had to swap to the staggered setup which just looks unbelievable in person. I'm shocked I'm actually driving this thing around. If I were you, I'd definitely avoid the summer-only 20s by going 19s first and changing them out to your preferred 20s yourself. Sell the 19s to recoup some cost.

Having gotten the 20s from the factory, I would recommend not getting them and getting them afterwards. That way, you have a choice of what tires to put on them, and not have to be stuck with run-flats.

I got the oem 214 rims with the car and brought a set of oem x5 18' rims with all season tires with less than 200 miles on it from a x5 member.