Switched back to 19" rims
 

A short story on my journey through wheels on my X5d. I figured since there were so many people asking about 20" wheels, I'd share my story....

My 2009 X5d came with 19's from the factory. I liked the look of the 214s, so at 18k mi, I bought a set of 20" OE 214s and installed the Bridgestone summer RFT. Ride was a lot firmer, feels every nook and cranny in the road. Strangely,the 20's had less tram-lining than the all-season Bridgestone RFT 19s when driving on the grooved/cemented 85 in San Jose. Once the 20's hit about 18k mi, the road noise and roughness increased dramatically. The outside edges of the fronts were worn to the point of no tread and the inside edges of the rears were down to threads at 19k.

I looked into getting non-RFT conti DWS in 20s, but in the end, I preferred to keep the RFT since I have 3rd row and no way to carry a spare. I ended up putting the 19s back on and so much nicer to drive everyday. I removed the fender flares and basically back to stock look, other than having the 19's powder coated black semi-gloss (style 212, looks nice!).

I felt that the price of the 20in tires along with quick wear and super rough ride pushed me to go back to the 19s. Also, we make trips to Tahoe in the winter, so makes more sense to have the smaller (and all season) tires that will handle better in snow....Ard's comments and thoughts about rim size helped "seal the deal". It really seems to make no sense from a performance measure to have the larger rim. However, I must admit, the huge tires sure did look very nice.

One other observation, I'd say I had a 1-2 mpg drop with the 20's, likely from the increased unsprung weight associated with the larger rims.

So, I'll likely sell my OE 214s soon (along with wide flares, rivet tool, 2009 TPMS, and a set of unused wheel locks). Just got to clean them up. Anyone in SF Bay area interested, shoot me a PM.

214s are mostly for looks... I love my 18" during winter times, ride is softer while preserving steering qualities. Every spring I am hesitating before removing 18s and putting 20s back on. But their look is killing !

The 18s are great, but they make the x5 grandpaee and going from an M5 to a x5 I had to have black 20s. That was the compromise - 20s and tuned! ;)

Spyder, what kind of tires do you have on your 19's? I am in the market for a winter set (NY) and would appreciate any advice.
Thanks!

The harsh ride goes away with non RFT. I run the vredrestein SUV Sessanta tires, and the ride quality is way better than with the RFT. Also, by running a lightweight forged wheel, you offset the increase in unsprung weight when you go to a 20" size wheel.

I carry the BMW mobility kit in the trunk. Its similar to what came with my E46 M3, and I do not want to have to replace run flat tires everytime I get a flat.

I see this all the time on M3 forums. Most people think 19's look the best on the e46, but the more performance oriented crowd sticks with the smaller stock 18's or lighter weight aftermarket 18's. I will be the first to admit that most of the 20 inch BMW wheels look fantastic on the X5. They give it a much more aggressive appearance. However, there is a price to pay for that (tire prices, tire wear, rougher ride, more unsprung weight, etc.). I actually wish there was a little more of an OE compromise than the really wide 315 sized 20's and the skinnier 255 18's & 19's. I think a 19 inch wheel with a tire ratio of about 275 or 285 would look pretty good and be a nice blend of comfort/weight/handling.

On a side note, we just picked up an 09 35d with the stock 18's and the ride is very comfortable. I have a buddy with a 4.8i sport package equipped with the 20 inch 275/315's and he very quickly noticed how much more comfortable ours was. I have gotten used to the look of smaller wheels. To be honest, they really only look small for the vehicle when it is next to another X5 equipped with 20's. It sure doesnt look as mean, but it still looks good, imo.

I'll still go with the 20'' (fills the fender so greatly), but what about this kit ?

I use mainly RFT because I did experiment a tire puncture on a bridge when you have very busy traffic (Montreal, Qc, Jacques-Cartier Bridge, no shoulders).

Is this kit (like the Continental kit) easy to use ?
My wife uses the car oftenly, and I don't want to have to sleep on the couch ... :dunno:

Couldnt agree more!
I have the innovations package with 20" wheels and when I got into my friends x5 with 18" the ride was night and day difference.

In the back of my mind i've been looking for some really aggressive looking 18"s for the X5 and havent found any yet..

OP - Thanks for this post/thread. It's always nice to hear about the experience from different people.

I have 19" in my 2009 35d and the ride is smooth and no road noise. We have cobblestone roads where I live and this thing just goes so smooth that you can barely feel any vibrations. However, those 20" just look AWEEEESOME. Every time I see an X5 with those fat formula 1 tires I go crazy. I might get them just for the looks. They make the car look so much more agressive. I do not drive much - I average about 5000-6000 miles a year so the road noise won't be much of an issue here. Have not pulled the plug on the 20"s yet but we'll see...

I had an 18" winter set and noticed a minimally smoother ride over the 20" (both were RFTs).

The look of that winter set was too much for me to handle though. That why I have set of 20's for summer and set of 20's for winter now...

Brian, you've sent me back to the drawing board, ie forum board. I have a set of 20" rims with Bridgestone hp's and just picked up a set of 19" rims and am reading up on all season and snow tires for the upcoming winter here in NY. I think I'm going to try out a set of all season non-rfts. Interesting to hear that you're not noticing a difference in ride. I have adaptive drive and I'm wondering if you do too.

I'm new to BMWs and had no idea about the summer tires issue.

On a side note, I just cancelled my rim and tire insurance on the 30 day for a full refund. I think I can do better than $1800. for 5 years replacing my own tires and rims, especially since I'll be riding on 19" non rfts half the year.
Dumb move? (hoping for some Ard validation here).

I don't need dedicated set of summer and winter tires; I'm sure all season would have been fine in this area. I do like to have great traction whatever the season (as I like to drive a little faster) and enjoy my trips up to New England in the winters.
Yes, I have adaptive drive. I don't have any doubt that non-RFTs would give a smoother ride than RFTs but I wouldn't give up my RFTs! (My wife has given up complaining about the harsher ride of them too :) )

Looks like you have owned some fantastic cars - do you have pics of your X5? How do you like the diesel? Also, you said yours was tuned - how did that work out? I have also had Ms (currently have a 97 M3) and am trying to decide which X5 to get - would love the X5 M but am afraid it would be too impractical. I am kinda leaning to the 35I with adaptive drive and M Sport package. Of course the Euro M50D would be seemingly ideal - lots of power and fuel economy to boot!

Thanks for all the responses....

Here is what I did to my 19" 212 wheels. They were powder coated in a "semi-gloss" (20% per work order) black. I figure I can run on these, then bring them back to have finished in original finish if I get tired of them....

I have to say that after switching back from the 214s, the ride is so much nicer. Still think the 214s are nicer looking despite being less practical...I will definitely get rid of them before I change my mind yet again....

There are some 19's that can look mean, but I haven't seen any 18's that do yet either. I don't know if there is an 18 inch wheel that would look really agressive on the e70 due to the size of the vehicle. I think 18's can look nice, but not agressive. 19's may be your best compromise of looks, handling, ride, etc.

I am not usually a fan of blacked out wheels, but I think it looks pretty good in your photos. Would be interesting to see some photos of similar wheels with more gloss and less gloss to see what I like best. Overall good job.

That looks pretty good!

Well, just did the opposite and ordered 20" Style 300 replicas + Bridgestone Dueler RFT staggered set from ModBargains !

Can't wait to remove the skinny 19" and install those on my Black X5 !

What 19" do you have in mind that you would say is one of the more aggressive 19's?

I actually did find some OE staggered 19 in wheel packages for the e70 with 9 inch wide rims in the front and 10 inch wide rims in the rear. I consider those to be more agressive than the standard 9 inch wide 19 inch rims we see most often since the wider tires are going to look beefier. The ones I have come across online are styles 177, 223 and 335. Not sure if you will like any of these aesthetically, though.

I actually happen to like the standard 19 inch 212 that the OP has as well, although I wouldn't say they are really agressive in their stock color.

You're right on!

• Y Spoke, style 335 - from the optional 'Sport Activity Package' are 4 x 255/50/19 run flat all season on 19 x 9" wheels.
• However, V Spoke - 223M - from the optional 'M Sport Package are (f) 255/50/19 (run flat performance tires) and (rear) 285/45/19" on 19 x 9 and 19 x 10" wheels

Not a giant difference, but 285mm rears are still > 11" wide.

Both 20" wheel options provide 275/40/20 and 315/35/20 run flat performance tires on 20 x 10" and 20 x 11" wheels, respectively.

Standard and optional equipment list from BMWUSA:
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l5...ide-Wheels.jpg


Here are the 19" style 223M on the 50i M sport pack X5 I drove last Saturday. I'm going with these as comfort > style at this point in time.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l54/HIRISC/X5-2.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l54/HIRISC/X5-1.jpg


I tweaked the contrast on this pic so you could see 'the width' of the silver X5 with 19"s. Not ///M (my white car), but the way that BMW spaces them 'out', they look fine.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l5...5-3-bright.jpg

Friend of mine just bought an X5 with 19" wheels. It makes the car look puny.

I think my 20" wheels look so much better. But that's just my opinion...

Cool post I came across just right now in the search for 19s. Thanks!