wulff1

I managed to find this picture on bimmerfest-it shows the 530xi touring with 123 wheels- and it looks great!

IMHO the 123 wheels/tires look appropriate and the car doesn't stand too tall over the tires -

I know that the xi is only 1-2cm taller but it appears from some angles that it is alot higher -

Das - your car looks awesome - what are your thoughts on the height of the 530xi with your 124's? It is hard to tell from the first photo because your car is on the jack -

It seems like in some pictures the 530xi looks too tall and others where it looks great -

Does anyone have a picture of a 530xi with the 123 wheels? and with the aero kit?????

das

Well, officially, the xi model is 14mm (0.55") higher on the front and rear than a non-Sport non-xi E60.

I do have to say that pictures do really make it look higher than it appears in "real life". I don't think there are any wheel/tire combos that will necessarily make this appear worse, from a ride height standpoint, but there's no question that if you look at a 550i Sport next to a 530xi, you'll see a difference.

Seeing my car in real life with both the 123 and 124 wheels, I have to say it's not bad at all. For people who think that even the standard Sport models need to be lowered, it will probably be far too high for them. I guess the point is that even a few millimeters makes a difference, and this is a full 14mm higher.

All I can offer is that from a person who was personally worried about the ride height issue and whether it would look odd or what have you, I have to say that now that I have it, it's not a concern at all. If you are still concerned with it, there's nothing about the xi in particular that would stop aftermarket spring and suspension manufacturers from offering sport springs or coilovers specifically for the xi models.

One thing you may consider to reduce or mitigate the appearance of being higher is to add appropriate spacers to the front and rear wheels. Since we've now found that the xi wheels take the offset difference into consideration, I'm assuming that the other dimensions are the same, and up to 20mm spacers for the rear and up to 10mm for the front would be appropriate. This has the visual (and real) effect of bringing the wheel/tire closer to the fender lip, which slightly reduces the height appearance (and gives the vehicle a more aggressive stance and appearance).

For anyone who may be interested, my 530xi with non-xi Style 124 wheels is here:

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=...85&#entry195085

wulff1

Das-thanks for your insightful comments -

On some level i guess it makes sense to "raise" a 4x4 sedan but Audi doesn't seem to have the need to do that - just look at any of their cars - my fav - the A8 - comes to mind -

these are low-slung sedans with quattro drive - I wonder why BMW needs to raise these cars (and increase the drag by 0.02 Cd, 0.28 530i, 0.30 530xi) ?

das

I don't think BMW needed to raise it, just that they probably decided on a compromise since it is an AWD vehicle, and will be used in conditions that slightly more ground clearance would be advantageous. So, don't go all the way Volvo Cross Country style, but also don't do nothing at all. The result I think is a reasonable result, which will give greater clearance in, e.g., snowy and adverse conditions, but still not detract from the appearance too much. I'm happy with it.