Tires -- again

This may sound like a bumb question but would upgrading from 17" to 18" give a stiffer ride? The largest wheels I've had on my cars are 17" and I don't know if going up to 18" will affect the ride negatively.

Originally Posted by Rob V

This may sound like a bumb question but would upgrading from 17" to 18" give a stiffer ride? The largest wheels I've had on my cars are 17" and I don't know if going up to 18" will affect the ride negatively.

So many factoris can affect the ride. Like I mentioned, I think some combo of lighter wheels and softer summer rubber has slightly improved the ride on my '04 X3 non-sport, which was always running on 17". However, the ride is by no means "plush" or even "good". It's just that the initial edge/shock of the bumps seems to be softened a bit.

i live in Arizona and in never in 32***730; or lower temps and i have the m sport 18" rims and use Goodyear eagle F 1 GS-D3s'

what a difference they made...… soooooo much dry grip and sooooooooo much wet grip... they are truly astonishing tires


i recommend them 100%

Mine has Michelin Pilot Sports.....love the traction on icy snowy roads


just kidding

Got a brand new set of 18" wheels and Pirellis if anyone in the Bay Area is looking for a new set!

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=270504

Cheers,
Skottoman

Originally Posted by Rob V

This may sound like a bumb question but would upgrading from 17" to 18" give a stiffer ride? The largest wheels I've had on my cars are 17" and I don't know if going up to 18" will affect the ride negatively.

There are no 'bumb' questions on this forum!

Anyway, I use the stock 17" rims with Bridgestones for the winter and a set of OEM 19" with Pirelli P-Zeros for the summer, and prefer the ride on the 19's. My X3 is a 2006, so the suspension was a little better behaved than earlier models, but I was happy with my choice to go with the 19's for summer.

Although all other things equal (same tire make/model, etc.) you would expect a harsher ride on larger diameter wheels, the tire combo makes a significant difference (as AzN pointed out). Assuming you upgrade to suitable tires for the 18's, I don't think you'll be unhappy with the ride - and the larger wheels look nicer (IMHO).

I believe the ride got much softer on my '04 with sport package when I switched from 18" to 17", and from Bridgestones to Goodyears.

We put Toyo Versdao's on the X3 several weeks back and they offer a quiet ride at highway speeds. I've had them out in heavy rain and 2 snow storms and they seem to grip quite well but definitely not as good as a true snow tire.

I'll need to run them through a few storms next year and then make a decision to keep them on for the winter or throw on my extra rims with snow tires (from my 330xi which is now gone).

Originally Posted by Rob V

You have 85k on a single set of tires? Holy crap. I've never lasted more than 33k without having to replace the tires. I know this is an old thread but for what it's worth, I live in Colorado Springs and Pirelli's have been great. Even now with 2 tires at the wear bars it still does great. Great tires. Sure, snow tires would be better but I'm not into changing tires a couple times a year and while we can get our occassional blizzard, they don't happen with enough frequency to warrant true snow tires. Unless I lived in an actual ski town or a place like North Dakota then I'm sticking with all seasons.

yes on a single set of tires, replaced it with Pirelli Scorpion STR 235/55 R 17