Worth it to go from OEM 18s to 19s/ 20s?

[paulgt3]

I have the same wheels you have on your X5 right now. Those are my winter wheels and tires. I have 20" chrome with the Daimaris and the ride quality suck compared to the 18" I have on now. The ride noise is terrible with the 20" too. I really like the winter wheels I picked up from a friend. I like them so much I am thinking of not putting the 20"chromes back on. The rear Diamaris wore to the wear bars at 25k miles.
I have to replace the rears on my Porsche at $530 EACH so I am thinking of keeping the 18" wheels on my X5 for awhile. They are very handsome
(the ones you have on now)

[zerochief]

I have staggered 20" 87's with no issues - 12,000 miles and going strong.
Also no noise issues for me like some other members mention.

[Santib]

I had an '01 4.4 with the 19's with sport suspension and I think the handling was much better and smoother than I have now with an '03 4.6 with 20's.
Both with the michelin's and OE rims. Just my take on it.

[thebluedog]

Another thing to consider is the cost of replacing tires on a 20" wheel. Since you put so many miles on your X each year, you'll need to replace your tires more often. Also, I think the tread life is less on the lower profile tires. Just another thought, though I might be wrong.

[StanF18]

Thanks for your input everyone.

Zerochief: A few questions: Are the Style 87s considered BMW rims or is another manufacurer? What's the width on the staggered setup? Have you kept the stock brakes?

TurnAround and Bluedog: Can one of you guys post a web link to the 19" Style 132s? Would that be a staggered setup just like the 20" ones above?

I want to gather up as much info as possible in case I go ahead with a switch. FWIW, I just changed my Michelin Energy MXV4s (on the 18") after 31K miles as a precaution, but they still had PLENTY of tread left. I'm pretty sure they could have gone all the way to 50K. Would I get that much life on a 20" tire?

P.S. Villajoe: It's a Dinan exhaust

[motordavid]

Stan,
Butting in...
-yes Style 87 are made as a BMW OEM/replacement wheel; there
are also several replica wheels on mkt.
-For pic of staggered style 132s, 19", see my post #3 in this
thread:
http://www.x5world.com/x3-e83-forum/...tml#post433652

and, more pics in this one, post #3:
http://www.x5world.com/x5-e53-forum/...tml#post433607

[Boston X5 4.4]

Originally Posted by StanF18

Thanks for your input everyone.

FWIW, I just changed my Michelin Energy MXV4s (on the 18") after 31K miles as a precaution, but they still had PLENTY of tread left. I'm pretty sure they could have gone all the way to 50K. Would I get that much life on a 20" tire?

Depends on the tire. Several people on here have 20's as a summer set up with summer perfromance tires e.g. mich diamaris. You would be very lucky to get even 30K out of summer performance tires unless you are driving like an old lady.
I don't have 20's so I don't know what options are out there as far as higher tread wear rated tires - have a look on tirerack.com and they show options/tire rating for 20' set-up.

Personally, and if the roads in NJ are anything like the roads in Boston after the winter, I wouldn't go any bigger than 19's on a daily driver.

Good luck

[mspillberg2000]

I've had my Toyos for 2 years now. They are the best, and you won't regret switching to 20s. Your car will drive better!
I just have to balance my tires 2-3 times a year. Other than that there is no other problems. You will love the drive and the look!

[TurnAround]

Originally Posted by thebluedog

In fairness, you can't compare the ride of a Z3 coupe and an X5 with the same side-wall height. I would think the X5 would be far bumpier.
Good choice though on the 132's. Where are you getting 'em? OEM or replicas?

Good point. Tire volume and suspension system are completely different.

----------------

I'm going with OEM this time. My 18" Y-Spokes are replicas of the 19" Y-spoke. I have to say they're really nice. If they are heavier, I can't see it in the design. wall thickness could be greater tho. My one complaint is that the replicas don't have their back edges rounded before painting. Work fine for years, but paint doesn't like to go across edges like that. I'm starting to see where it is wearing down slightly. Other than that, the finish is par with OEM. Keeping the 18's as my snow wheel / tires.

I felt like I should go with OEM on the 19's just in case there is a small weight savings. With my 3.0i engine, every half pound matters. With luck, they'll weigh the same as the 18's, or close. The price is a killer though But hey, what can you do. BMW makes great wheels (Err... BBS makes 'em as far as I know. Cool).

[acitydweller]

turnaround, its good to see someone other than myself to be a sensible modder. I have 18's on my 4.4 and find the ride fairly stiff and harsh over bumps. Driving in the city as I do most often forces me to drive slower in order to balance a comfortable ride for my family and to maneuver the potholes and traffic. needless to say i would probably go up to 19" at most but will most likely stick with 18's myself.

I find that going to 20"s would also have me look for a rotor/brake upgrade as even 4.6 and 4.8's have larger brakes to handle 20+" wheels and the rotational weight. As most people go large on the wheels for looks, handling and braking are hardly on anyone's mod list. good luck turnaround...