[lair12]

I'm about to order an X6 non-MSport but with DHP. I actually prefer the looks of the non-MSport even before the consideration of the $3600 more they want to charge for basic trim and a nicer steering wheel.

I'd like some feedback on whether to keep the 20" tires (f&r=275/45) or pay $950 more for the 21" (f=275/40, r=315/35). I do not want 22" wheels at all. Driving is mostly in-town and suburban and only 6000 miles/yr. I did try a vehicle with the DHP and liked the steering and handling a lot more than without, so I've decided that is worth the $3650.

What will the realistic benefits, if any, be with the 21's I know I will have a more comfortable and quieter ride with the all-season 20's, and that it will cost a good bit more to replace the performance 21's when they wear out (which they will more quickly). I also realize the 21's will look better, but I want to take that out of this conversation.

Many thanks.

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by lair12

I'm about to order an X6 non-MSport but with DHP. I actually prefer the looks of the non-MSport even before the consideration of the $3600 more they want to charge for basic trim and a nicer steering wheel.

As I mentioned yesterday, DHP requires you to order the MSport package according to the order guide.

[lair12]

I did miss that yesterday. Thanks for the heads up again. So I guess the option is still to go with the 20" M wheels or upgrade to the 21" M wheels. And since I have to spring for the M package as well as DHP package, I would lean towards not paying up for the 21's unless there was a tangible driving benefit.

I guess another way to ask the original question is: I drove an xDrive 40i MSport and DHP with 22 in wheels. Will this same build with 20 in wheels drive any differently in city and suburban driving? If so, what might that difference be and would 21's be noticeably different?

[TurtleBoy]

I think there were a few conversations going on. The 20" wheels will offer a less harsh ride and probably a quieter one. From the experiences I read, the 21"s will be more like the 22".

[Rodrick]

Originally Posted by lair12

I did miss that yesterday. Thanks for the heads up again. So I guess the option is still to go with the 20" M wheels or upgrade to the 21" M wheels. And since I have to spring for the M package as well as DHP package, I would lean towards not paying up for the 21's unless there was a tangible driving benefit.

I guess another way to ask the original question is: I drove an xDrive 40i MSport and DHP with 22 in wheels. Will this same build with 20 in wheels drive any differently in city and suburban driving? If so, what might that difference be and would 21's be noticeably different?

I have an X6 xDrive 40i MSport with DHP on order with the 22” wheels -and have never driven it. Driven the X6 with air and 21” rft and an X4 M40i with 21” rft. The X6 with air felt a bit floaty to me, but I’m also not looking for an overly harsh ride as this car will be for daily commutes. So, while I can’t answer your question, maybe you can help answer one of mine. . How “harsh” or “comfortable” was the ride on 22” with adaptive M and DHP (for a daily driver in relatively bad suburban/urban roads)? I will get a separate set of 20” as dedicated winter tires, so these would just be for summer tires. As the 21” I drove on the X4 were rft and the 22” on the X6 are non rft, I assumed that the ride on 22” on the X6 would be no worse -and probably more absorbing- than with 21” rft on the X4, but don’t know for sure.

Thanks.

[lair12]

Part of my confusion camefrom the fact that the on-line Build-Your-Own allows you to spec the DHP without forcing MSport on you. I'm not sure why this is. The DOG does says that you need to have MSport.

[lair12]

I was only driving around the BMW dealer in Atlanta (which had SIX X6's in stock, and now claims TEN). I really didn't have the situation where I was on rough or pothole roads and it rained most of the day. But, I admit that I did not feel anything particularly rough in my drive. That made me consider the 21's at least, but I will most likely stick to the stock 20's. I did fast circles in an empty parking lot and felt the car had very little body roll. I also felt the steering was tighter all around, and that is more of what I wanted coming from an X3. It still is a big car for me. Did you know that you can again order the luxury seat "2" package that includes massage ($1600)? That was gone for the list until recently.

[JonnyCrash]

I would go for the 21s. It’s an X6, and the 20s are too small to be sporty on that car. If you go X6 you gotta be a baller!

(P.S. who am I kidding? I’m an old white dude I have no idea what “baller” means. But get the 21s.)

[rajindergill]

21's will look better and you will regret it later on if you get the 20's.

[Rodrick]

Really dumb noob question, but is the only advantage of 21/22s over 20s aesthetic? What are the tradeoffs/pros and cons of small vs bigger wheels in terms of driving dynamics?

[doctorttt]

G06 here and I went with the 21" and it looks very nice imo. I live in NYC and roads here are notoriously bad. I have air suspension and despite the 21", the ride is still quite comfortable on uneven roads and bumps. Floaty, yes, I do feel that sometimes. Stiff suspension and large rims are a bad combo in NYC. I'm not sure where you live, so.....

[Rodrick]

I don’t want to hijack the thread, but it’s the same subject matter. I’m in Montreal. Roads will be as bad or worse than NYC. I test drove the X6 with your set up (air with 21” rft) and had the exact same impression as you. Very comfortable ride, with somewhat of a ‘floaty’ feel (not bad, just depends what feel one prefers). I ordered my car with adaptive M with DHP (same as OP). Initially ordered with the 21” as a middle ground. Dealer is recommending going with 22” (I’ll get a separate set of 20s for winter), but I’m actually now thinking of just ordering with the 20” (740M) and if I like it I’d just swap between winters and summers/AS on the 20” rims. I don’t mind the look of the 740M rims (actually quite like them), but I guess like the OP I’m wondering if the 20” give up (or gain) anything tangible in driving dynamics compared to the bigger wheels. Are the bigger wheels ‘just’ for aesthetics (which is generally the sense I get from this forum) or are there practical benefits as well. Sorry for the noob queries.

[robby818]

You could change out the run flat for non run flats on the 21s and get better ride quality. It will
Still be noisier than the 20s. I just downsized my wheels from 21 to 20. Big difference in tire noise and ride comfort. The car rolls a bit better with less resistance so I expect fuel economy will improve a bit too. I went with the Bridgestone Alenzas RFT but wish I had gone with non run flats to maximize ride comfort. The Bridgestones are good for a RFT tire but is still not as a good as a non RFT tire. I have air suspension on an m Sport.

[psuibmw]

I would go against the flow on this one and say go with the 20" Why? Many reasons (1) Less harsh ride (2) Better Comfort (3) Less noisy (4) Better mpg Also, if I get this car as a commuter, I want it to have AS tires, so no bother changing every season (lazy dude here ). One more thing Air suspension is a big no for the X6, makes the car drive like a boat in a windy day 🛶

[Kripster]

Originally Posted by psuibmw

I would go against the flow on this one and say go with the 20" Why? Many reasons (1) Less harsh ride (2) Better Comfort (3) Less noisy (4) Better mpg Also, if I get this car as a commuter, I want it to have AS tires, so no bother changing every season (lazy dude here ). One more thing Air suspension is a big no for the X6, makes the car drive like a boat in a windy day 🛶

+1 on 20". I prefer the less harsh/bumpy ride.

[lair12]

Bigger wheels to not mean bigger tire circumference at all.

Check out here for all the exact details on tire size vs wheel size.

https://tiresize.com/calculator/

[lair12]

The 21" will give you only 1/2" of extra visual radius which is then lost in sidewall height. I'll also end up with staggered tire sizes, and much higher tire costs (with more frequent replacements).

[lair12]

I'm in Raleigh, and will be getting the DHP, for better steering and handling and do not want the floaty feeling that I otherwise am trying to avoid. So mostly highways and suburban roads.

Originally Posted by doctorttt

G06 here and I went with the 21" and it looks very nice imo. I live in NYC and roads here are notoriously bad. I have air suspension and despite the 21", the ride is still quite comfortable on uneven roads and bumps. Floaty, yes, I do feel that sometimes. Stiff suspension and large rims are a bad combo in NYC. I'm not sure where you live, so.....

[lair12]

I looked into this and found very little choice for anything other than expensive performance tires for the 275/40 and 315/35 setup on the 21's if you were to get matching models. That gave me some real pause.

Originally Posted by robby818

You could change out the run flat for non run flats on the 21s and get better ride quality. It will
Still be noisier than the 20s. I just downsized my wheels from 21 to 20. Big difference in tire noise and ride comfort. The car rolls a bit better with less resistance so I expect fuel economy will improve a bit too. I went with the Bridgestone Alenzas RFT but wish I had gone with non run flats to maximize ride comfort. The Bridgestones are good for a RFT tire but is still not as a good as a non RFT tire. I have air suspension on an m Sport.

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by lair12

The 21" will give you only 1/2" of extra visual radius which is then lost in sidewall height. I'll also end up with staggered tire sizes, and much higher tire costs (with more frequent replacements).

You are correct, the 21" wheels/tires have the same diameter as the 20"s so the wheel well fill will be the same.

Front:


Rear:

[lair12]

I'm very much leaning this way, although as a special order I would probably have time in the next 10 weeks to change. In theory, part of the M-Sport package $4500 should be allocated for the M-Sport wheels, but as you all know, you get no credit for this if you upgrade to 21 or 22. So in the end I have to pay $3600 (after premium package credit) more for a steering wheel which costs BMW no extra money and some painted trim which costs them nothing much more either! And to get the DHP I have to order the MSport. That $3600 must flow right to their profit line.

Originally Posted by psuibmw

I would go against the flow on this one and say go with the 20" Why? Many reasons (1) Less harsh ride (2) Better Comfort (3) Less noisy (4) Better mpg Also, if I get this car as a commuter, I want it to have AS tires, so no bother changing every season (lazy dude here ). One more thing Air suspension is a big no for the X6, makes the car drive like a boat in a windy day 🛶

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by lair12

I'm very much leaning this way, although as a special order I would probably have time in the next 10 weeks to change. In theory, part of the M-Sport package $4500 should be allocated for the M-Sport wheels, but as you all know, you get no credit for this if you upgrade to 21 or 22. So in the end I have to pay $3600 (after premium package credit) more for a steering wheel which costs BMW no extra money and some painted trim which costs them nothing much more either! And to get the DHP I have to order the MSport. That $3600 must flow right to their profit line.

That part about the wheels isn't quite accurate, or at least known since the 21" wheels that can be ordered with the xline (1XB and 1XD) can not be ordered with the MSport package. The only 21" wheels that can be combined with the MSport package are 1XN which could be a more expensive wheel.