[BimmerGuyFL78]

I'd like feed back for those of you G05 owners who've driven the Standard Suspension X5 on 19" rims vs 20" rims. I love how much the loaner X5 with 19" rides. I like the look more of the 20's but I'm wondering how big of a difference in ride compliance/absorption is there between the 19's vs 20's.

[MystroX5]

20”ers are they sweet spot of ride, looks, durability, and mixed weather driving.
Once you move larger than 20” wheels you sacrifice everything in ride and durability for looks. It’s just the way it is. You have to prioritize what’s most important. I am a cross country traveler and will not do it in any wheel larger than 20”.

[Unit]

Ride yes absolutely but performance. Hmmm. Don’t think you lose anything not on the M50i anyway. Power output on these cars is more than enough to mean there’s nothing noticeable in normal road driving. It’s not like these cars are going on track.

[Wrighterjw10]

Originally Posted by Unit

Ride yes absolutely but performance. Hmmm. Don’t think you lose anything not on the M50i anyway. Power output on these cars is more than enough to mean there’s nothing noticeable in normal road driving. It’s not like these cars are going on track.

Agree. There is 100% no performance lost on the M50. Ride comfort is subjective. I don’t want a Lexus feel in a BMW. I love my M5 for its ride, you feel the road and it just accelerates violently.

When I put the M50 in comfort, I’m not sure I’d want it to be any more soft.

[Ftpohyeah]

I have 21s and i love it. Perhaps because i have air suspension and the ride is plush albeit floaty. It eats nyc streets like churros. The only thing is tire choices are extremely limited.

The 40i shows its flaws when you push it beyond 90mph and its not meant for triple digits(my feeling with 21 p zeros) unless the car is moving forward and only forward. But still, intriguingly composed for an suv and 4600 pounds.

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by Wrighterjw10

Agree. There is 100% no performance lost on the M50. Ride comfort is subjective. I don’t want a Lexus feel in a BMW. I love my M5 for its ride, you feel the road and it just accelerates violently.

When I put the M50 in comfort, I’m not sure I’d want it to be any more soft.

Not softer riding so much but road noise and expansion joints are noticeably quieter with 20” wheels. The harmonics are almost non existent through the wheels/tires compared to the 22” wheels/tires.
Yea, “performance” was the wrong word. I should have said “durability” on rougher roads. ( I changed it in original thread). You are not losing any performance with any wheel/tire set up on the X5. Acceleration is savage.

[BimmerGuyFL78]

What I am most interested in is the difference I. RIDE COMFORT not performance for those who've driven the 19" vs 20" how big of a difference is there in the "Ride quality" i.e. impact harshness, quietness, how supple it feels over brick roads etc.

[robby818]

If you care a lot about ride comfort than the air suspension option is a must have option. The difference between 19 and 20 is minimal in terms of ride quality. It's not like you are going to 22s which are noticeably stiffer with the narrower side walls. I would never get the 19s based purely on aesthetics. They look terrible.

The difference between air suspension and standard suspension is like night and day. I have owned G05s with and without air, both were on 20s, and i love the air suspension system.

[dream54ing]

we have air susp with 21"s, it's been extremely comfortable all around. of course with the exception to the bad roads there are some road noise.
we've taken it on countless long road trips and at times we've exceeded the speed limit without even knowing (~100mph).

as for the discussion of power/performance, we have the 40i and honestly, when its on sport, acceleration is more than enough to push to this fully packed vehicle to 100+ within seconds, cant imagine how much faster a 50i/M50 would be.

With that said, i would go with the 20"s, your probably not giving up much up in terms of ride comfort and getting what you really want.

EDIT: miss read you post about the standard susp. I cant speak to that since all I've driven was air susp.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by Alpine535Msport

What I am most interested in is the difference I. RIDE COMFORT not performance for those who've driven the 19" vs 20" how big of a difference is there in the "Ride quality" i.e. impact harshness, quietness, how supple it feels over brick roads etc.

I have air suspension standard on the 45e. So not completely what you are asking. Sorry

I have 19 inch winters and 20 inch (staggered in Europe) summers.

I don't feel any real difference in comfort. Even knowing the winter tires have softer rubber.

I think you will be fine with 20 inch. They look better and are still comfortable.

I took the 19 inch winters because the sales guy said it would be ok for the look. I initially opted for the 20 inch. Well the look is ok but not more than that. I prefer the look of the 740M 20 inch summer tires. The 19 look just one size to small.

I have chosen bigger wheels in my past cars. For the looks it is better but the comfort is clearly less when you go for the largest wheels.

Like mentioned especially driving over joints and bumps. And we have a lot of them. It drove me crazy.

If the road is always perfect and you only do highway the difference won't be that much.

Performance is not really something I am after. I usually drive with my wife and kids in the car and that's a good way to lessen the uncontrollable need for performance.

If it is in your budget, the air suspension is really nice to have.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by Alpine535Msport

I'd like feed back for those of you G05 owners who've driven the Standard Suspension X5 on 19" rims vs 20" rims. I love how much the loaner X5 with 19" rides. I like the look more of the 20's but I'm wondering how big of a difference in ride compliance/absorption is there between the 19's vs '20s.

I think the 20 inches staggered look is very tempting compared to the squared 19 inches. Based on my experience (with the M Sport and M Sport Adaptive Suspension, but no dynamic handling package), with the 19 inches, the car feels quieter and you end up with a more comfortable ride in both Sport and Comfort modes if by comfort one means a softer ride. The 19 inches squared tires will last much longer because they can be rotated and the replacement cost is cheaper.

My subjective experience is that you are less likely to develop rattles with a 19-inch rim (I switched early from 20 to 19 inches and my car has no panel rattling at all), the narrow and squared tires are much better in the snow. The 20s look so much better. I just love the wide rear tires.

I guess looks over utility...

[jad03060]

I have the 19" setup. I could really care less about what it looks like as I can't see the wheels when I'm driving it, and don't care what others think! Can't really sit and stare at it parked in the garages, either.

I also have a second set of 19" winter tires that are on the vehicle now. The smaller wheel is also lighter, and as I usually swap between winter/summer sets myself, that is a factor as I'm getting older. When it comes time to replace, the 19" will be less. None of those are critical, but I didn't really see a need to go bigger. I used the money saved to buy a few more options that gave me some added convenience, so my bottom line was still pretty hefty. IOW, the extra cost could be handled without issue, but it just didn't cross my cost/benefit threshold. Yours could easily be elsewhere...

The air suspension goes a long ways to improving the comfort. An air spring is truly progressive...a steel spring can only approximate that. The shocks are what determine how much is floats, not the springs.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by Jaffrey

I think the 20 inches staggered look is very tempting compared to the squared 19 inches. Based on my experience (with the M Sport and M Sport Adaptive Suspension, but no dynamic handling package), with the 19 inches, the car feels quieter and you end up with a more comfortable ride in both Sport and Comfort modes if by comfort one means a softer ride. The 19 inches squared tires will last much longer because they can be rotated and the replacement cost is cheaper.

My subjective experience is that you are less likely to develop rattles with a 19-inch rim (I switched early from 20 to 19 inches and my car has no panel rattling at all), the narrow and squared tires are much better in the snow. The 20s look so much better. I just love the wide rear tires.

I guess looks over utility...

I forgot to mention, the biggest improvement to me was road noise when I went to the 19s. The X5 felt like a different vehicle in terms of inside noise when commuting to work. The difference in road noise doesn't come up often from what I can tell, but that is another big reason to get the 19s over the 20s.

[zhangyi17]

I have 20" in summer and 19" winter.
20" looks slightly better, but definitely not as aggressive as 21" and 22"
19" in winter is passable. Not much to say..

[jad03060]

More sidewall, even with RFT, will absorb bumps better. A probably bigger factor is whether you have air springs or not. Air springs are truly progressive, so start out soft to absorb smaller bumps, but get progressively stiffer on larger bumps. Steel springs don't come close.

[Luminor513]

I think 19's are just way too small for G05. 20's should be the minimum for aesthetics and for those who live in pot hole ridden towns. For everyone else I think 21's and 22's are best suited for this size SUV.

[Resjudicata]

I have a question, not to hijack but to build off this. assuming the same 19" or 20" wheel and same brand and size tire:

which is more comfortable, Summer or All Season tires?

obviously going from Run Flat to non-RF will soften the ride, and going down from 20 to 19" with bigger sidewalls will soften.

But is a Michelin All Season softer than a Michelin Summer? the same or different??

[jad03060]

The actual rubber on an all-season tire generally will be slightly softer to still be pliable when it gets cold out. A summer tire can literally harden and crack if extreme cold, so you're just then dealing with the sidewall flexibility, which on a RFT, isn't that soft.

[smomin23]

I fully agree that 19" wheels are going to be somewhat more comfortable than the 20"

My only issue is they don't look like they fit. The proportions feel off. It reminds me of the young kid who puts on his dad's sport coat (the body of the car being the sport coat here).

IMHO 20" is that sweet spot of ride comfort, good proportions, and you get to have a squared set up.

I realize that last bit goes against performance culture and a few years ago I'd have been in utter dismay for saying that.

Simple truth is: staggered setup cuts your tire warranties in half. I like my warranties

[Resjudicata]

Originally Posted by jad03060

The actual rubber on an all-season tire generally will be slightly softer to still be pliable when it gets cold out. A summer tire can literally harden and crack if extreme cold, so you're just then dealing with the sidewall flexibility, which on a RFT, isn't that soft.

thanks

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by jad03060

The actual rubber on an all-season tire generally will be slightly softer to still be pliable when it gets cold out. A summer tire can literally harden and crack if extreme cold, so you're just then dealing with the sidewall flexibility, which on a RFT, isn't that soft.

Mmm, summer performance tire compound is softer for increased grip/traction when warm and have extremely lower tread wear. It is true that summers do harden like hockey pucks when the temperature drops.

All-season tire compound is harder for longer wear but maintains pliability/doesn't harden as much compared to summer performance tires to provide all season traction.

There's also tread design etc which also affects traction.

[jad03060]

If you take the average temperature, at least where I live, a summer tire will end up harder most of the year! Depends on where you live.