coletrain34

I've heard that if you go w/ 19" wheels you really should lower the car otherwise it looks like it's sitting on roller skates. I've seen one pic of an xi sedan on 19 w/o being lowered and it looked funny. His tires were very low profile though. After several weeks of banging my head against the wall I've finally figured out what wheels will work for my 535xi wagon and i really like a few 19 wheels but dont want to lower the car. I have found two styles 191m and 225m that i like and will work w/ my high offsets but am wondering if they will look right w/o lowering the car, or should i just stick w/ 18... If anyone has an xi wagon w/ 18" or 19" and didn't lower the car I would love any input any see any pictures that are available...

Thanks

-Mike-

It is my opinion that you should not even consider 18" wheels. Go for 19's. You will not be disappointed.

I also have an xi sedan, not a wagon. It does sit a little higher then I'd like, but it doesn't bother me to the point that I would spend the money on the few suspension options xi owners have. Feel free to view my gallery. I have VMR VB-3's in a staggered setup.Tire choice was the ever popular General Exclaim UHP's which are priced right and have a superb ride.

mantraguy

The problem is that if you use a larger diameter wheel (ie 19") with the same profile as you have now, the circumference of the wheel will be much greater. So, for every rotation of the wheel, you've gone farther. Therefore your speedometer and odometer and other features in the car will be wrong, as it assumes a certain circumference of the wheel which, in all likelyhood, can't be changed.

This is where 'plus sizing' comes in. When you research tires, one of the items you'll see listed on the sizing chart is the number of rotations per mile (or km). If you move from a 17" wheel up to an 18" or 19" (or larger) wheel, you'll have to decrease the profile of the tire so that the overall diameter is the same. For example, on my previous car, I moved from a 15" wheels with 205mm wide tires in a 55 profile, up to 17" wheels. Because the wheel is a larger diameter, I had to go with lower profile (in this case 215mm width and 40 profile) tires to match the same overall diameter.

So, when you go for larger wheels you'll have to get lower profile tires so that the overall diameter is the same (unless you really want to mess up your speedometer / odometer and probably other features on the car - it's possible that there are other electronic devices that utilize the rotation information of the wheel such as traction control or the tire-puncture warning system etc. etc.). But I agree - putting larger wheels and low-profile tires on to a car without lowering it usually looks strange, as the 'wheel gap' (the distance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the wheel well on the body) remains the same.

tucalong

a E61 deserves at least 19" regardless of drivetrain.
I will have either 19" or 20" on my x-drive E61.

since x-drive models lacks m-sport and sport suspension option, a H&R lowering kit is mandatory (springs on front axle only, rear axle is lowered by diagnostics tool/computer).

coletrain34

thx mike..Looks great, I love those rims. What is the width of the wheels and tire size that you are using?

xBMWx

I did quite a bit of research into this to help out another member and posted up the details here
https://5series.net/forums/topic/903...st__p__1091794


In short, those 19" E90 (3er) rims you referred to will fit
As for lowering the car, the H&R route explained by tucalong would be my choice as well.

adventure boy

Ive put 19s on mine I think It was the correct choice ive got 265/35/19s on the back and 245/35/19s on the front the car sits nice and as a daily driver I dont want it lowered, have a loot see what you think
No issues with the speedo either its about 1 mph out fron the sat nav

bigbadbull

Is yours an XI?

adventure boy

to be honest Im not sure what an XI is mines a 525I SE with the auto suspension but I was told they would fit any E60 or E61 models

ForbesZ

I have 19's on mine, 19 x 8.5 with 245/35/19 tires up front and 19 x 10 with 275/30/19 tires in back. No issues, no rubbing. The tires are General Exclaim UHP and the wheels are VMR VB-3 in HyperBlack.