12 x5 35d with 20" staggered rims, bad tire wear

I'm new here guys, coming from a 08 Range Rover Sport supercharged.

I ordered my x5 35d with everything but the rear dvd player, including the 20" staggered rims. In 6300 miles it's been aligned 3 times, front tires replaced once, rear tires being replaced tomorrow. They can't figure out what the ** BLEEEEEEP ** is going on with my rig, was wondering if anyone else is having this issue? Keep in mind, I'm famous for dodging pot holes, storm drains, bad bumps , road hazards etc, to the point I've even gotten stopped by state police and put through a sobriety test .

if you stand in back of the rig 20-30 feet away you can visually see that BOTH rear tires are leaning on the inside edges of the tires. I've pointed this out to 2 different dealers and they haven't been able to get BMW to figure out what the heck is going on.

Just wanted to ask..

THANKS in advance !

At 6800 miles with 20" staggered setup my x5d has same issue of uneven thread wear on front and back tires- I do the same dancing driving when I encounter a pothole- lucky no one pulled over yet!
Have a appointment this weekend at EastBay BMW- got to see how that goes..

Originally Posted by EcobeemerNH

I'm new here guys, coming from a 08 Range Rover Sport supercharged.

I ordered my x5 35d with everything but the rear dvd player, including the 20" staggered rims. In 6300 miles it's been aligned 3 times, front tires replaced once, rear tires being replaced tomorrow. They can't figure out what the ** BLEEEEEEP ** is going on with my rig, was wondering if anyone else is having this issue? Keep in mind, I'm famous for dodging pot holes, storm drains, bad bumps , road hazards etc, to the point I've even gotten stopped by state police and put through a sobriety test .

if you stand in back of the rig 20-30 feet away you can visually see that BOTH rear tires are leaning on the inside edges of the tires. I've pointed this out to 2 different dealers and they haven't been able to get BMW to figure out what the heck is going on.

Just wanted to ask..

THANKS in advance !

be like my dealer and tells me i hit curbs and mess it up..there is 1/4 scrap in my rim

Originally Posted by EcobeemerNH

if you stand in back of the rig 20-30 feet away you can visually see that BOTH rear tires are leaning on the inside edges of the tires. I've pointed this out to 2 different dealers and they haven't been able to get BMW to figure out what the heck is going on.

Just wanted to ask..

THANKS in advance !

Are you saying the tires look like this?

//----\\

? I've seen this on most BMW cars.. I was told it has something to do with improving handling...

Originally Posted by EcobeemerNH

if you stand in back of the rig 20-30 feet away you can visually see that BOTH rear tires are leaning on the inside edges of the tires. I've pointed this out to 2 different dealers and they haven't been able to get BMW to figure out what the heck is going on.

Just wanted to ask..

THANKS in advance !

You mean the dealers are not able to figure out why you have negative camber on your rears? Or they haven't found a nice way of telling you that is how it comes from the factory?

Originally Posted by 11leven

At 6800 miles with 20" staggered setup my x5d has same issue of uneven thread wear on front and back tires- I do the same dancing driving when I encounter a pothole- lucky no one pulled over yet!
Have a appointment this weekend at EastBay BMW- got to see how that goes..

IMO East Bay BMW did not measure up . . . techs offered some bogus/incorrect info . . . I now go to BMW Concord . . . very good service . . . ask for SA Kevin T . . .

Originally Posted by z51vette

You mean the dealers are not able to figure out why you have negative camber on your rears? Or they haven't found a nice way of telling you that is how it comes from the factory?

+1
And the horrible tread life is the price we pay with 20"s...

Hey everyone..I'm brand new to this forum as I'm considering purchasing an X5, and this tread caught my eye. This is the exact debate I'm having in m head about whether to get the activity package with the staggered 20s or no. I know the wear won't be as good as with the 19s, but what's the length of time/mileage to expect on the 20s? I was guessing somewhere @ 20k....my wife has a MB C300 with staggered 18's and that's all about we got out of the first set. It too has the uneven wear, or cupping as they call it, and it's designed like that.

When I expressed my unhappiness to the MB SA I was dealing with, they said the S550's have the same problem...and at least I didn't pay $110k for the car!

Any feedback would be great....not sure I want to pony up for the staggered wheels if it's going to cost me a new set at 6500 miles...

Thanks!

Originally Posted by lttmddj7va

Hey everyone..I'm brand new to this forum as I'm considering purchasing an X5, and this tread caught my eye. This is the exact debate I'm having in m head about whether to get the activity package with the staggered 20s or no. I know the wear won't be as good as with the 19s, but what's the length of time/mileage to expect on the 20s? I was guessing somewhere @ 20k....my wife has a MB C300 with staggered 18's and that's all about we got out of the first set. It too has the uneven wear, or cupping as they call it, and it's designed like that.

When I expressed my unhappiness to the MB SA I was dealing with, they said the S550's have the same problem...and at least I didn't pay $110k for the car!

Any feedback would be great....not sure I want to pony up for the staggered wheels if it's going to cost me a new set at 6500 miles...

Thanks!

To go along with terrible tread wear,Its very easy to ding wheels when parking
also the ride sucks around town..you will think your in a old ford pickup

Originally Posted by EcobeemerNH

I'm new here guys, coming from a 08 Range Rover Sport supercharged.

I ordered my x5 35d with everything but the rear dvd player, including the 20" staggered rims. In 6300 miles it's been aligned 3 times, front tires replaced once, rear tires being replaced tomorrow. They can't figure out what the ** BLEEEEEEP ** is going on with my rig, was wondering if anyone else is having this issue? Keep in mind, I'm famous for dodging pot holes, storm drains, bad bumps , road hazards etc, to the point I've even gotten stopped by state police and put through a sobriety test .

if you stand in back of the rig 20-30 feet away you can visually see that BOTH rear tires are leaning on the inside edges of the tires. I've pointed this out to 2 different dealers and they haven't been able to get BMW to figure out what the heck is going on.

Just wanted to ask..

THANKS in advance !

WHAT ARE THE ACTUAL ALIGNMENT NUMBERS??????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????

Without that, this thread is an exercise in pissing into the wind.....

Edit: The BMW "Specs" are quite wide, and allow them to set the suspension such that it is "OK" yet destriys your tires...the rear WILL have neg camber (/\) but this is OK...post the numbers, ALL of them

What do the alignment specs look like? You can run a good bit of camber without destroying the tires too quickly, but if your toe is excessive then you'll kill tires in a hurry.

Originally Posted by lttmddj7va

Hey everyone..I'm brand new to this forum as I'm considering purchasing an X5, and this tread caught my eye. This is the exact debate I'm having in m head about whether to get the activity package with the staggered 20s or no. I know the wear won't be as good as with the 19s, but what's the length of time/mileage to expect on the 20s? I was guessing somewhere @ 20k....my wife has a MB C300 with staggered 18's and that's all about we got out of the first set. It too has the uneven wear, or cupping as they call it, and it's designed like that . . .
Thanks!

For me, original Dunlops (2011MY Option 214) got replaced at ~23,000 miles. Currently on Bridgestone Duellers, already 13,000+ miles . . . should easily hit 35,000+ miles at the wear rate I am observing.

I got Option 214 for its appearence - I really like it.

Originally Posted by tonka858

To go along with terrible tread wear,Its very easy to ding wheels when parking
also the ride sucks around town..you will think your in a old ford pickup

Yes very easy to get a curb rash.

Yes ride w/o AD is on the more firm/rough side. If I were to re-do my choices I would go with 19 inch rims + AD . . . that IMO is a good balance between ride quality, looks and handling.

Originally Posted by ard

WHAT ARE THE ACTUAL ALIGNMENT NUMBERS??????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????

Without that, this thread is an exercise in pissing into the wind.....

+1

Here is a thread that discusses wheel alignment . . . I have included my wheel alignment report there . . . folks on this forum, particularly ard was very very helpful . . . thanks! Based on the discussion on this forum, I pretty much zeroed out my negative toe . . . should improve wear performance considerably . . . for my style of driving, no difference in handling post alignment.

Originally Posted by lttmddj7va

Hey everyone..I'm brand new to this forum as I'm considering purchasing an X5, and this tread caught my eye. This is the exact debate I'm having in m head about whether to get the activity package with the staggered 20s or no. I know the wear won't be as good as with the 19s, but what's the length of time/mileage to expect on the 20s? I was guessing somewhere @ 20k....my wife has a MB C300 with staggered 18's and that's all about we got out of the first set. It too has the uneven wear, or cupping as they call it, and it's designed like that.

When I expressed my unhappiness to the MB SA I was dealing with, they said the S550's have the same problem...and at least I didn't pay $110k for the car!

Any feedback would be great....not sure I want to pony up for the staggered wheels if it's going to cost me a new set at 6500 miles...

Thanks!

I was in the same predicament when I was ordering my car. I was planning to change the tires and wheels anyway for something more off-road friendly and non run-flat so I can air down driving on the beach with soft sand. On one hand the 20s are much wider so I wouldn't have to air down so much on the other, I was uncertain what they could handle as far as sand goes.

That all became irrelevant as far as my choice went when I realized the 20" wheels are only part of the package. The other part are the fender flares. I definitely wanted the meaty stance. And going to bigger wheels later, would not achieve that without the fender extensions.

I got my car, and the negative camber on my diesel is not too aggressive. I've seen crazy camber on some 5.0s. I can see 25+K on my factory Dunlops.

My M-Sport 535 had pretty aggressive negative camber and I wore the insides of my rears down to the cords and loosing air, while the outsides looked like they had another 15K on them.


If I were worried about tread wear I would pull in the rears to minimum factory specs.

14k miles and my 20 inch Dunlop RFTs already need to be replaced on my 2012 X5 diesel. Thinking of going Extremecontact DWS non RFTs.

My thoughts when ordering both of my X5d's was this:

Pros
20" set up looks awesome on the X5 without a doubt with better choice or rims as well.
They say they have better traction and better cornering behavior.

Cons
At interstate speeds they require you to maintain the steering more then usual.
The ride is the less compliant of all the set ups.
Higher rate of tire bubble and rim damage.
History shows the wear factor to be cut in half of other tire sizes.
You can't rotate.
You hear more road noise in the cabin and I am sure there are other reasons to not want them.
The cost is high to look good and it is a tough decision for many. I made my choice and don't have an issue with those who have them. When I see an X5 going down the road with the 20's I say "man, that looks good". Good to have choices I think. I traded my 2011 with 33,000 mi and not near the wear marks. Tires are expensive.

Vandit -14K miles and need replacement....ugh... I do @ 20-22K miles per year and having to replace a set before the first year is not acceptable IMO.

Goergejm- did you get the 20"s or no? Love the pros and cons you laid out. Sounds like you opted to not go with them.

My bottom line is I have driven the car and compared it against the only other I am considering, the Q7. I want a D for the better mileage it provides but LOVE the look of the 20's. They totally make the car - the stock 18" IMO look puny and don't fill out the wheel well.
If I go with the Q7 (Prestige Pkg) I have not found the 20"s they use experience the problem with wear the 35's have.

I dunno...this tire wear thing has me at an impass. I'm afraid if I don't get the 35d w/ 20"s I'll be kicking myself and if I do get it I'll end up pissed off for having to replace the tires waaaay early.

ugh...

Goergejm- did you get the 20"s or no? Love the pros and cons you laid out. Sounds like you opted to not go with them.

I went with the 19" 335 with AD to balance all issues and it works great for me. I think it eliminated a lot from my con list. I do wish they had a better 19" rim choice but...it is what it is.


I dunno...this tire wear thing has me at an impass. I'm afraid if I don't get the 35d w/ 20"s I'll be kicking myself and if I do get it I'll end up pissed off for having to replace the tires waaaay early.

Trust me, the pain from the kick will be more intense after the "look" value wears off and the reality of ownership expenses rear their ugly head. I say this knowing I can afford any tire set-up I want but there are times when my common sense factor will laugh at my desire factor. But the most important thing is what brings you the most joy over time I guess.

Zero replies from the OP on his numbers... the ONLY thing that will address his original question!

And everyone else that seems to be twisted up with tire sizes as a cause of tire wear: IT'S THE ALIGNMENT.

(Or more precisely, the wider the tire and lower the profile and the softer the compound the more susceptible the tire to wear caused by sub-optimal BMW alignment)

Threads like this make me happy that I didn't bother getting ZSP. The 20 inch wheels are nothing but money pits

agree they are money pits, but I love them!

Originally Posted by vandit

agree they are money pits, but I love them!

And that is ALL that matters!!!!!

Granted, I do almost all of my driving in Phoenix, and we have the best freeways in the country...and I totally agree with Ard, this issue is not so much a rim size issue as it is an alignment issue. I am getting excellent wear from my 20 inch Bridgestone RFT's. I would say to inquiring minds to not give up on the 20's, the look is worth it once your find your set up sweet spot.

Well after it being there for 3 days, BMW decided to refund the $950 for the 20" package, and they put style 335 19" with Conti contact 4x4 . They said they know about the problem with the 35d and they are currently working on a fix.

The alignment looked like this /--\ now it's back to " factory specs " and noticed a huge difference on the highway rolling resistance seems to glide better down the roads and MUCH less effort keeping it on the road too.

Originally Posted by EcobeemerNH

Well after it being there for 3 days, BMW decided to refund the $950 for the 20" package, and they put style 335 19" with Conti contact 4x4 . They said they know about the problem with the 35d and they are currently working on a fix.

The alignment looked like this /--\ now it's back to " factory specs " and noticed a huge difference on the highway rolling resistance seems to glide better down the roads and MUCH less effort keeping it on the road too.

OMG....

THE FACTORY SPECS ARE A HUGE RANGE... THERE IS A REASON I and vendor ECS) ASKED FOR THE ACTUAL SPECS...TO CHECK ON WHAT THE DEALER IS DOING!

You are getting jerked around...there is no 'issue' with 35ds... but there MAY be something off on YOUR car that they are trying to cover up. No dealr=er refund $950 withiut a reason- GET YOUR NUMBERS

They are in the paperwork at the dealer with the work order they file away...

I just recently had my 08-E70 w/20" wheels aligned on Friday from a independent garage. I noticed that my left rear tire had some bad camber when compared to the right rear. My mechanic also informed me that the front suspension does not allow for camber adjustments, I would have to purchase specific BMW control arm in order to adjust the front camber.

Attached are the before and after alignment spec. The left rear was way out for me!