Alternative Tire Size Recommendation

boozybear · 12-01-2018, 03:56 PM

Yet another tire size recommendation thread... but I'm in a weird predicament and need all the help I can get.

The stock 245/55R17 tires (Pirelli and Bridgestone) tires are backordered nationwide and who knows when they'll start producing them again.

Just to give some preference on my driving style, it rain a lot here (Seattle area) and I make weekly ski trips to the local mountains. Occasionally it snows in the city/mountains and the roads are lightly covered in snow (but mostly rain). After rummaging through the forums, I've narrowed my alternative sizes down to two:

225/60R17 or 235/55R17

The 225/60R17 seems to be an exact match to my original stock tires with exception for the tire width. Do I run any risks / performance loss with the decreased tire width? According to some calculators, I'm decreasing 0.79" on each tire. If was to get this size, I've narrowed my selection to the Bridgestone DriveGuard RFT.

The 235/55R17 seems to be smaller overall but has the benefit of more tire selections. It seems the DWS06 and MXM4 are popular choices. Both of which are available along with a variety of other tires.

Lastly, would it be worth while considering 235/60R17 or 235/55R17?

boozybear · 12-02-2018, 09:14 PM

Just opted for the 225/60R17 Bridgestone run-flats. hopefully its not a terrible tire...

TEF · 12-04-2018, 11:28 AM

Use 225/60-17 (in lieu of OE 245/50-18) for my winter tires on my X3. Aside from being about 15 lbs/tire lighter, I don't see any downside to the narrower tire. Frankly, wider tires look better, but on an X3, it seems to be little more than appearance versus anything tangible. For example, the narrower tires work better on snow-covered or water-pooled roads. In fairness, wider tires likely work better if driving on a sandy beach. Which of these situations is one more likely to encounter?

chrispitude · 12-08-2018, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boozybear

Just opted for the 225/60R17 Bridgestone run-flats. hopefully its not a terrible tire...

Not at all. The DriveGuard is a great tire - quiet, decent handling, good treadwear, and outstanding ride comfort. It's my favorite non-winter tire. I've run it on a number of vehicles now, but not the X3 yet. I'm still deciding on doing the 235-55R18 DriveGuards on the factory 18" wheels or doing a set of 225-60R17 DriveGuards on 17" wheels.

Let us know how it goes!

nyboy42 · 10-28-2019, 04:14 PM

im curious as to what tires you decided to go with for your X3?

i have 2011 X3 that came with 245/55 17 runflats and im considering making the switch to standard tires at 235/60 17

richardodn · 10-29-2019, 04:41 AM

As he said, he went with the 225. As long as the load rating is at least 98, the narrower 225/60/17 is fine. This keeps the original outside diameter. The 235/60/17 is slightly taller while a 235/55/17 is slightly shorter. Both are within 2% of the original diameter so are suitable replacements as long as you replace all 4. The taller tire will make your speedo read a little lower than before for the same actual speed. The shorter tire will make the speedo read a bit higher.

12-01-2018, 03:56 PM	#1
boozybear New Member 1 Rep 6 Posts Drives: X3 28i 2012 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	Alternative Tire Size Recommendation Yet another tire size recommendation thread... but I'm in a weird predicament and need all the help I can get. The stock 245/55R17 tires (Pirelli and Bridgestone) tires are backordered nationwide and who knows when they'll start producing them again. Just to give some preference on my driving style, it rain a lot here (Seattle area) and I make weekly ski trips to the local mountains. Occasionally it snows in the city/mountains and the roads are lightly covered in snow (but mostly rain). After rummaging through the forums, I've narrowed my alternative sizes down to two: 225/60R17 or 235/55R17 The 225/60R17 seems to be an exact match to my original stock tires with exception for the tire width. Do I run any risks / performance loss with the decreased tire width? According to some calculators, I'm decreasing 0.79" on each tire. If was to get this size, I've narrowed my selection to the Bridgestone DriveGuard RFT. The 235/55R17 seems to be smaller overall but has the benefit of more tire selections. It seems the DWS06 and MXM4 are popular choices. Both of which are available along with a variety of other tires. Lastly, would it be worth while considering 235/60R17 or 235/55R17?
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12-02-2018, 09:14 PM	#2
boozybear New Member 1 Rep 6 Posts Drives: X3 28i 2012 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	Just opted for the 225/60R17 Bridgestone run-flats. hopefully its not a terrible tire...
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12-04-2018, 11:28 AM	#3
TEF First Lieutenant 111 Rep 376 Posts Drives: 16 X3 28d/18 540d xdrive Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Western PA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 540d xdrive [0.00] 2018 540d xdrive [0.00] 2016 X3 28d [0.00]	Use 225/60-17 (in lieu of OE 245/50-18) for my winter tires on my X3. Aside from being about 15 lbs/tire lighter, I don't see any downside to the narrower tire. Frankly, wider tires look better, but on an X3, it seems to be little more than appearance versus anything tangible. For example, the narrower tires work better on snow-covered or water-pooled roads. In fairness, wider tires likely work better if driving on a sandy beach. Which of these situations is one more likely to encounter?
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10-28-2019, 04:14 PM	#5
nyboy42 New Member 13 Rep 28 Posts Drives: 2022 m440i Gran Coupe Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	im curious as to what tires you decided to go with for your X3? i have 2011 X3 that came with 245/55 17 runflats and im considering making the switch to standard tires at 235/60 17
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10-29-2019, 04:41 AM	#6
richardodn First Lieutenant 160 Rep 347 Posts Drives: '12 X3 35iX/'20 440ix cabrio Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Denver, CO iTrader: (0)	As he said, he went with the 225. As long as the load rating is at least 98, the narrower 225/60/17 is fine. This keeps the original outside diameter. The 235/60/17 is slightly taller while a 235/55/17 is slightly shorter. Both are within 2% of the original diameter so are suitable replacements as long as you replace all 4. The taller tire will make your speedo read a little lower than before for the same actual speed. The shorter tire will make the speedo read a bit higher.
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