Wheel Specs for X3

[Liverman]

I have pretty much decided that I will need a set of winter tires for my new '05 X3 (stock Style 112 17x8 wheels, Michelin HX MXM4 235/55-17 tires) here in Colorado.

So I am looking around the Classifieds here and lookin' on eBay for some decent used wheels and winter tires.

Since the X3 is such a new model, there is not much out there in the way of used wheels or tires (even used summer or all-season tires) in the stock X3 sizes.

This post is a question about wheels, not tires...I'm wondering if wheels from a different model BMW would work - because I see a lot of used wheels from 3-series, X5's, etc.

From the accessories catalog I can see that the X3 will accept several 17" wheels. I do not want a larger diameter so I can keep the profile as high as possible to give me the best winter (fresh snow, packed snow, some ice) performance possible.

Style 109 - 17x7, 39mm offset
Style 111 - 17x8, 46mm offset
Style 112 - 17x8, 46mm offset
Style 148 - 17x8, 46mm offset
The X5 accepts the following wheels:

Style 56 - 17x7.5, 40mm offset
Style 57 - 17x7.5, 40mm offset
Style 130 - 17x7.5, 40mm offset
I figure these should work from the standpoint of diameter and offset (style 109 at 7" wides has a 39mm offset). Can I mount 235/55-17 tires on a 7.5" rim? Does anyone know if the X3 brake calipers will clear these wheels?? BTW, I know that the 235/60-17 tires you usually see on Style 57 wheels that have come off an X5 are too tall for the X3. :( But I figure I might find a set of wheels cheap.

What about wheels that are meant for a car - like Style 44 (17" x 8" with a 47mm offset). Diameter, width and offset they are pretty much dead on. Am I stupid to ignore the 1 mm diff in offset? Are these wheels strong enough to bear the fully loaded (GVWR 5104 lbs) X3? Will I have problems with clearance for the brake calipers?

Thanks for any and all help!

[LMC]

It sounds like you're really interested in BMW OE wheels and I do not know the answer to the question of whether wheels from other models will fit. Clearly the tires won't, but you know that.

By the way, the Euro X3 price list includes an entry for winter tire & wheel set: Four 17 x 7J style 109 wheels with 215/60R-17 winter tires. So that sounds like the best tire size, if you can find a tire you like in 215/60R-17.

May I suggest that you explore this from another direction? Tire Rack (and others) offer aftermarket wheels for the X3. If you find an aftermarket wheel that fits the X3, Gary may be able to tell you if that identical aftermarket wheel fits either an X5 or an E46 3 series. If it fits an X5, then you can probably fit X5 wheels to your X3 and if it fits an E46, then you can probably fit 3er wheels.

The hub fit issue would worry me -- traditionally 5er wheels (upon which the X5 is based) do not fit 3er hubs and vice versa.

I think that it is possible that a 17-inch 3er wheel fits. If so, then the issue is likely one of strength. I think that the X3 wheel is probably rated higher than a 3er wheel based on the higher vehicle weight of the X3 -- I'm not sure I'd worry too much about the disparity with OE wheels, though. (Do you load the X3 up to GVWR much?)

The other issue with a 3er wheel would be brake clearance and there's no substitute for the real world there. If you decide to try the E46 3er wheels, do it locally so you can try before you buy. A hassle to be sure, but you're apparently in uncharted (or at least poorly charted) water here.

And back on the aftermarket wheel topic, some of them are pretty reasonably priced; that would certainly be the easy route.

Edit: And then, just for grins, looked at the Tire Rack selection of winter tires and I see there's only one available in 215/60R-17, although there're some choices in 235/55. I see what you mean about limited...

[Vs1]

This is what i came up with for my X3 winter driving after a few weeks of researching.

1. BMW offers Style 112 with Dunlop SP M3 winter tires for about $2100. The Dunlop M3 rated very high in Snow, noise, and wet pavement. Most of my friend with sport car have them and highly recommended.

2. Tirerack - you can order winter tires package with Dunlop M3 and alloy wheels for about $1400 mounted and ship. This is my second choice. I acctually ordered and ended up canceled three days later.

3. Used OEM rims for X3 - Very hard to find if you really want X3 OEM style rims.

4. Used OEM X5 rims - Do they fit and the answer is YES depending on the style. Check out this post in X3world from motordavid. The X5 wheels were sold to and X3 owner. I missed this opportunity and went with 2nd choice first.

http://www.x3world.com/bmw-sav-items-sale/21467-last-call-oem-17-wheels-snowtires.html

5. X5 OEM wheels on Ebay - there are quite a few of them available.

Finally, I found a set of OEM style 112 almost new with tires from a seller that switched to 19" wheels. I ordered the Dunlop winter tires and should be here soon. For a second set of winter wheels it was worth it since this was my first choice and I was lucky to find it.

Good luck with your winter tires package.

[Vs1]

Liveman,

This may be a good deal for you...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170750