All round newbie

[Rdukes]

Hi all, I'm not just new to X3's but also to forums so be gentle! Loving the car so far and have a few jobs to do but any clues what to watch out for? It's a 2004 E83 3.0 sport.

[Horizon]

Hi and welcome to the forum
Is it a 3.0 d ? The X3 is very sensitive or tyre sizes, all the tyres need to be the same rolling circumference or you risk transfer case damage/ failure.
Mine is an 08 Msport and was running wider rear rims and tyres.
Mine had 3 different makes of tyres on it when I bought it, I could feel the transmission winding up due to incompatible rolling circumferences .
Have a look at yourtyre sizes / makes/ tread depths and report back.
Also like the 3 series rear coil springs are prone to breakage.
As yours is a 2004, this is a pre facelift ( X3 was facelifted 2006 )

[Rdukes]

Thanks for the welcome. It's a 3.0 petrol, thirsty but fun. I had heard about the tyre issue and yes it had three makes on too. As of tonight it does have all new (albeit budget) tyres on. There was some knocking which was temporarily stopped when I fitted my bosses 17" wheels from his 535. It looked ridiculous as they were far too small but the knocking did stop. With the new tyres on now it has reduced it but I think I'll look for a pair of front wheels to go on the back.

Springs seem ok but will double check them.

Some of the original documents state it's an M Sport but the V5 just states Sport. Is there a difference?

[Horizon]

[quote="Rdukes"]
Thanks for the welcome. It's a 3.0 petrol, thirsty but fun. I had heard about the tyre issue and yes it had three makes on too. As of tonight it does have all new (albeit budget) tyres on. There was some knocking which was temporarily stopped when I fitted my bosses 17" wheels from his 535. It looked ridiculous as they were far too small but the knocking did stop. With the new tyres on now it has reduced it but I think I'll look for a pair of front wheels to go on the back.

Springs seem ok but will double check them.

Some of the original documents state it's an M Sport but the V5 just states Sport. Is there a difference?
[/quote]
As with the E53, they were called Sport, then the E70 they changed To SE/ MSport.
The facelift E83 also the went either SE/Msport., just a BMW marketing ploy.

[X5Sport]

DVLA also only have a limited choice of words on their system.  Diesel is called 'heavy oil' which is what I thought ships used, not cars!

[wilsbrough]

Welcome.

Also a newish e83 3.0 owner. Surprisingly nippy for a big car.

I will also second the wheel/tire combos, as was considering a swap to 19s/20s. But after reading lots of issues with the tires especially if using budget, I'm sticking with what I have for the time being. But if I do change, I will probably opt for same width front and rear wheels with same size tires. And would probably still go for a premium brand (not necessarily star marked) but they do last longer than budget tires and is a better chance that all circumferences are the same.

[Horizon]

On the E83 Msport , the factory fitted staggered  rims are only 1/2" difference in width.
I've fitted the same size/ profile tyres on all 4 corners as the tyre / rim size calculator says 255/40/19 are ok for
Both the 8.5j ( front )and 9j ( rear ) rims.
This way you have MILES more choice of tyres, without having to go * marked.

[Rdukes]

Thanks for all the responses, I'm sensing tyres are important! My wheels are 18" Tiger Claw (?) and I thought they where 8" & 9" so more difficult to get the same size tyres on. The front appear to have the same offset so the extra width is inside, this means the outer edge of the wheel will be the same as the 9" it will just look different from behind. (This makes sense in my head).

[X5Sport]

Correct.  You have the staggered setup.  You could either buy another pair of the 8" or buy a non-staggered set.  Keep an eye on the Forum, of fleabay, or buy new from somewhere like Alloywheels Direct.

[Horizon]

[quote="Rdukes"]
Thanks for all the responses, I'm sensing tyres are important! My wheels are 18" Tiger Claw (?) and I thought they where 8" & 9" so more difficult to get the same size tyres on. The front appear to have the same offset so the extra width is inside, this means the outer edge of the wheel will be the same as the 9" it will just look different from behind. (This makes sense in my head).
[/quote]
Go on BMW Real OEM put your Vin in the box go to wheels and it will tell you what wheels and what width they are. No need to guess then.