19" Tire Question????

Hi there, I am new here and looking for some advice on replacement tires for my '07 X3 with Sport Package. I am on my second X3 and love the car. The car came with the optional 19" rims with the Pirelli PZero Rosso summer tires. I want to put on all season performance tires since we get ample snow here in winter time. I looked at Tirerack did not see all season tires available at the sizes the car came with. The fronts are 235/45/19 and rears 255/40/19. I don't know if the rear rims are wider than the fronts. Can someone confirm this or better yet have the actual size width of the rims? I don't mind going a plus size if there will be no fitment issues, but has anyone here run into the same problem? I am also thinking about putting the same size tire on all 4 corners if the size of the rim will accomodate. Like to hear what you did that worked for you. All thoughts or ideas are welcome. Thanks in advance for the input.

Slider13

You're better off buying a new set of 18" or 17" winter wheels/tires for the winter, since mounting/remounting tyres often isn't good for the rim. One should always downsize for winter tires for optimum traction and stability, and to optimise ABS, xDrive, and DSC.

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

You're better off buying a new set of 18" or 17" winter wheels/tires for the winter, since mounting/remounting tyres often isn't good for the rim. One should always downsize for winter tires for optimum traction and stability, and to optimise ABS, xDrive, and DSC.

I considered a set of winter tires for the X3, but I have a winter set for my car already and have a space issue in my garage. I need to look at all season tires though not optimal.

slider13

Originally Posted by slider13

Hi there, I am new here and looking for some advice on replacement tires for my '07 X3 with Sport Package. I am on my second X3 and love the car. The car came with the optional 19" rims with the Pirelli PZero Rosso summer tires. I want to put on all season performance tires since we get ample snow here in winter time. I looked at Tirerack did not see all season tires available at the sizes the car came with. The fronts are 235/45/19 and rears 255/40/19. I don't know if the rear rims are wider than the fronts. Can someone confirm this or better yet have the actual size width of the rims? I don't mind going a plus size if there will be no fitment issues, but has anyone here run into the same problem? I am also thinking about putting the same size tire on all 4 corners if the size of the rim will accomodate. Like to hear what you did that worked for you. All thoughts or ideas are welcome. Thanks in advance for the input.

Slider13

have the same setup, was able to get same tires from discounttire.com, i think it was ~$1200 with install, tpms, california fees and taxes.

best,
igor

I also have the staggered 19" setup on my X3, and the rims are different widths front/rear. For the specific sizes you can check www.realoem.com for your particular rim styles, but mine (style 147's) are 8.5" front and 9" rear.

To be honest, you are likely to be better off in the long run getting a separate set of winter tires and rims rather than swapping tires back and forth every spring/fall - partly on the costs of the swap every time, and also on the risk of damaging your rims on the swapovers -- that's a lot of opportunities for damage. With a separate set of wheels/tires, you can swap them yourself in less than an hour. Also, if you're going to need to store the extra tires in the off-season, it takes the same amount of space for tires/wheels as it does for tires alone.

Finally, the cost of a set of 17" winter tires with wheels may be cheaper than just the cost of the 19" tires for your current rims, and a lot cheaper to replace if you have any winter mishaps. With a 2006 I'm pretty sure you will not need the TPMS sensors as you have the ABS-based flat tire warning system, so that should reduce the cost of a new set of wheels/tires.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for the replies so far. My thought is to replace the summer tires with all season tires and be done with it foregoing winter tires altogether. No need to swap tires risking damage to the rims every season. I feel all season tires will provide adequate traction as my experience in the town I live, major roads are plowed on the same day it snowed and for the most part the side streets are cleared within a day. Have any of you mounted correct sized all season's or same sized tires all around? What brand/model all season's? How was the handling changed? Anybody try mounting same sized tire on the 8.5 front and 9.0 rear rims as Pimox3 mentioned? Seems to me that a half inch difference in rim width should not be a factor in handling or safety if the tire fitment requirement is within range of the rim widths and the only thing different would be tire dimensions being consistent at all four corners. What do you guys think? Thanks.

Slider13

Yes, I think you could use a 235/45R-19 tire front and rear without problems. But, unfortunately, there really are no suitable all-season fitments for the X3 in 19-inch. When you buy an X3 with the upgraded 19" wheels & tires, you de-emphasize the "go anywhere" plan in favor of the "go fast in nice weather" plan.

Your options as I see it:

(1) Buy a winter set (17-18 inch wheels with winter tires) as AzN recommended, which you can put on now; buy new summer tires next spring. You will own two sets and be well-shod for both summer and winter. You will also have the hassle of storing one set and of course the additional expense.

(2) Buy a set of new 17- or 18-inch wheels with all-season performance tires to use year-round. Sell your 19s here or on eBay or craigslist. Are the wheels in good shape? If so, they are worth something -- a nice set of 19-inchers should be desirable for some folks.

Edit: Oops, I missed your post about space in the garage...therefore, I recommend you buy some 18s or 17s and sell the 19s...

we are fully stocked with BERU tpms in addition to spacers and bolts