Hello Everyone,
This is my first post, so if you have already addressed this issue please direct me to the proper forum. We just ordered an 08 X5 4.8 with sport package and the 19" wheels with all season tires. I really like the looks of the 20" wheel and performance tire and am considering changing to that wheel. I have heard and read about the poor wear and poor porformance of the 20" in snow and ice. We live in Kansas so we do get a bit of bad weather. I guess I thought with all wheel drive you should be able to get through about anything with minimal difficulty. I would appreciate any insight, guidance and help regarding tires and weather. Thank you all in advance.
phoward

Pick up a set of 18's from Ebay for the winter driving and as soon as it gets nice out switch them up. I did that with my 745, I have the 20's for warm weather and I put on the snow tires/wheels for the cold weather. This also helps keep your 20's in good condition by not driving them in the snow and salt. Good luck....

Do the 20's wear any worse by running them in the 'occasional' snow and ice? Or is it just a performance issue of sliding around?

Also, how many miles can someone expect to get from a set of these tires?
Is there a problem with the rims as well?
I ran 19's on my previous X5 with not much problems.
Please advise.

Thanks.

You're thinking correctly, it's not a wear issue with the snow, it's just a sliding around issue. Even with all wheel drive, the summer-oriented wide 20-inch tires make the X5 horrible in the snow. A separate set of narrower, taller profile snow tires on 18-inch wheels would be a better option for snow-bound owners.

I have 20's on my 4.8 x5 and I live in Pennsylvania where we get plenty of snow. All I do in the winter is put on my perreli's and it drive threw snow with no trouble. The only thing that kinda sucks is that the stupid salt on the roads stain your rims. Its nothing that polish won't fix tho. But overall, those rims and the wideass tires on the back look very hotttt. When you get the 20's for the 4.8 at the dealer, they put on different fenders right above your rear wheels that stick out more. Deffinatly a must have!

If your in a location that gets snow and ice it would be wise to get a set of winter tires. Performance tires on wide wheels suck in the snow.

I just bought an 08 X5 4.8si with sport package for my wife (well, the 4.8 and the sport package were for me and the rest of the car for her . . . .). I took one with the 20" wheels for the night to test. Nice handling, but noisier and heavier steering. For me, I would buy them and get 18 inch stock wheels for winter. But since it is her car, we went with the sport package 19s with all season runflats. The dealer recommended against the 20s unless we bought a second set of wheels for winter. We are in NH. The tires for the 20s would be expensive -- maybe worth it to me but not my wife. Runflats are bad enough as it is but we can't have a spare since we have the 3rd seat and it comes with runflats anyway.

The practical side of me is saying just get the 19's and be happy. The performance side is saying get the 20"s and an extra set of wheels and tires for winter, because the 20's look really good and are not as common. (unique) I dont see many X5's with the 20".Dealer said to expect 25000 miles out of 20's and replacement cost of 400 each at dealer. Well I wouldnt go to dealer for tires. So I'm still undecided.
phoward

20s are $900 extra with tires if you order with car. Dirt cheap upgrade. Used 18s are probably relatively cheap. Try Ebay and Craigslist. $900 plus generous estimated $1000 for used wheels and tires = $1900. Buying new 20" package with real BMW wheels and tires is proabably $3000.

Thanks for the input. We went ahead and ordered the 20's. I feel good about that decision. will pick up some 18's for winter weather.
Patrick

Thanks for the input. We went ahead and ordered the 20's. I feel good about that decision. will pick up some 18's for winter weather.
Patrick


Excellent idea. :)

I have an "03 4.4 with 19" Michelin summer performance tires.They don't work in the snow.In the winter I use 17" Michelin pilot snow tires which are excellent in snow.I have a little over 30K on the car with plenty of tread left for another summer.

We've just ordered an X5 4.8i for my wife and I plan to get a set of dedicated snows mounted on wheels for it, as we do with all of our cars.

Feels a bit weird ordering snow tires for an SUV or an SAV, but it's a sign of the times I suppose.

We also looked at the MB GL450 and the tires on it would be more suitable for snow and ice driving, and the truck tires on the Lexus was excellent in snow as well.

Now all I have to do is find another spot to store a set of wheels...

In my case,I ordered the sport package back in "03,which came with the low profile performance tires.These tires performe great in rain and dry roads.Since the rubber is much harder,they don't perform in snow.
I'm sure when ordering your X5 without the sport package,they will offer an all-season tire that you can run year round.

The standard wheel is 18 x 8.5 with 255/55/18 all season. The standard sport package wheel is 19 x 9 with 255/50/19 all season. The optional sport package wheels (+$920) are even wider staggered 20s with steam roller summer tires that are no good in the snow.