20 inch wheels... vs... 19 inch wheels???

Could someone enlighten me on wheel size please? Ordering a new 5.0 and can't decide on 19 or 20 inch wheels? What are the advantages or disadvantages to both? I hear the 20's come with staggered size tires... if that is true... why do they do that? Any help would be great. Thanks~

Go big or go home!

The muscular look and the increased handling that the 20's give is worth ANY downside that comes with them.

But I also am not looking to do any regular or serious off road with my X.

The 19's would provide a taller sidewall so should provide a softer ride. Again, i'd rather have the handling and looks of the 20's.

You got to determine what you want the truck to provide for you and make the choice with that goal in mind.

I have had 19's and 20's on my X5's. Personally I like the look and performance of the 20" over the 19". The 19's still make the car feel solid but the 20 adds a bit more feel. I had 18" winters and sold them weeks after I had them because I felt the X5 was too soft moving from the 20's the 18's. If you get the 20's you will need to purchase a Winter setup. You will not want to drive the X5 in the snow with 20" summer performance tires. It is absolutely scarey. I got caught in 1 inch of snow in a freek snow storm early winter one year and the first time i was on a slight decline, i was sliding with no control even at 15 mph. Personally I don't feel it is an inconvenience having to swap out my wheels twice a year. I run winter/summer setups on both my BMW's. You get the best of both worlds, excellent summer performance, excellent winter performance and you summers say nice. The cost is negligible because you split the wear over two sets and the winters wear very very well. Good luck

Originally Posted by MRV99

I have had 19's and 20's on my X5's. Personally I like the look and performance of the 20" over the 19". The 19's still make the car feel solid but the 20 adds a bit more feel. I had 18" winters and sold them weeks after I had them because I felt the X5 was too soft moving from the 20's the 18's. If you get the 20's you will need to purchase a Winter setup. You will not want to drive the X5 in the snow with 20" summer performance tires. It is absolutely scarey. I got caught in 1 inch of snow in a freek snow storm early winter one year and the first time i was on a slight decline, i was sliding with no control even at 15 mph. Personally I don't feel it is an inconvenience having to swap out my wheels twice a year. I run winter/summer setups on both my BMW's. You get the best of both worlds, excellent summer performance, excellent winter performance and you summers say nice. The cost is negligible because you split the wear over two sets and the winters wear very very well. Good luck

Agreed.

I run a non-staggered 19" winter set up that is very comfortable and reliable. I run 20" staggered for the summer with 275's up front and 305's out back. Conti DWS's. Very happy all year round.

The 20s look cooler, they also make the car look bigger, more agressive and it also feels heavier and bigger when you drive it. The 20s will give you a rougher ride and will be useless in bad weather. They also cost more to replace and your wheels are more likely to bend when you hit a pothole.

The 19s will give you a better cushier ride, will make the car look and feel lighter when you drive it - more tossable. They have better traction in bad weather conditions, they cost less to replace and your wheels will be safer when you hit that pothole.

IMO go with the 20s if looks are everything to you, otherwise, the 19s are the much better choice BTW, the 20s will not improve your handling, on the contrary - all that additional unsprung weight will make your handling worse.

In my experience, the additional weight of the 20's over the 19's won't be enough to notice at the levels the x can be reasonably pushed on the street. Technically, I would agree, but in real world conditions, the smaller sidewall will give the driver more feedback and be perceived as better "handling". This of course is completely separate from acceleration characteristics and braking performance that will be affected by the additional rotating mass on the four corners of the car / attached to the drivetrain.

But I am no mechanic or rac car driver, I just play one on TV.

20" is primarily for the looks. They are heavier, more expensive to replace, and the staggered setup is good on perfect roads only; on bad surfaces, with ruts, your car will jerk left/right more than on 19"s. Whether it's worth the looks is a personal choice.

I don't have an X5 but I do have a staggered set up on my 535i. As everyone has already mentioned the staggered set up makes it a phenominal handling and makes the car look more aggressive image wise.. However if you don't plan on swapping out on winter tires ( I will assume your in Buffalo NY ) then you will have some issues during winter weather driving.

Another problem with 20's and most likely the 19's as well is that the tire and rim will be more susceptible to damage ( ie. potholes, cracked rims, tire damage ).. On mine, the first winter I drove my car I had to replace 3 warped/cracked rims and 1 damaged fairly new tire.

Can you stagger 19 inch wheels for summer driving?

Originally Posted by TopNotchWatch

Can you stagger 19 inch wheels for summer driving?

I'm looking for the same thing. Figure 19 s will be cheaper and ride smoother. Not sure if they offered them frm the factory though.

Jay

Originally Posted by TopNotchWatch

Can you stagger 19 inch wheels for summer driving?

I don't see why you couldn't. My 550i has them - OEM with summer tires. I would stay close to factory offsets to preserve the geometry of the suspension and not upset the handling.

Originally Posted by jashearer

I'm looking for the same thing. Figure 19 s will be cheaper and ride smoother. Not sure if they offered them frm the factory though.

Jay

The 50i with the M Sport package comes with 223Ms which are 19x9 in the front with 255/50/19 tires and 19x10 in the rear with 285/45/19 tires. You should be able them from the dealer if you want them.

Either way, the 20s have a high enough sidewall it really doesn't make too much of a difference, 315/35/20 has a 110 mm sidewall. Compared to a 5er with 19s running 275/35/19 on the rear, they only have a 96 mm sidewall.

Originally Posted by ND40oz

The 50i with the M Sport package comes with 223Ms which are 19x9 in the front with 255/50/19 tires and 19x10 in the rear with 285/45/19 tires. You should be able them from the dealer if you want them.

Either way, the 20s have a high enough sidewall it really doesn't make too much of a difference, 315/35/20 has a 110 mm sidewall. Compared to a 5er with 19s running 275/35/19 on the rear, they only have a 96 mm sidewall.

Thanks for the heads up on the 223Ms I'll have to google those to see what they look like.

I would be okay with a 255/285 stagger as it wouldn't be as much of a friction drag either. The 19s would theorectically have ~17% more sidewall then the 20s which is a decent amount.

I love big fat wheels/tires as much as the next guy, but for my commuter the 19s should be sufficient.

Jay

Should have google imaged them before replying... not in love with them

Jay

The 19" 177, 213 and 265 were all also offered in the same staggered setup, I think the 223M is the best looking of the 4, depends on what you like. I don't think I've ever seen the 265 in person though.

Originally Posted by ND40oz

The 19" 177, 213 and 265 were all also offered in the same staggered setup, I think the 223M is the best looking of the 4, depends on what you like. I don't think I've ever seen the 265 in person though.

LOVE the 177s!

Thanks for the follow-up. I can't find a picture of the 265s on google images... weird, lots of 3 series pics come up but nothing with an X5/6.

The 265s were/are only available with the Individual Package I believe, pics can be found here: http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicle...ndividual.html

i have 20" y-spoke summer tires and love the look ... the 18" winter tires do not look as sexy