Pro tip: just buy the BMW winter wheel and tire package

JonnyCrash · 12-10-2020, 04:45 PM

Ok, mostly I need to vent, but this is what I’ve learned: The BMW official winter wheel/tire package is super expensive, but may be cheaper in the long run than putting something together yourself. Here’s my experience trying to find something I liked more and that cost less than the official BMW solution:

1) Spent 15+ hours looking at different sites and calling stores to find wheels that are 20x9 5x112 and hub centric for the X5. The problem was finding something that was a) a proper fitment, b) hub centric, c) able to handle the vehicle weight, d) aesthetically pleasing, e) less money than oem bmw and f) in stock. Apparently I was looking for a unicorn.

2) Found the unicorn! Ordered and paid. Got an order confirmation email that promised a follow-up when the wheels ship.

3) Wait a couple of days. No follow-up email. Call and am told they are behind on shipping.

4) Wait a couple more days. See that the wheels are now showing “out of stock” at the retailer I bought from. Get a bad feeling and call them. “Oh, yeah, there are less than 4 in stock and we cannot fill your order.” ...

5) Yell at them for a while. But politely. Find out that they have no alternative wheels for me that meet the unicorn criteria. Or even proper fitment. Ask for a refund (eventually get it.)

6) Start looking again. Eventually find another set I like for almost twice the money. But there is a 10% off sale, so go for it.

7) Meanwhile, have ordered TPMS through eBay. Start to wonder where they are, as the delivery date has passed.

8) Receive the wheels! Hallelujah! But where are the TPMS sensors?

9) Start to apply ceramic coating to the first wheel. Find out that the Amazon wheel centres I bought don’t fit... they are too loose. Forget it, I’m not paying for oem ones that would be tighter.

10) inquire with eBay. They say that someone attempted delivery of the tpms sensors but could not deliver them. This is untrue: I’ve been working from home, my wife is at home all day with the baby. Nobody came to the house during the time they said delivery was attempted. The sensors are on their way back to the seller because they were deemed “undeliverable”. eBay confirms they are on the way back. I’m in Canada, they came from the US. Son of a...

11) Work with TPMS vendor. He doesn’t know what the hell is going on. I eventually get an apology (wasn’t his fault) and a refund.

12) Buy replacement sensors. More expensive, but hopefully they arrive on schedule (thanks Ben!)

13) Costco got my tires in stock! Only 3 weeks later than they promised, but turns out that was not an issue after all.

14) Start to arrive ceramic coating on wheel #3. Take it out of the box and notice scratches and a large misshapen area on the outer lip of the wheel. Panic.

15) manage to contact the wheel shop. They have no replacements in stock, but can get one expedited to me, hopefully by the 9th when I have an appointment to get the wheels mounted.

16) Start to relax again. And then the original TPMS sensors I order show up. So now I have sensors I received a refund for that I have to get back to the guy on eBay. Are you kidding me?!?

...and now I’m exhausted, having spent about 25-30 hours trying to decide on and procure wheels. If my time is worth even a fraction of what I am normally paid for it, I could have bought two official BMW wheel packages and still been ahead... and we’re not done yet.

rlou · 12-10-2020, 05:18 PM

Wow and ugh, I feel for you! Thanks for sharing your experience and hopefully this will save others in a similar situation some time and frustration.

LexxM3 · 12-10-2020, 07:04 PM

Sounds right for us in Canada. eBay Global Shipping and Pitney Bowes logistics are an utter joke of a logistics operation — I have stories that are unbelievable, but true. A few more:

- did you do careful calculations on offsets?
- assuming offsets are stock, no spacer; but if not, may need spacers
- either with or without spacers, are you clear that your stock lug bolts are the right length for the new rims?

Burnt C6 · 12-10-2020, 07:38 PM

I know this is going to sound shitty but I'm so glad I live in Texas and don't have to deal with a second set of wheels.

BHCJJS · 12-10-2020, 08:05 PM

It's definitely interesting to see how many of us, to include myself, are very cost conscious even though we drive BMWs. Nobody NEEDS a BMW, but we WANT BMWs. Yet, we hate paying full price for anything after we leave the dealership.

At any rate, I didn't even make it past your step 1 after doing a lot of research for a few days, and ended up paying for the 20' 742M square winter wheel set. Paid just under $4k for them, I convinced myself that I'm paying for the convenience... And, time = money.

I second your advise. It is well worth it, and I have peace of mind that everything fits according to specs, and won't have to worry about a string of small yet annoying damages to the vehicle because of a minor difference in hub centric sizes. Ask me how I know...paid more than ever to continually fix my 535xi back in the day.

Bandit-X · 12-11-2020, 03:42 AM

First of all thanks for your intresting and entertaining review. I hear you but dont understand why this incredible effort with alot of potential to fail. Especially these days with all the production shortage and delivery delays. Basically ordering from different online shops and putting it into their hands where customer support and service has decreased so much imo. I would not pay +4k for oem wheel set that even looks $hty but would have definitely gone to a wheel shop that is just resposible for everything. One address. One contact.

I personally bought for my oem 22" summer tires a new set of rims and bought winter tires for my oem rims. that was easiest way. And you could have taken the oem sensors.

Sometimes is cheap+cheap= more expensive without even taking your time and nervs into account.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonnyCrash

Ok, mostly I need to vent, but this is what I’ve learned: The BMW official winter wheel/tire package is super expensive, but may be cheaper in the long run than putting something together yourself. Here’s my experience trying to find something I liked more and that cost less than the official BMW solution:

1) Spent 15+ hours looking at different sites and calling stores to find wheels that are 20x9 5x112 and hub centric for the X5. The problem was finding something that was a) a proper fitment, b) hub centric, c) able to handle the vehicle weight, d) aesthetically pleasing, e) less money than oem bmw and f) in stock. Apparently I was looking for a unicorn.

2) Found the unicorn! Ordered and paid. Got an order confirmation email that promised a follow-up when the wheels ship.

3) Wait a couple of days. No follow-up email. Call and am told they are behind on shipping.

4) Wait a couple more days. See that the wheels are now showing “out of stock” at the retailer I bought from. Get a bad feeling and call them. “Oh, yeah, there are less than 4 in stock and we cannot fill your order.” ...

5) Yell at them for a while. But politely. Find out that they have no alternative wheels for me that meet the unicorn criteria. Or even proper fitment. Ask for a refund (eventually get it.)

6) Start looking again. Eventually find another set I like for almost twice the money. But there is a 10% off sale, so go for it.

7) Meanwhile, have ordered TPMS through eBay. Start to wonder where they are, as the delivery date has passed.

8) Receive the wheels! Hallelujah! But where are the TPMS sensors?

9) Start to apply ceramic coating to the first wheel. Find out that the Amazon wheel centres I bought don’t fit... they are too loose. Forget it, I’m not paying for oem ones that would be tighter.

10) inquire with eBay. They say that someone attempted delivery of the tpms sensors but could not deliver them. This is untrue: I’ve been working from home, my wife is at home all day with the baby. Nobody came to the house during the time they said delivery was attempted. The sensors are on their way back to the seller because they were deemed “undeliverable”. eBay confirms they are on the way back. I’m in Canada, they came from the US. Son of a...

11) Work with TPMS vendor. He doesn’t know what the hell is going on. I eventually get an apology (wasn’t his fault) and a refund.

12) Buy replacement sensors. More expensive, but hopefully they arrive on schedule (thanks Ben!)

13) Costco got my tires in stock! Only 3 weeks later than they promised, but turns out that was not an issue after all.

14) Start to arrive ceramic coating on wheel #3. Take it out of the box and notice scratches and a large misshapen area on the outer lip of the wheel. Panic.

15) manage to contact the wheel shop. They have no replacements in stock, but can get one expedited to me, hopefully by the 9th when I have an appointment to get the wheels mounted.

16) Start to relax again. And then the original TPMS sensors I order show up. So now I have sensors I received a refund for that I have to get back to the guy on eBay. Are you kidding me?!?

...and now I’m exhausted, having spent about 25-30 hours trying to decide on and procure wheels. If my time is worth even a fraction of what I am normally paid for it, I could have bought two official BMW wheel packages and still been ahead... and we’re not done yet.

bforbrian · 12-11-2020, 01:59 PM

Wow sounds like more of a hassle than it needs to be... it sounds like you just got unlucky due to inventory and logistical issues?

My anecdote: I custom ordered 20" Forgestar CF10 flow formed wheels with an appropriately sized winter tire and the whole process couldn't have been easier, although I did have to wait about 6 weeks for them. I didn't care so much about hub centric wheels since there are hub centric rings..... they confirmed M-sport brake clearance with the specs I chose (20x9 +30) and said the wheels can be used on SUVs. I confirmed that the load rating on the tires were appropriate for the X5 by doing simple math.

Wheels with TPMS: $2,180 shipped
Tires: $961.92
M&B: $150
Total: $3,291.92

Cheapest 20" winter tire package: $4,027.11 incl tax

Savings: $735.19

I don't shit money so those savings were considered substantial for me to piece together the package. I will say that I do enjoy spec'ing myself though..

Fennario · 12-11-2020, 10:59 PM

Tire rack package with TMPS is around 2800 for 20" wheels w/ Pilot Alpins mounted. Savings of around 1k vs. the OEM but figure that the BMW rims will hold their value if I ever want to sell them.

jad03060 · 12-12-2020, 01:08 AM

I bought a set of BMW takeoff wheels exactly like what was on my vehicle, and took them to a local tire shop where they fitted TPMS and tires on it for me. Now I know I might get looked at funny, but I bought the vehicle with 19" wheels and have a 19" set of winter tires on it. Cost about $2200 installed and balanced.

Given that snow and slush tends to cover up crap on the roads, having a bit more sidewall is important for longevity, and a narrower tire doesn't float as much in snow as a wider one does.

So, if you're only interested in maybe ice versus snow, a larger wheel may be fine. The higher performance ones also tend to not have quite as much tread depth, so you'll be replacing them more often, so that adds to the cost as well.

I really don't care that much about how the thing looks to others, and you can't see it while driving, which is the important part. I just want it to go when and where I want it to, and having the right tires for the season helps with that.

That's one reason why there's so many options...everyone has their sweet spot.

BMWBear · 12-17-2020, 09:18 AM

Yeah I would rename the thread. Nothing sounds "Pro" about it.
Spending $4500 on a BMW branded wheel/winter tire set because you relied on a shop that was unreliable and you ordered wrong parts? The G05/G07 have been in production long enough now to where there are many options available. I would recommend the opposite to new owners. Don't purchase the BMW winter set. Research on the forum and ask your fellow forums members for help if needed.

JonnyCrash · 12-18-2020, 03:37 PM

Well, frankly I’ve been using good shops, know what wheels work and what don’t, and this is the first time I’m having trouble. I will end up spending less than $4500 US in money, but way more in time. The “pro” part of the tip is realizing how much your time is worth.

As an update, I now have four perfectly round wheels but the second set of sensors I ordered with express shipping have been sitting at USPS facilities in California for over a week. So I still have no winter tires on the car.

zhangyi17 · 12-18-2020, 08:01 PM

I learn my lesson long time ago about buying something on eBay shipping from outside Canada...... Too much trouble.... Now, only order items in Canada on Amazon or ebay, but our choice is much limited than our neighbor South of the boarder..

PREDATOR 007 · 12-19-2020, 06:32 PM

Jonny, I have been battling the same thing for the last month and finally asked the dealer to just give me a price on a set of 741m's. So tired of it....

JonnyCrash · 12-20-2020, 09:27 AM

I am tired too, though at this point I’m in too deep to change my mind due to having already bought the rims and tires. For next time though... wow. Also, I apparently should have started looking in June.

It sucks that our selection and stock is so limited in Canada. Ottawa is even worse, because for some reason all the stores here feel like that can charge more than in the bigger cities. Although it may be because rents and property taxes are ridiculous here, which means higher costs. Who knows. In any case, I have never had this much trouble sourcing wheels tires and sensors before, even from the States! The BMW stuff must be really uncommon fitments.

12-10-2020, 04:45 PM	#1
JonnyCrash Driver 161 Rep 447 Posts Drives: VW GTI, BMW X5 40i M-Sport Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ottawa iTrader: (0)	Pro tip: just buy the BMW winter wheel and tire package Ok, mostly I need to vent, but this is what I’ve learned: The BMW official winter wheel/tire package is super expensive, but may be cheaper in the long run than putting something together yourself. Here’s my experience trying to find something I liked more and that cost less than the official BMW solution: 1) Spent 15+ hours looking at different sites and calling stores to find wheels that are 20x9 5x112 and hub centric for the X5. The problem was finding something that was a) a proper fitment, b) hub centric, c) able to handle the vehicle weight, d) aesthetically pleasing, e) less money than oem bmw and f) in stock. Apparently I was looking for a unicorn. 2) Found the unicorn! Ordered and paid. Got an order confirmation email that promised a follow-up when the wheels ship. 3) Wait a couple of days. No follow-up email. Call and am told they are behind on shipping. 4) Wait a couple more days. See that the wheels are now showing “out of stock” at the retailer I bought from. Get a bad feeling and call them. “Oh, yeah, there are less than 4 in stock and we cannot fill your order.” ... 5) Yell at them for a while. But politely. Find out that they have no alternative wheels for me that meet the unicorn criteria. Or even proper fitment. Ask for a refund (eventually get it.) 6) Start looking again. Eventually find another set I like for almost twice the money. But there is a 10% off sale, so go for it. 7) Meanwhile, have ordered TPMS through eBay. Start to wonder where they are, as the delivery date has passed. 8) Receive the wheels! Hallelujah! But where are the TPMS sensors? 9) Start to apply ceramic coating to the first wheel. Find out that the Amazon wheel centres I bought don’t fit... they are too loose. Forget it, I’m not paying for oem ones that would be tighter. 10) inquire with eBay. They say that someone attempted delivery of the tpms sensors but could not deliver them. This is untrue: I’ve been working from home, my wife is at home all day with the baby. Nobody came to the house during the time they said delivery was attempted. The sensors are on their way back to the seller because they were deemed “undeliverable”. eBay confirms they are on the way back. I’m in Canada, they came from the US. Son of a... 11) Work with TPMS vendor. He doesn’t know what the hell is going on. I eventually get an apology (wasn’t his fault) and a refund. 12) Buy replacement sensors. More expensive, but hopefully they arrive on schedule (thanks Ben!) 13) Costco got my tires in stock! Only 3 weeks later than they promised, but turns out that was not an issue after all. 14) Start to arrive ceramic coating on wheel #3. Take it out of the box and notice scratches and a large misshapen area on the outer lip of the wheel. Panic. 15) manage to contact the wheel shop. They have no replacements in stock, but can get one expedited to me, hopefully by the 9th when I have an appointment to get the wheels mounted. 16) Start to relax again. And then the original TPMS sensors I order show up. So now I have sensors I received a refund for that I have to get back to the guy on eBay. Are you kidding me?!? ...and now I’m exhausted, having spent about 25-30 hours trying to decide on and procure wheels. If my time is worth even a fraction of what I am normally paid for it, I could have bought two official BMW wheel packages and still been ahead... and we’re not done yet.
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12-10-2020, 05:18 PM	#2
rlou Private First Class 83 Rep 106 Posts Drives: 2021 X5 45e 2017 X3 2.8i Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (0)	Wow and ugh, I feel for you! Thanks for sharing your experience and hopefully this will save others in a similar situation some time and frustration.
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12-10-2020, 07:04 PM	#3
LexxM3 Colonel 1698 Rep 2,609 Posts Drives: E46M3, G05X5 Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Waterloo, Canada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2019 X5 [0.00]	Sounds right for us in Canada. eBay Global Shipping and Pitney Bowes logistics are an utter joke of a logistics operation — I have stories that are unbelievable, but true. A few more: - did you do careful calculations on offsets? - assuming offsets are stock, no spacer; but if not, may need spacers - either with or without spacers, are you clear that your stock lug bolts are the right length for the new rims? __________________ G05 X5 x40i (04/2019 mfg, Canada) on S18A-19-11-540
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12-10-2020, 07:38 PM	#4
Burnt C6 First Lieutenant 258 Rep 319 Posts Drives: 2024 X3 M40i Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Katy Texas iTrader: (0)	I know this is going to sound shitty but I'm so glad I live in Texas and don't have to deal with a second set of wheels. __________________ 2024 X3 M40i. wife says no Mods since it's aLease.. I see a JB4 tune in the near future. 2014 328i Melbourne Red Sport Line Dinan Dinantronics tune, Dinan Exhaust, Dinan Suspension, H&R Sway bars, 18x9 APEX PS-7 ,AFE CAI, BMW M Performance Brakes Retired
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12-10-2020, 08:05 PM	#5
BHCJJS Enlisted Member 21 Rep 45 Posts Drives: '21 G05 x40i M Sport, '04 E46 Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Kansas iTrader: (0)	Money typically pays for convenience It's definitely interesting to see how many of us, to include myself, are very cost conscious even though we drive BMWs. Nobody NEEDS a BMW, but we WANT BMWs. Yet, we hate paying full price for anything after we leave the dealership. At any rate, I didn't even make it past your step 1 after doing a lot of research for a few days, and ended up paying for the 20' 742M square winter wheel set. Paid just under $4k for them, I convinced myself that I'm paying for the convenience... And, time = money. I second your advise. It is well worth it, and I have peace of mind that everything fits according to specs, and won't have to worry about a string of small yet annoying damages to the vehicle because of a minor difference in hub centric sizes. Ask me how I know...paid more than ever to continually fix my 535xi back in the day. __________________ '21 G05 M Sport / '03 F-250 Powerstroke / '16 GSX-R750 Past: '18 F26 X4; '09 E60 535xi
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12-11-2020, 01:59 PM	#7
bforbrian Captain 718 Rep 704 Posts Drives: 2020 BMW X5 x40i Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: New York, NY iTrader: (0)	Wow sounds like more of a hassle than it needs to be... it sounds like you just got unlucky due to inventory and logistical issues? My anecdote: I custom ordered 20" Forgestar CF10 flow formed wheels with an appropriately sized winter tire and the whole process couldn't have been easier, although I did have to wait about 6 weeks for them. I didn't care so much about hub centric wheels since there are hub centric rings..... they confirmed M-sport brake clearance with the specs I chose (20x9 +30) and said the wheels can be used on SUVs. I confirmed that the load rating on the tires were appropriate for the X5 by doing simple math. Wheels with TPMS: $2,180 shipped Tires: $961.92 M&B: $150 Total: $3,291.92 Cheapest 20" winter tire package: $4,027.11 incl tax Savings: $735.19 I don't shit money so those savings were considered substantial for me to piece together the package. I will say that I do enjoy spec'ing myself though.. Last edited by bforbrian; 12-11-2020 at 02:09 PM..
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12-11-2020, 10:59 PM	#8
Fennario Private First Class 153 Rep 185 Posts Drives: X5 45e Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (0)	Tire rack package with TMPS is around 2800 for 20" wheels w/ Pilot Alpins mounted. Savings of around 1k vs. the OEM but figure that the BMW rims will hold their value if I ever want to sell them.
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12-12-2020, 01:08 AM	#9
jad03060 Major General 3153 Rep 6,789 Posts Drives: X5 45e Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: NH iTrader: (0)	I bought a set of BMW takeoff wheels exactly like what was on my vehicle, and took them to a local tire shop where they fitted TPMS and tires on it for me. Now I know I might get looked at funny, but I bought the vehicle with 19" wheels and have a 19" set of winter tires on it. Cost about $2200 installed and balanced. Given that snow and slush tends to cover up crap on the roads, having a bit more sidewall is important for longevity, and a narrower tire doesn't float as much in snow as a wider one does. So, if you're only interested in maybe ice versus snow, a larger wheel may be fine. The higher performance ones also tend to not have quite as much tread depth, so you'll be replacing them more often, so that adds to the cost as well. I really don't care that much about how the thing looks to others, and you can't see it while driving, which is the important part. I just want it to go when and where I want it to, and having the right tires for the season helps with that. That's one reason why there's so many options...everyone has their sweet spot.
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12-17-2020, 09:18 AM	#10
BMWBear Ultimate Driver 863 Rep 916 Posts Drives: N/A Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: N/A iTrader: (1)	Yeah I would rename the thread. Nothing sounds "Pro" about it. Spending $4500 on a BMW branded wheel/winter tire set because you relied on a shop that was unreliable and you ordered wrong parts? The G05/G07 have been in production long enough now to where there are many options available. I would recommend the opposite to new owners. Don't purchase the BMW winter set. Research on the forum and ask your fellow forums members for help if needed. Last edited by BMWBear; 12-17-2020 at 03:37 PM..
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12-18-2020, 03:37 PM	#11
JonnyCrash Driver 161 Rep 447 Posts Drives: VW GTI, BMW X5 40i M-Sport Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ottawa iTrader: (0)	Well, frankly I’ve been using good shops, know what wheels work and what don’t, and this is the first time I’m having trouble. I will end up spending less than $4500 US in money, but way more in time. The “pro” part of the tip is realizing how much your time is worth. As an update, I now have four perfectly round wheels but the second set of sensors I ordered with express shipping have been sitting at USPS facilities in California for over a week. So I still have no winter tires on the car.
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12-18-2020, 08:01 PM	#12
zhangyi17 Lieutenant 287 Rep 589 Posts Drives: BMW X5 Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	I learn my lesson long time ago about buying something on eBay shipping from outside Canada...... Too much trouble.... Now, only order items in Canada on Amazon or ebay, but our choice is much limited than our neighbor South of the boarder..
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12-19-2020, 06:32 PM	#13
PREDATOR 007 Second Lieutenant 57 Rep 232 Posts Drives: 2016 M5 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Vandalia, OH iTrader: (0)	Jonny, I have been battling the same thing for the last month and finally asked the dealer to just give me a price on a set of 741m's. So tired of it....
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12-20-2020, 09:27 AM	#14
JonnyCrash Driver 161 Rep 447 Posts Drives: VW GTI, BMW X5 40i M-Sport Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ottawa iTrader: (0)	I am tired too, though at this point I’m in too deep to change my mind due to having already bought the rims and tires. For next time though... wow. Also, I apparently should have started looking in June. It sucks that our selection and stock is so limited in Canada. Ottawa is even worse, because for some reason all the stores here feel like that can charge more than in the bigger cities. Although it may be because rents and property taxes are ridiculous here, which means higher costs. Who knows. In any case, I have never had this much trouble sourcing wheels tires and sensors before, even from the States! The BMW stuff must be really uncommon fitments.
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