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      10-28-2013, 01:59 PM   #1
tiburonh
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18" wheels: pro's and con's

I actually like the looks of the base model better than those of the luxury line and the x-line (and don't want to go to the MSport).

Can you all please share your opinions on what would be bad or good about going with the 18" wheels on the base model instead of the 19"s that come on the luxury and x? What would be the difference in ride feel? In performance?

Thanks in advance for any help.
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      10-28-2013, 02:15 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tiburonh View Post
I actually like the looks of the base model better than those of the luxury line and the x-line (and don't want to go to the MSport).

Can you all please share your opinions on what would be bad or good about going with the 18" wheels on the base model instead of the 19"s that come on the luxury and x? What would be the difference in ride feel? In performance?

Thanks in advance for any help.
In theory, there may be a small improvement in handling with the 19s and a slight decrease in ride comfort, but it think it will mostly come down to an aesthetic choice. I haven't seen the 18s in person, but I'd bet they look too small for a vehicle the size of the X5. I did see the 19s that come with the Lux package and they looked a bit too small for my tastes. The 19s with the xLine package look better to me.

That being said, I also think it looks silly to have 21 or 22 inch rims with ultra low profile tires on a big SUV with a huge wheel gap. Just my opinion.
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      10-28-2013, 02:43 PM   #3
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I found this picture with the standard 18s. Too small IMO.
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      10-28-2013, 02:49 PM   #4
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Practically no difference between 18's and 19's other than aesthetics. I could be mistaken, but I think they use the same tire width so it's just a tad less sidewall on the 19's. So maybe slightly less soft ride, but still softer than 20's. Doubt there's much handling difference. It's a bigger change to go to 20's because the profile gets more drastically smaller and the wheels get much wider and heavier
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      10-28-2013, 02:50 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AEC View Post
I found this picture with the standard 18s. Too small IMO.
+1000! 20" minimum IMO

18" are good for winter only, that's what we use them for.
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      10-28-2013, 02:54 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by patrob View Post
+1000! 20" minimum IMO

18" are good for winter only, that's what we use them for.
As I've said, I think the 19s with the xLine package look just fine.
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      10-28-2013, 02:57 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AEC View Post
As I've said, I think the 19s with the xLine package look just fine.
They do, I just love how the 20" look. The bigger, the better
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      10-28-2013, 04:14 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisny View Post
Practically no difference between 18's and 19's other than aesthetics. I could be mistaken, but I think they use the same tire width so it's just a tad less sidewall on the 19's. So maybe slightly less soft ride, but still softer than 20's. Doubt there's much handling difference. It's a bigger change to go to 20's because the profile gets more drastically smaller and the wheels get much wider and heavier
I couldn't agree more. Because of how low their profile is, the 20"s look like 22"s on the new xLine x5.

I feel as if the jump to 20"s will sacrifice some utility as well; I really don't want to appear like a "baller" either...

The xLine's standard 19"s look amazing anyway, and I'm sure when coupled with the rear air suspension, it will ride like butter, which is my ultimate goal
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      10-28-2013, 04:48 PM   #9
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Always had 19" and no issues. Would love to try the 20" but living in MN it is a "no option" for me.
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      10-28-2013, 06:54 PM   #10
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18's are great if your getting it with a beige exterior and are moving to scottsdale to retire
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      10-28-2013, 08:43 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackLemon
18's are great if your getting it with a beige exterior and are moving to scottsdale to retire
Helpful comment. Thanks for contributing.
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      10-28-2013, 08:49 PM   #12
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these are WAY too small imo.. idk WHAT BMW was thinking... the 19s on the luxury arent bad and the rims on the X-line are ugly too... I'd love to see some E70 20s on these!
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      10-28-2013, 10:11 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWMN1971 View Post
Always had 19" and no issues. Would love to try the 20" but living in MN it is a "no option" for me.
Bah!

I live in mn too and my E70 35d had 21" style 215's. No problems at all! Of course I went down to19" winter tire dedicated in November.

Live large and slap some 20's on that bad boy!!
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      10-28-2013, 10:13 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AEC View Post
I found this picture with the standard 18s. Too small IMO.
Looks neutered
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      10-29-2013, 02:53 AM   #15
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I will toss in my .02. I had 20's for my summers and I bought a 18's for my winters. I had them on for all about 2 weeks before I sold them and put on 19's. To me and the wife, the move from 20's to 18's made the X too soft for my likings.
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      03-01-2014, 05:29 PM   #16
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I think that 18's cheapens the X5. I love the look of my 20"s, but it comes with summer tires which renders the car useless in the snow. I think the 19's are the way to go.
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      03-01-2014, 09:23 PM   #17
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I have an E70 with 19 inch wheels (255 and 285 front and rear). Have 19 inch summer and winter wheels set up.
I am getting my F15 next week with 19 inch x-line wheels (255 front and rear).

I recently bought a set of brand new 18 inch F15 446 wheels with Michelin Latitude sport 3 tyres from Ebay at a good price. I put them on the E70 for the last 1000 miles to check they were fine, as didn't want any faults getting identified on the new car. I will use these this summer and then put winter tyres on them in November

I must admit I don't mind the look of the 18s and certainly haven't found any difference in handling and they do soak up the bumps better on our pot holed country roads which I drive along most of the time. Wet and muddy road handling may be better with the narrower rear tyres in fact

I quite like the bigger tyre wall thickness look, and personally dont like ultra low profile tyres as they do not look durable enough for bumpy roads especially on a SAV or SUV.
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      03-01-2014, 10:25 PM   #18
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I have a "No Line" 35d and to me, the 18" wheels look fine. Pro is they will be cheaper to replace the tires when due. I did not have an unlimited budget, so for me, functional options were more important to me than cosmetic options, so I opted to spend my $ on other options.
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