[rommeeeezy]

As the title says,

Wondering if it’s possible to run 19” wheels. I want to get as thick of a sidewall as possible to increase some of the ride quality. I don’t mind the current setup, but it’s a little stiff for passengers.

Curious if anyones had luck in testing out a 19” wheel setup

I know the spare is a 19” but I’m assuming it specifically designed to clear the brake calipers.

Thanks

[STi from DSM]

Considering some of the non-comp models come with a 20" wheel. A 19" could be a possibility, but... if you have stock 21's and go to a 19 your speedo will be off by a decent amount.

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by STi from DSM

Considering some of the non-comp models come with a 20" wheel. A 19" could be a possibility, but... if you have stock 21's and go to a 19 your speedo will be off by a decent amount.

Tire size can mitigate that, need to keep the overall rolling diameter close to factory spec.

[stoked335d]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

Tire size can mitigate that, need to keep the overall rolling diameter close to factory spec.

I don't think the OP will find a 19" rim that clears the calipers.

Could be possible considering the spare is 19"

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by rommeeeezy

As the title says,

Wondering if it's possible to run 19" wheels. I want to get as thick of a sidewall as possible to increase some of the ride quality. I don't mind the current setup, but it's a little stiff for passengers.

Curious if anyones had luck in testing out a 19" wheel setup

I know the spare is a 19" but I'm assuming it specifically designed to clear the brake calipers.

Thanks

Apparently 19s do work. Learned something new.

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1866172

[rommeeeezy]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

Apparently 19s do work. Learned something new.

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1866172

Yup,

Saw that one as the only example so far. Mostly interested to try and test out a nice and compliant 50 sidewall tire like a pilot sport all season to get maximum comfort out of the thing. Everything is pretty awesome about the car aside from the embarrassing suspension setup that is oversprung and is fairly boom-y. Currently on PS4S and will probably keep it as a summer tire.

Mostly debating going MSS with maybe a tire swap to all seasons (since I don’t get to do a whole lot of track or spirited driving) or if I just go all in on a set of wheels and tires to really gun for the ultimate ride comfort with MSS as well.

Wondering if there’s any more examples of a non TE37 working. Apex Race Parts has a 19”x9.5 5x112 wheel that seems like it could work. And I’ve fit a 19” on my old F80 from them, so would assume that the X3M brakes were maybe only a smidge bigger, but the f80 could actually run 18” stock on their brake setup. So I would assume 19” aftermarket’s are doable, just want to know if anyones tried it.

[BrockDM]

Originally Posted by rommeeeezy

Yup,

Saw that one as the only example so far. Mostly interested to try and test out a nice and compliant 50 sidewall tire like a pilot sport all season to get maximum comfort out of the thing. Everything is pretty awesome about the car aside from the embarrassing suspension setup that is oversprung and is fairly boom-y. Currently on PS4S and will probably keep it as a summer tire.

Mostly debating going MSS with maybe a tire swap to all seasons (since I don’t get to do a whole lot of track or spirited driving) or if I just go all in on a set of wheels and tires to really gun for the ultimate ride comfort with MSS as well.

Wondering if there’s any more examples of a non TE37 working. Apex Race Parts has a 19”x9.5 5x112 wheel that seems like it could work. And I’ve fit a 19” on my old F80 from them, so would assume that the X3M brakes were maybe only a smidge bigger, but the f80 could actually run 18” stock on their brake setup. So I would assume 19” aftermarket’s are doable, just want to know if anyones tried it.

I would ensure there are tires available that will suit your needs first. I dove down the rabbit hole of fitting 19s but the tire choices were very scarce. You need to keep the rolling diameter within 3% of the factory size and keep the front to rear ratio under 1%.

IIRC the F80 has 380mm rotors up front while the X3M utilizes 395mm. The barrel design and barrel clearance is going to be the biggest factor. TE37's are known to have a very slim barrel to accommodate big brakes. BC Forged will likely work as well since they are custom cut. I'm going to say most wheels won't work but a few here and there could.

I ran into this same situation with my B9 S4 after adding a Brembo BBK. After reaching out to nearly a dozen wheel manufactures I realized it really comes down to a specific wheel that could make or brake it. (ha) I landed on Neuspeed RSe102 as they were the only ones that fit my situation. They have a nearly perfect barrel design to maximize space.

Best of luck and report back with your findings please! A 19" confirmed fitment thread would be a game changer.

[rommeeeezy]

Additionally, not sure if this is a datapoint at all, but the f90 m5 is able to run 19inch wheels from factory, and I think their front brake rotors are the same size as an X3M.

[BrockDM]

Originally Posted by rommeeeezy

Additionally, not sure if this is a datapoint at all, but the f90 m5 is able to run 19inch wheels from factory, and I think their front brake rotors are the same size as an X3M.

Correct, same size rotor. They use a different caliper though, a 6pot I believe. Which is good news because that is larger than the X3M but it could come down to the design too.

[rommeeeezy]

Originally Posted by BrockDM

I would ensure there are tires available that will suit your needs first. I dove down the rabbit hole of fitting 19s but the tire choices were very scarce. You need to keep the rolling diameter within 3% of the factory size and keep the front to rear ratio under 1%.

IIRC the F80 has 380mm rotors up front while the X3M utilizes 395mm. The barrel design and barrel clearance is going to be the biggest factor. TE37's are known to have a very slim barrel to accommodate big brakes. BC Forged will likely work as well since they are custom cut. I'm going to say most wheels won't work but a few here and there could.

I ran into this same situation with my B9 S4 after adding a Brembo BBK. After reaching out to nearly a dozen wheel manufactures I realized it really comes down to a specific wheel that could make or brake it. (ha) I landed on Neuspeed RSe102 as they were the only ones that fit my situation. They have a nearly perfect barrel design to maximize space.

Best of luck and report back with your findings please! A 19" confirmed fitment thread would be a game changer.

Nice thanks for the reply.

I’m going to call the BMW parts dept about possibly using a F90 M5 705M style wheel.

In theory this could work. M5 brakes and calipers are nearly the same size as the X3M as we can even do a caliper swap with them. And they run a 19” from the factory.

[rommeeeezy]

Originally Posted by rommeeeezy

Nice thanks for the reply.

I’m going to call the BMW parts dept about possibly using a F90 M5 705M style wheel.

In theory this could work. M5 brakes and calipers are nearly the same size as the X3M as we can even do a caliper swap with them. And they run a 19” from the factory.

Also, yes, tire size I think works. There are suv and all season pilot sports with 50 sidewall and 19 inch sizes.

[BrockDM]

Nice one. When I looked I was wanted a performance tire (PS4S or drag radial) which is why I gave up.

I'm sure Apex could provide some specs on their 19x9.5 too and you could create a cardboard template to test clearance. I saw one of theirs is on sale for pretty cheap right now

[VMcV3y]

Watching this, too. Not to solve a ride-quality issue, but thinking that smaller size tires would be cheaper for burning-down on Track Days.

The price difference and availability of 18" vs 19" tires on my M3 E93 was significant...i.e used a Hankook 18" for $110 vs Cont Extr Contact 19" for $250.

[Mike02z]

I don’t mean any offense but why buy an X3 M if you want your passenger to have a more comfortable ride? The only thing I can think of is you passenger is your significant other who finds the ride harsh 😉

19’s make perfect sense for winter tires and if you know your going to be burning through tires. Maybe I’m lucky but my wife loves the ride quality. She hated in on the 21 M-Sport and she was OK with the M40i but like the ride on the X3 MC best.

[rommeeeezy]

Yeah, my wife has now had many comparables of ride quality. B9 S4, f80 m3, RS3, and now the X3M.

Honestly, she’s a trooper. She gets car sick easily and we also tend to bring our dog in the car which are it’s own headaches (still worth it!!!).

I would say that I find the ride fine. It’s for sure bouncy. No question. It is very easily unsettled by large road imperfections and we live right in the middle of downtown.

I think getting 19’s would also be interesting for those curious about running lighter wheels. I’ll keep this updated with what I end up doing.