What is with x5 wheels?

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horse123

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I get it's an SUV with a fair amount of horsepower, but some wheels and tires I've seen on x5s seem to be like a foot wide. Bigger than some wranglers with mud tires in width...

What is with that? And those tires must be stupidly expensive, am I correct in thinking that?
 
Yup... either 315/35/20 or 325/35/20 in the rear, depending on trim level.

Not really certain why it needs so much tire, but it sure looks cool.
smile.gif


The OE tires are about $400 each in that size.
 
The X5M sure needed those wide tires. When you make the power some of those make, you need that much tire. Look at the rear tires on a Viper or newer Corvette.
 
Originally Posted By: geeman789
Maybe too wide for winter conditions...? Or not enough tire for the power...?

Well, width is one thing, but tire type is another. Most of these sporty X5 versions come with summer tires, so it's on the owner to get themselves something else for winter.
 
not a fan of oversized overpriced rubber band tyres, beside being prone to wheel damage they ride roughly, + a yes yes they are too wide for best snow traction. downsizing to the smallest diameter wheels + tires that will fit works better + saves $$$$
 
It's heavy as heck and really tall, but people expect it to handle like a sport sedan. No other way to get that done except with gigantic super-sticky tires.
 
I saw an x5 with summers on this morning. It hadn't been above freezing in quite a while. What a moron.
 
Originally Posted By: horse123
I get it's an SUV with a fair amount of horsepower, but some wheels and tires I've seen on x5s seem to be like a foot wide. Bigger than some wranglers with mud tires in width...

What is with that? And those tires must be stupidly expensive, am I correct in thinking that?


Affluent folks driving a BMW can afford expensive tires...
 
Originally Posted By: horse123
I saw an x5 with summers on this morning. It hadn't been above freezing in quite a while. What a moron.


Indeed. It probably wouldn't be overly expensive to fit it with standard X5 diameter (assuming they clear the brakes) steelies fitted with snows.

I tried doing the wide snows on stock rims on the M5 and while it was decent, it would have been a lot better with tires that didn't resemble skiis as much as the 275's did. Don't get me wrong, the Blizzak's, despite being wide, performed well, but I'm certain I would have seen better performance with a stock 5-series width wheel/tire combo. And the placard lists an acceptable choice in that department.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: geeman789
Maybe too wide for winter conditions...? Or not enough tire for the power...?

Well, width is one thing, but tire type is another. Most of these sporty X5 versions come with summer tires, so it's on the owner to get themselves something else for winter.


And most of them won't. Stowe is a magnet for such vehicles, particularly in winter.

I've lost count of how many X5s and other high end SUVs I've seen crashed or stuck in a ditch in Vermont during slick conditions. The ones from Quebec are driving like maniacs, but they're on good winter tires. The one from CT, NY, and MA wipe out with monotonous regularity...their incredulous owners wondering why AWD didn't help the turn, or stop....
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: geeman789
Maybe too wide for winter conditions...? Or not enough tire for the power...?

Well, width is one thing, but tire type is another. Most of these sporty X5 versions come with summer tires, so it's on the owner to get themselves something else for winter.


And most of them won't. Stowe is a magnet for such vehicles, particularly in winter.

I've lost count of how many X5s and other high end SUVs I've seen crashed or stuck in a ditch in Vermont during slick conditions. The ones from Quebec are driving like maniacs, but they're on good winter tires. The one from CT, NY, and MA wipe out with monotonous regularity...their incredulous owners wondering why AWD didn't help the turn, or stop....


Here here!

The X5 seems to be the required vehicle for this type of behavior.
 
An X5 is worth nothing IMO. It's basically a tank that would probably dig itself into a rut and get stuck if you took it off road. In other words, a rich new money soccer mom grocery getter and not much more. Would 1000x over rather have the ML63 but then again I would never buy either of them.
 
The only way to make a chunk of lead drive like the sports car its not. Stock rubber on BMW's is a joke in the winter as well.
 
Originally Posted By: horse123
An X5 is worth nothing IMO. It's basically a tank that would probably dig itself into a rut and get stuck if you took it off road. In other words, a rich new money soccer mom grocery getter and not much more. Would 1000x over rather have the ML63 but then again I would never buy either of them.


Mercedes only makes one SUV and that's the G wagon, which also comes with horrible rubber.

The only high dollar SUV's worth the money is the Toyota Land Cruiser and its Lexus equivalent and the G wagon. Range Rovers are OK with real rubber, but 99% of the people who buy them just run the super sticky summer tires all year round and struggle so they suck.

BMW's business model which is selling every vehicle twice, the new ones threw leasing pretty much guarantees that if you live in a cold climate the BMW next to you on a snowy day will have summer rubber on it. Throw in the fact that 99.99% of BMW's on northern dealers lots are AWD and you have a great recipe for smashing them up.

My business partners GF just smashed up her new 3 series in the snow...bet it would have turned with a set of Blizzaks on it.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: horse123
I get it's an SUV with a fair amount of horsepower, but some wheels and tires I've seen on x5s seem to be like a foot wide. Bigger than some wranglers with mud tires in width...

What is with that? And those tires must be stupidly expensive, am I correct in thinking that?


Affluent folks driving a BMW can afford expensive tires...


Yes, and one would think that they could also afford a set of smaller diameter/width WINTER wheels and tires as well, even if they pay someone else to swap them over every year.
wink.gif
 
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