I am presuming I can run 17" wheels without a brake clearance problem or other fitment issue on the 2008 550i mit Sportpaket but just wanted to check before I have 17" Blizzaks dispatched.

I know that 17" would be ok on the pre LCI but I am not sure if anything (such as brake size) has changed. The engineer at Bridgestone wasn?t sure either so I thought my friends here would be the best source.

 

No difference between SP and non-SP brakes unlike the 3 series. Base 550i tire is 225/50/17. Base wheel offset is 20.

 

Danke. That?s what I was assuming but wanted to be sure.

 

I've always relied on the Tire Rack's website to tell me what fits and what doesn't fit. Either they haven't had a chance to test to see what fits the 550i sport or there's some issue that makes it difficult for them to recommend a different wheel size at this time. My bet is the former, not the latter since they're not recommending anything but 19" tires right now (no wheels of any size available.)

In the winter wheel and tire package section of the site, it says:
"Due to the unique technical aspects of this application, we can only accept orders for Winter Tire & Wheel Packages for your 2008 BMW 550i Sedan Sport Package over the phone. Please call 888-541-1777 to speak with one of our sales specialists. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

I'm inclined to agree that the brake clearance hasn't changed but it can't hurt to give them a call and see what they say -- they're great to deal with and will tell you everything they know without any pressure to buy anything...

 

When he called earlier today, the Bridgestone product manager told me he had checked with Tire Rack and they had no info on the car (apparently, the tire mfrs and Tire Rack are quite friendly). So I said I would check with other sources (thinking E60.net or BMW NA and most of BMW NA seems to be away).

 

I see.

I figured Tire Rack was behind since they offered nothing at all except tires that are OEM size. It's likely that the 17" wheels will work but be sure to let us know when you find out something concrete. I planned on putting my winter 17's on that are left over from my 2004 car...

 

The guy from Bridgestone sounded almost overjoyed when I said that I thought 17" tires would fit. He doesn?t want to send me the wrong ones I guess.

 

Tire Rack has no clue so I am e-mailing the 5er product mgr. at BMW NA.

 

Check out the new ContiWinterContact TS 810 Sport's!

 

In talking to the product mgr. at Bridgestone - and taking into consideration the typical New York winter climate - we discussed the possibility of having me run Potentza 960AS tires on the car during the winter instead of winter tires.

We get very little snow and temperatures don't really spend much time below -4? C on average.