XSeries-forum

Ok cool, is it still worth investing in WT ?

Best thing I ever did really, it turned the X5 from a sliding sledge into a proper 4x4 ...

I have a facelift e53 with staggered 19" tyres. I picked it up last January on a day when snow was particularly bad and it was slipping alot... Just picked up a set of 17"s which already have mud and snow michelin tyres on with 4-5mm of tread left. I don't have first hand experience of using them in bad weather yet but im told it will make a hell of a difference.... Im sure others with experience will add there views. All I know is I'm not worried about the snow this year

I have an X5 on 20" wheels and in the compacted snow/ice last year it was terrible especially at low speeds. It just wanted to slide on at very slow speed not wanting to stop or go in the direction I wanted.

Currently researching for a set of 19" winter tyres as have a set of 19" wheels already bought.

[quote=""pvr""]Best thing I ever did really, it turned the X5 from a sliding sledge into a proper 4x4 ...[/quote]
Where would you suggest I get purchase a set from and which brand

I bought my wheels from eBay for £100 I think and the tyres from Camskill.

If you're planning on buying winter tyres, don't hang about. Many places I tried yesterday (having looked at the webcams for Garmisch and discovered they've already had snow) are already saying there are availability problems, I guess people don't want to be caught out after the last 2 winters.

In the end I ordered from Camskill, just under £700 for 4 x Vred Wintrac 4 Extreme, my spare set of alloys are just regular 19's so tyres are all standard size. Quite pleased at the price, was struggling to get change out of £1100 supply & fit from anyone else. My local place will fit them for £15 a corner, so I'm happy.

I have a 2011 40d M Sport just coming upto 3k miles. Do I really need winter tyres if I have all terrain tyres so I've been told, I'm getting mixed reviews, sizes below ???

Bridgestone
F = 275/40/20
R = 315/35/20

.............Bridgestone is just a make....maybe provide more tyre info or type info into google &/or search some decent tyre review sites. I apologise for not knowing what the exact tyres are on your car, either now &/or from the factory. I may be wrong but I would be suprised if an 20" E70 MSport alloys are shod from that factory with proper All Terrain, (AT),tyres.

Decent AT tyres can work well in winter but some reported downsides include increased noise &/or perhaps slightly worse mpg. Mud terrain,(MT),are more aggressive still, however, these are typically used by hard core off road users. I have only seen these fitted to dedicated off road 4x4's with locking diff's & switchable ratio. Many meaty M/T tyres are remoulds with low speed rating & I would not use them for road use. There are few if any genuine AT/MT tyres for larger X series wheel sizes. MT speed ratings are usually low & when marketed load rating info is often lacking.

Incidentally I have spent some time looking into whats available AT wise for my factory fit staggered 19's on my E53 X5, (though plenty of depth left in my Diamaris at present). This for wider tyre capability not just snow. General Grabber UHP, (Ultra High Performance), are more AT focused than Diamaris but some would say not a true AT. I would expect more bite than Diamaris when away from hot tarmac but wouldn't expect UHP's to peform in Snow like dedicated Winter &/or Snow tyres. I know one member on here has general Grabber UHP's on 19's for Winter so I am hoping we might get a mini review. In light of comments from an XC90 owner running these I will also be interested to learn how they perfrom on dry tarmac at speed & any negative impact on mpg. (Incidentally General actually make an AT tyre actually branded "Grabber AT" but I can only find availability in 17 & 18" sizes for E53. (Older design & now IMO illogically named Grabber AT2's are near impossible to source now). Many Disco 3 & less road focused 4x4 owners use one tyre all year as they don't have same tyre profile choice limitations we have on factory fitment larger alloys. Sadly General Grabber AT branded tyres aren't currrently available for my staggered 19's, if available, fine at higher road speeds & didn't compromise mpg then, (come change time), I would simply choose to have these fitted all year round and be done with it as we don't get much snow on south coast of UK,(& I seldom have to venture further afield). Aware I typed in response to E70 query but typing this for benefit of others too.

M&S ,(Mud & Snow), designation usually apppears on All Season tyres. All AT tyres I have seen have been All Season. M&S designated tyres should perform better in snow than summer tyres, (like my 19" Diamaris), but M & S designation doesn't make a tyre a true A/T product .

Good Winter tyres should always do better in snow than road biased M&S tyres but some good AT tyres will perform well in snow. Tyres with deep meaty tread should grip in fresh snow but due to compound qualities I would still expect decent dedicated winter/snow tyres the best weapon when say emergency braking on ice covered & compacted snow.

Above info based on research & in part on back of me speaking on phone quite recently to a 4x4 & offroad enthusiast who posts on other sites thought I can't claim to be sharing experience here so treat the info as you see fit.

Aware this thread is to discuss Winter Tyres but felt need to clarify here on back of the original query re capabilities of AT tyres in winter.

Am slowly looking into this too......after having had winter tyres on the e53 im keen again to do the same but its not proving so easy.

From what i can gather the minimum size wheels that will fit are 19" with 255 tyres on.

The usual scouting around on the purveyor of all things cheap and dodgy ( ) is not throwing up the usual array of cheap alloys. Considering my 17" for the e53 were £50 trying to find new ones for the e70 dont seem to be any less that £300 and thats without tyres

Not totally sure what im going to do at the moment but if the e53 still isnt sold by winter I might just use that as driving around on 315 tyres is going to be similar to tobogganing

Housekeeping info only : Merged/edited topics from another winter tyre thread to keep discussions in one place.

Fixed the offsets for you all in this colour

[quote=""CondorX5""]Winter Tyre and Rim recommendations: BMW OEM

I’ve made a summary of the official BMW recommended wheel and tyre combos for X5s as per their June 2010 Brochure……..

There are usually many posts about winter wheel issues over the Autumn / Winter months so this is an effort to keep all of them in one ongoing discussion thread so that info is easy to find and does not have to be repeated ad nauseum. The idea is that we maintain an open discussion on the subject of winter wheels which can be updated or added to as time goes on.

Please remember that these are just guidelines and do not represent an endorsement of what should or should not be done to your car – that is for you to decide alone or in consultation with a dealer / mechanic.
I am certainly not an expert in any matters pertaining to wheels and tyres and speak only as an owner/driver of an E53 X5 who has done some research on appropriate and safe winter driving.

I'll of course try to help with any queries, as will other technically more knowledgeable forum members, I am sure, and we'll build up the knowledge base in time.

Hope I’ve covered most of the most obvious questions!

E53 X5: models 3.0D, 3.0i (NOT the V8 models)

EDIT: 4.4 models apparently excluded - 17" rims fit as per Lez' post below. So all E53 models except 4.6is and 4.8is suitable for 17" wheels. Obviously if brake fitment has been modified with oversize Brembos etc, this will change things. All recommendations assume standard factory brakes.
I fitted oversized Brembo . need 20mm spacers to fit the space saver spare . 19 inch and 20 inch wheels clear the outer side of caliper by 1mm without spacer.
TYRES: 235/65R17
RIMS: Star Spoke 57
OFFSET ET40 7.5J X 17

E53 X5 4.4, 4.6 and 4.8 models (17” rims will NOT clear the brakes on 4.6 & 4.8 models)

TYRES: 255/55R18
RIMS: Star Spoke 99
OFFSET: ET40 8J X 18

Note that Runflats are NOT recommended for ANY E53 model.
Tyres recommended by BMW include Continental 4x4 Winter Contact in 17” fitment and Dunlop Grandtrek WTM2.



E70 MODELS:


Note that runflats are officially recommended for E70 models.
18” and 19” Combos are recommended for E70s:
18”: Cross Spoke 177, OffsetET46 8.5J X 18, Tyres 255/55R18
19”: Yspoke 211 , Offset ET48 9J X 19, Tyres 255/50R19


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:


1. Will other rims fit other than those mentioned above?
Yes, most OEM 17” rims will fit the diesel and 3.0i models, but worth checking if other members have any direct knowledge of the particular rim. For instance, the original Style 56 Ellipsoid rims fit and are usually sourced for a modest sum. Non-OEM rims and those from other vehicles such as Range Rovers are a minefield and best left to individuals to decide upon, so not included here.


2. Which make of tyre is the best?
We all have individual preferences, but dedicated winter tyres from any major manufacturer are suitable and price and availability will in some cases determine the choice. I and many others are great fans of Vredesteins, but there are winter tyres available from all major manufacturers all of which are suitable for purpose.



3. Can E70 wheels be bolted straight onto an E53 X5?
No. It is possible to use E70 wheels on an E53 but you will need the correct spacers.



4. When must I change to winter wheels?
Generally, when temperatures outdoors fall to around 7 degrees C consistently – winter tyres are a softer compound and perform at their best below 7 degrees C, although they are perfectly safe to leave on a vehicle at any time. It is said that the tyres will wear quicker in high temperatures and that “performance” will not be as good, although this has certainly not been everyone’s experience. Most people change wheels to winter sets around November and change back to summer sets again around April.



5. Can I stagger the fronts / rears to get a better “look”?
Probably, although not recommended. The winter wheels are the same on all four corners – no staggered fitment. Some people have fitted rear spacers to give the appearance of staggered tyres, but this is up to the individual and not endorsed by the forum.




6. When should winter tyres be renewed?
Winter tyres should be changed when they get to 3-4mm depth, unlike summer rubber which can go to 2-3mm. Be aware of this if buying part-worn tyres – most sellers are optimistic about tread depth on these, and any tyres of 4mm or below will last at best for only a single season.

7. What about a spare wheel if a winter tyre is punctured / damaged?
Probably good practice to have a matching spare winter tyre available (I doubt most of us do) - the spare wheel in the car (for those who have a spare) can be used for a short period (up to 50 miles) to get the car to safety, but obviously winter and summer tyres should not be used on the same axle or the same car in combination at any time. Availability can mean no winter tyres available for months on end in winter, so even a part-worn “spare” winter tyre can be incredibly useful if you have the space to store one at home as chances are you would not be able to find a replacement in the middle of winter.[/quote]

[quote=""CondorX5""]E53 X5: models 3.0D, 3.0i (NOT the V8 models)

EDIT: 4.4 models apparently excluded - 17" rims fit as per Lez' post below. So all E53 models except 4.6is and 4.8is suitable for 17" wheels. Obviously if brake fitment has been modified with oversize Brembos etc, this will change things. All recommendations assume standard factory brakes.

TYRES: 235/65R17
RIMS: Star Spoke 57
OFFSET 7.5J X 17

E53 X5 4.4, 4.6 and 4.8 models (17” rims will NOT clear the brakes on these models)

TYRES: 255/55R18
RIMS: Star Spoke 99
OFFSET: 8J X 18
[/quote]

I'm a bit late to this, but to add to what has already been said, the 4.4 SE model came with 17" style 57 wheels fitted from the factory and the 4.4i Sport has the same brakes as the SE. I agree that you need 18" for the 4.6is and 4.8is, but the 4.4i models will take a 17" wheel.

forester

I've been following this thread with interest and thought I would share my experiences with what I am up to with regards to winters. basically a few weeks back my wifes company issued an email stating that they had consulted their weather experts and had concluded that a harsh winter is expected this year and announced that they will be putting winter tyres on all 55 of their mobile workforce cars, as these guys have predicted snow by week with an 85% success rate for the previous 3 years plus the company are extremely careful with their expenditure I took this on board and started realising that with two little babies and wifey in the car, skiing down the (usually unsalted) roads was not on this year, especially not with the newly refurbished Schnitzer 22s on! I didn't want to resort to tiny wheels if possible (poser!) and having still had my old staggered 19s my dad had in his shed I went shopping in earnest.

Being as my x does little more than circulate within a 5 mile radius, (plus I'm tighter than my wifes company) part worns were on the agenda, but with these staggered 19s you aren't likely to find any part worn winter tyres right? Well, surprisingly, YES! Albeit with a larger than recommended 55 profile and all the same width (265) I have bought and had delivered a set of 4 part worn Dunlop Grandtrek M&S tyres for the princely sum of.......£241 yes, yes, they aren't the 'correct' sizes but having researched this on more than one tyre information site they are within safe tolerances for width on both sizes and the rolling radius is very close to that of my 285/35/22s that I currently run which actually make my speedo
closer to exact than it was (I think) :rol

So in summary, I shall be getting this lot all mounted up and together in the coming weeks once I have Matt blacked the wheels of coarse as I don't see myself kneeling in the ice with gloves and a wonder wheels brush! And they will then be reviewed in an amateurish way, flame suit zipped up and Helmet firmly secured......

I need snow tyres as travelling to Switzerland this winter, and also like the idea of the extra safety for the family. (I also couldn't bear my father going on about his Nissan note with two winter tyres fitted being better in the snow as I know he would!) So I've just bought some winter tyres off ebay.de. Nearly new condition for just over half the cost of new ones (£2k new) from a business over there that has very positive reviews. I understand that they're a legal requirement over there so there's much more choice (very limited on the UK site). Contemplated going for another set of 223m wheels with winter tyres but liked the idea of something different and something best suited to winter conditions (narrower, higher profile). So, went with the 18in style 177s, with continental wintercontact SSR tyres. Here's hoping they're as specified! In terms of storage, a friend has kindly volunteered his garage. (Hopefully) sorted ! Just hope I don't get any punctures - the tyres cost nearly £400 each new!