Hi, Im looking for new wheels for my Bmw e61 xdrive particularly style 135, but in my area no ones selling them with the right offset. Would the style 135 with et47 and 50 meant for e46 work on my 5 series and would it damage my xdrive?

 

wheels have nothing to do with your xdrive, it only matters if they fit or not, the tires are what makes the xdrive freak out. Either run a square tire setup, or make sure you have the right ratio for a staggered setup 275/30 - 245/35 265/35 - 235/40...

 

Actually, you DO have to pay attention to wheel specs when you have an xDrive because the offsets are different from RWD cars and having the wrong wheels can damage the transaxle.

E60 xDrives can run offsets between ET 35 and 45 safely. You can run staggered, but the tire/rim combination MUST have a rolling circumference that varies no more than 3% front to back. Generally speaking, E46 wheels work well for E60 xDrives. The 47 offset Style 135's will probably work okay but may rub the inside fender slightly. It would be best to dry fit them if you have the opportunity.

 

so what wheel offset would damage the transaxle ?? i know people that run +20s have no issues, never heard of a wheel offset doing damage on a xi. Isnt it 1% and not 3% ?

 

It's more a combination of wrong offset and tire size that would affect the transaxle, and not so much the offset itself. So, technically, you are right, tire size does matter, but so does the wheel. 0-1% is what you aim for front to back, but up to 3% is an allowance you can get away with.

 

Neither width nor offset will hurt the transaxle as long as they physically fit in there without fouling, it's rolling circumference that is important, rolling circumference can be affected by either wheel circumference or tyre size, xdrive should have a variation of no more than 1% of rolling circumference to protect the differentials, RWD should have a variation of no more than 3% so as not to confuse the traction/stability control.