JCLBoston wrote

Surprisingly, no regrets from me at all. I just went with the 19's and called it a day. I was definitely over the harsher rides of my past cars and the roads here are absolute pure garbage, so comfort was one of the priorities this time around. I know that larger wheels would look better and more aggressive. I thought it would bother me quite a bit. In fact, I must've changed my mind back and forth 10 times before I had ordered. But honestly, it hasn't bothered me at all over the past 3 years of ownership. I don't even feel the need to swap for larger summers. Kind of silly now that I think about how much of a fuss I made over it in my mind before I ordered.

I'm from Boston too so I hear ya about the crappy roads here. That's kind of why I went with 20's because way too many potholes here to risk it. I mostly just want a jet black rim with a bit of a silver accent to compliment to shadow line package.

wdeerfield wrote

20s are the proper size rim for this size of an SUV. It looks proportionally correct. No regrets at all. I run 19s for the winter and those while small looking serve the perfect purpose for winter.

I mostly wanted the 21's because I liked the 2 tone it had. Might just have to look for aftermarket wheels or search the forum to see what people have gone with.

Keefy wrote

I think I'm now convinced to drop from 21's to 20's, I can then sell my 21's to cover the cost of the change.
I'm also of the opinion that comfort takes priority over aesthetics….must be getting old.

Which 21" do you have?

Jsoto250 wrote

oasis3582 wrote

I did. I initially bought my X3 with the 20" 699 wheels and after just a few months upgraded to the 21" 718 wheels. It would have been much cheaper/easier if I did that during the initial purchase!

Exactly why I'm regretting it lol. I wanted a black wheel but not entirely black as I like a little detail. I originally ordered with the 699M jet black but then switched to the 2 tone and toyed with going with the 21" but I heard it was difficult to find all seasons for them so I steered away. Would have been so much cheaper if I would've just ordered it with them and got a 19" winter set.

I just recently installed non-RFT PS4 AS and they are great on the 21s. Definitely an option for you if you go that way.

oasis3582 wrote

Jsoto250 wrote

oasis3582 wrote

I did. I initially bought my X3 with the 20" 699 wheels and after just a few months upgraded to the 21" 718 wheels. It would have been much cheaper/easier if I did that during the initial purchase!

Exactly why I'm regretting it lol. I wanted a black wheel but not entirely black as I like a little detail. I originally ordered with the 699M jet black but then switched to the 2 tone and toyed with going with the 21" but I heard it was difficult to find all seasons for them so I steered away. Would have been so much cheaper if I would've just ordered it with them and got a 19" winter set.

I just recently installed non-RFT PS4 AS and they are great on the 21s. Definitely an option for you if you go that way.

Nice! Those are the same ones I got for the 20" I have now. Have to figure out what the heck I'm going to do with the summers sitting in my basement now lol

Jsoto250 wrote

Lol, where are you located? Here in Boston the roads are crazy too.

I’m in the Northeast of Scotland, UK…..pothole city!

I have to ask if you get 21's and get a larger series side wall Eg. go from 40 sidewall series to 50 yes the diameter will be greater but by like half an inch but as long as the ratio is the same wouldn't it be fine ? yes I know that there is less wheel height clearance within the wheel well but I never have 4/5 passengers in my suv to worry about suspension compression and tire rub.
I am ok with the speedometer being off due to larger diameter.

thanks for checking..

No regrets here, planned on going with aftermarket 20" square set-up from the start. No sense paying extra for wheels/tires that I don't really want.

I regretted getting the 19's on my 2019 X3 M40i, so I went with the 20's when I got my 2021. I have always liked the look and design of the 21's the best and they were my first choice, but I didn't get those because of concerns about getting flats, the lack of A/S tire selection on the 21's and the tires are really expensive! Also, I prefer a slightly softer ride so the 20's are a good compromise for me.

Jsoto250 wrote

Which 21" do you have? I didn't have any luck finding winter tires anywhere when I got my car delivered back in December so I had to get all seasons.

718M's

And 19's are 698M's.

mailman_fin wrote

Jsoto250 wrote

Which 21" do you have? I didn't have any luck finding winter tires anywhere when I got my car delivered back in December so I had to get all seasons.

718M's

And 19's are 698M's.

😏

TX3M wrote

I regretted getting the 19's on my 2019 X3 M40i, so I went with the 20's when I got my 2021. I have always liked the look and design of the 21's the best and they were my first choice, but I didn't get those because of concerns about getting flats, the lack of A/S tire selection on the 21's and the tires are really expensive! Also, I prefer a slightly softer ride so the 20's are a good compromise for me.

Nice, those were some of my concerns as well. I guess I can look for an aftermarket 20" bicolor set.

Jsoto250 wrote

How were you able to get winters? I got my car delivered right at the end of November and was looking for winters and no one had them in stock, anywhere. It was impossible so I had to get Michelin all seasons and even those were out of stock most places, I had to get them off eBay.

I got lucky on the Blizzaks, honestly. I happened to be looking at tires randomly and looked at them. They were closing out the last year's stock of them and had them on sale for around $500 for all four. Think it was around October when they went on sale, and for that price, I snatched a set up.

Jsoto250 wrote

Which 21" do you have?

718M, 21” in the staggered setup.

I regret not having an option to choose between 21 and 20 wheels.

Usually I was going for as big as possible but I think 20 inch in X3 is enough, I could get all season tyres for 20 and have full black straight away …. Oh well

2 cents... I knew from my Macan days that 20s are the sweet spot on vehicles in this segment. 21s look nice, but on some color/set-ups, almost too big (including on mine). 20 inch square set-up gives you tons of options to run summer or AS, and you can rotate tires. 95% of us don't push these vehicles hard enough to justify 21 inch summer rubber. Not to mention what others have already said... you have to drive pretty carefully on 21s. 20s and 19s, not nearly as much. Anywho... to each their own of course, and I, personally, am enjoying my 21s. But on the next do-over (regardless of BMW or something else), if I stay in this segment I'll shoot for 20 inch wheels most likely.

Ice9 wrote

21" wheels look great on the M40i, and there is no cheaper way to get that size than to order them OE. The 726i is, in my opinion, a really nice looking wheel, similar to those on an Alpina. They come with the dreaded RFT, but if you are lucky, you get the P Zeros. I did, and am eating my words of derision about them. Now that I have lived with them, I can say that the ride is "firm," but a long ways from "rough." My X5M, on 20" wheels, is far rougher riding.

I will still replace the RFTs with NON RFTs, (Michelins, either all season or 4s, in size 255/40/21 and 295/35/21), which will make the car even more compliant.

I will also put on H&R Sport Springs (lower 1.4 front and .8 rear), and H&R 12mm spacers. The look and the ride should be just fine.

Regret never gets you anywhere. You made a good decision, be happy. When you need snow tires, buy a cheap(er) set of 19s or 20s.

Oops, I got your state of affairs backwards. You got the 20" wheel and are now regretting it, right? You will be fine. A: the 699 is a great looking wheel, B: you now have the right rim for snow tires (or all season), and C: you are now free to get whatever 21 inchers you want, but in a better size. The OE's are 8.5 and 9.5 wide. We all know that the best sizes for 21" (in terms of available tires) need WIDER wheels. The OE X3M 21" wheels are 9" and 10", I believe (someone correct me). If I were buying 21" wheels, I would get at least that wide, maybe wider. The currently available 21" tires are 255 or 265/40/21 front, and 295/35/21 rear, or you can go 255/40/21 front and 265/35/21 rear. IMO, the bigger the better. I respectfully disagree that 19" is "proportionately right." I think that our SUV's need AT LEAST 20", and if the roads aren't too rough in your next of the woods, go 21".

I now have personal experience with the OE 21", mounted with P Zero RFT in 245 and 275. Even though the tires are way harder than NON RFTs (and will be replaced), the ride and handling are excellent, and believe me, ya'll don't know what rough roads are until you live in Santa Fe

You spec'd well, and will be very happy.

rdougherty85 wrote

Jsoto250 wrote

How were you able to get winters? I got my car delivered right at the end of November and was looking for winters and no one had them in stock, anywhere. It was impossible so I had to get Michelin all seasons and even those were out of stock most places, I had to get them off eBay.

I got lucky on the Blizzaks, honestly. I happened to be looking at tires randomly and looked at them. They were closing out the last year's stock of them and had them on sale for around $500 for all four. Think it was around October when they went on sale, and for that price, I snatched a set up.

Wow that's a steal! I wish haha

Keefy wrote

Jsoto250 wrote

Which 21" do you have?

718M, 21” in the staggered setup.

Exactly the ones I wanted lol

TXGrey wrote

2 cents... I knew from my Macan days that 20s are the sweet spot on vehicles in this segment. 21s look nice, but on some color/set-ups, almost too big (including on mine). 20 inch square set-up gives you tons of options to run summer or AS, and you can rotate tires. 95% of us don't push these vehicles hard enough to justify 21 inch summer rubber. Not to mention what others have already said... you have to drive pretty carefully on 21s. 20s and 19s, not nearly as much. Anywho... to each their own of course, and I, personally, am enjoying my 21s. But on the next do-over (regardless of BMW or something else), if I stay in this segment I'll shoot for 20 inch wheels most likely.

My Husband has an 18 Macan GTS on 21". I haven't really paid attention to the ride because it's mostly just a fun vehicle to drive and I love hearing it pur. I was kind of salty when he traded in his GS for it because I had mentioned wanting one for a couple of months and he beat me to it. He always wanted the bigger cayenne but after test driving a GTS that changed real quick. He was the one who actually showed me the X3 because BMW wasn't even on my radar and didn't know the X3 came with the m40i option (Bad prior experience with a 5 series) I test drove the m40i and saw how much more space it had, better trunk space and also fun. My husband has to make 2 trips to Porsche for an alarm that would not stop going off and his heat stopped working mid winter after going through a car wash. He had just purchased it CPO a few months ago and was still charged a good $750 because the ducts were clogged. Guess the dealership didn't clean those prior to us purchasing it and that wasn't covered under warranty.After that incident I'm glad I didn't go Porsche lol. I think the GTS sounds a heck of a lot better and louder but I think with time I'll get used to the SUV life. I also had an f sport GS and while I do miss driving a sedan, the space was limited with a toddler. I'll stick with 20's lol

hooligan_G01 wrote

No regrets here, planned on going with aftermarket 20" square set-up from the start. No sense paying extra for wheels/tires that I don't really want.

Is a square setup a non staggered set which means you can then rotate your tires? Sorry, Mom brain over here.

Jsoto250 wrote

Is a square setup a non staggered set which means you can then rotate your tires? Sorry, Mom brain over here.

Correct, the same wheel size in all 4 corners.