cleung

I would suggest waiting till the right xi model comes around. However I have a 530i and there is lots of snow 6 months of the year where I'm from and a good set of winter tires gets me around no problems.

D33ZNUT5

Since you dont get much snow I would say the 530i and grab some winter tires as well. You will be good to go.

Where I am from, AWD is a must and I have been having a blast the last couple weeks. I love how these guys in their huge trucks think they are king shit, then I roast them

twh

I have a 2006 530 xi. Best and most fun car I have ever owned. Excellent in rain. I also think that AWD makes your tires last longer. I have 17" wheels with non-RFT tires, and the ride is just right - not too stiff and not too mushy. Traction control helps in snow, but it doesn't come close to AWD. The recent storm in Washington didn't stop either my X5 or 530 xi, but my daughter's Mazda3, with traction control, did get stuck (briefly) a couple of times.

Sebastiano

Yes see that's another thing I just thought about yesterday. On an Xi since you have to run same size tires all the way around, you can rotate the tires but on the a staggered set-up you obiviously can't so I will be spending a lot more money on tires just to be staggered. Hmm all these things got me thinking... the Xi I am looking at has ALL options (Navi, Xenons, Cold weather pkg, PDC etc) with only 30k on it and I could get it at same (or even cheaper) than the 530i I am looking at with 36k on it.
Has anyone lowered an Xi before? I don't want to SLAM it, I just want to throw on some Eibachs and buy the M5 Reps 19X8.5 all the way around....but what offset do I need to look at for the Xi as far as wheels go?

pjinca

You CAN lower an Xi, the only thing is only H&R makes springs for it (I think you can also go with KW coilovers if you want - PM member Macfly to be sure). I have H&R springs on my car and the ride is great, handles even better than before. I wouldn't go with M5 reps though, try to find 4 M5 fronts and they should be the same size all around, or you can contact Nerweezy or Acuteperformance for other wheels that can fit.

smpzone

you can lower Xi, but need to use KW-V3. Springs won't work because of the sensor. I learned this from McFly. You can also have staggered wheels according to VMR, which I'm getting.
I have 530 Xi also. costs a lot to lower Xi but I heard good things about KW's

v_therussian

1. AFAIK there are no OEM 166s that fit the Xi offset. Any and all replica 166s I've read/heard about aren't nearly as good quality as original equipment.
2. I've done loads of research on the subject of lowering of the Xi and here's the deal: if you are planning to use your car in any manner other than "show", you have to use KW coilovers to lower. You can do your own research, but I can just tell you this: I've spoken (privately and publicly) to every forum member who lowered his/her Xi that I've run into. H&R springs ruin the handling and the ride on the Xi, you'll be riding on suspension's bumpstops, there will be bouncing and crashing. Original ride and handling will be lost.

(Sorry for correcting you, John )

pjinca

No problem Vlad, I was wondering if I was correct anyway, I had heard that you could lower with H&R's - but what do I know? I have a regular 530i.

v_therussian

Technically, you could, but the ride will suffer immeasurably. I've spoken with several people who went this route and all said that the ride was affected to a very noticeable extent. Me personally - I wouldn't want to risk my car riding like its a 1972 Cadillac - or like it has no springs and damper at all - just to lower, so I'm saving up for the KWs. Coincidentally, KW only makes V3 for the Xi - their most expensive and most aggressive set of coilovers

Sebastiano

thanks again for all the replies, if I do lower it with H&Rs I will get Bilsteins to go along with them. I have lots of experience lowering my previous cars and I agree, springs only ruin the ride pretty fast.
So to be sure, OFFSET on the wheels I get for an Xi, does it have to be something special? I wouldn't think so because the OEM wheels (17"s) already have a ridiculous looking offset and if I get wheels my offset will be going the other way
So what if I fit 530i sport springs on the Xi? OEM ones that is.. Don't think they will fit right?
I'm thinking more and more about getting the Xi