these are all great setups. 20s really make the x3 come alive.

i am upgrading to 20s next month. currently running the standard 19" double spoke wheels w/all-season RFTs. looking to swap them out for 20x9 front, 20x10.5 rear setup.

has anyone done this, if so pls post pics.

also, what is the maximum recommended tire size? i know most will go with the usual 245/40/20 and 275/35/20 but i was thinking of going just a bit wider. maybe a 255/40/20 and a 285/35/20.

according to the attached tire size calculator it looks slightly taller & wider but can't tell if there are any issues running these sizes.

i want the wider stance, spacers look but w/o the spacers.

thoughts?

my goal is to fill as much of the wheel well as possible without hit it.

either this setup or I go with the standard 20" setup, add spacers, and lower it with H&R springs.

just might be the same look after all is said and done.

BerlinerX3 wrote

Ok, after no response please find attached my pics after changing winter/summer whels.

20 inch including 12mm H&R spacers on each single whell.

what are the wheel and tire specs. are they 20x9 with 12mm spacers all around? or are they staggered like 20x9 front and 20x10 rear?

How about tires, are they 245/40/20 on all four?

I'm trying to get to a similar look but am having trouble with sizing it properly.

nice setup. comes close enough to the fender to give it a clean, yet aggressive look.

guys, i'm getting some push back from a local, and highly recommended "performance shop" on wheel/tire combo.

I was hoping to get staggered 20 in wheels in 20x9 and 20x10.5
I also wanted to lower it with H&R sport springs. 1.4" front, 1.3" rear.

he shot down both ideas. said that wide a wheel would cause problems. also said the HR springs are too aggressive for the X3 and will cause rapid tire wear, and on full load, the weight may cause issues in the wheel well.

he recommends Eibach springs which is 1" front, and .5" rear. (doesn't sound like much at all.) I think it will look stock thus defeating its purpose.

also recommends 8.5 on front and 9 rear. this is nuts. maybe for my wife this is ok but me??

should I insist on 20x9 front and 20x10 rear, and HR spings or does he know something we dont?

btw, he does supersprint exhaust installations for the X3. and will trim the rear bumper to accommodate the quad exhaust. Nice!

Attached is what 20s Staggered and Eibach lowering springs look like on a 28i N20 with regular suspension.

I used the 35i springs.

It's not that noticeably lower in height. Pretty hard to spot, but it did firm up the ride and response quite a bit.

thanks.. it's almost not worth doing. i guess if i'm going to risk voiding warranty on shocks, springs, etc why risk it with a .5in drop that isn't noticeable?

on that note, has anyone experienced any issues with their service center on "modified" suspensions?

I have never lowered any of my vehicles but I have replaced exhausts, wheels, and have coded them. never had any issues.

springs could be tricky...

I agree with you there. Perhaps the wheel gap is so large that the supposed 1" drop doesn't produce enough of a delta. It looks better in my head but I don't know if that's just me wishing it to look better An X5 with M package (which I see you've listed in your signature) still looks a heck of a lot better all hunkered down.

This is the third vehicle that I've had springs on while still on factory warranty. No issues. Overall, there is sharper reflexes and braking has improved.. so I'm happy I did it.

thanks. what prompted you to go Eibach as opposed to H&R? (which lowers it a bit more..)

is it because some say it will eat up your tires? I'm told this is the primary reason to not use H&R.

but if you look around, most lowered vehicles have that much of a delta.

i'm really considering the H&R springs. i want that lowered look, as well as the improved handling.

On my E90 and B8 Audi A4 I've had good ride comfort and just enough of a drop. I've always known H&R is more aggressive in lowering but at a cost of comfort. So I went out on a limb and had these Eibachs ordered for the X3. I just never knew it was only 1" front and 0.5" rear difference... that's actually less than what the Eibachs have done for my other cars.

BTW check this guy's ride out:

http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=888184&highlight=eibach

hey, another question...

i'm ordering 20" wheels from elementwheels.com. staggered in 20x9, 20x10.5

according to them it fits the F25 with no problems. Tires, on the other hand is an issue. I wanted to shop for everything in one place (wheels, tires, TPMS) but they do not offer a staggered set of tires in the size I want which is 255/40/20 & 295/35/20 or even 285/35/20. no matching sets offered.

I really don't want to go with the default/recommended config of 245/40/20 & 275/35/20. The low profile tires make it look too small for the frame. Not aggressive enough. I don't want them to stick out but I do want a more aggressive stance.

Tirerack.com has the Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus N in the combination I am looking for.

but, i'm told it is not a recommended size for that vehicle. Are they too conservative? is it a liability thing? or do they all follow best practice?

I thought there were others out there running larger tires on the X3 with no problems. Can anyone chime in, if they are?

Probably a best practice issue. The rolling diameter seems to be very close for the two sizes you specd, and also very close to the OEM spec (with the difference being in width). My opinion is that there's enough space in the wheelwells to accomodate wider tires, though I'm less certain with wheel sizing.

You could play around with a tire and wheel size calculator here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=12

*Disclaimer*I am not a wheel and tire fanatic, so what I write is ~ opinion/conjecture.

drodnyc wrote

hey, another question...

i'm ordering 20" wheels from elementwheels.com. staggered in 20x9, 20x10.5

according to them it fits the F25 with no problems. Tires, on the other hand is an issue. I wanted to shop for everything in one place (wheels, tires, TPMS) but they do not offer a staggered set of tires in the size I want which is 255/40/20 & 295/35/20 or even 285/35/20. no matching sets offered.

I really don't want to go with the default/recommended config of 245/40/20 & 275/35/20. The low profile tires make it look too small for the frame. Not aggressive enough. I don't want them to stick out but I do want a more aggressive stance.

Tirerack.com has the Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus N in the combination I am looking for.

but, i'm told it is not a recommended size for that vehicle. Are they too conservative? is it a liability thing? or do they all follow best practice?

I thought there were others out there running larger tires on the X3 with no problems. Can anyone chime in, if they are?

I am running vossen cv7 20x9 et35 with rears 20x10.5 et 42. Tires are dws 245/40/20 and 275/35/20. I am considering stepping it up to 255/40 and 295/35 as these sizes are almost identical in diameter. 275 in the rear look a little stretched on 10.5 inch wide rim, which I don't really like. Having said that, wheel sizes you picked are perfect for x3. Not sure why your shop is telling you otherwise.

It is extremely important to be within .5% of diameter otherwise you will experience uneven wear between front and rear and in some cases even error codes.

I have been looking at lowering springs and thinking of going Coilover route. Has anyone done kW on their X3?

Great thread!

Wheels 20 x 8.5, 20 x 10 M6 Grande Coupe Gloss Black 2pac painted
245/40/20 & 275/35/20 Prirreli run flats

Will post better pics when I have done full black badge change

SammyG-X3 wrote

Wheels 20 x 8.5, 20 x 10 M6 Grande Coupe Gloss Black 2pac painted
245/40/20 & 275/35/20 Prirreli run flats

Will post better pics when I have done full black badge change

Those black wheels look great with the spacer grey. Well done👍

Not the X3 but thought I would share. 20" Hamann on my X4.

EMJ wrote

Not the X3 but thought I would share. 20" Hamann on my X4.

Awesome!!!

Please give me more facts.... which rimsize and tiresize?

Is you X4 lowered?

SQP wrote  

EMJ wrote

Not the X3 but thought I would share. 20" Hamann on my X4.

Awesome!!!

Please give me more facts.... which rimsize and tiresize?

Is you X4 lowered?

Thanks!

20 x 8.5 front with 245/40 and 20 x 10 rear with 275/35. Pirelli P Zero.

X4 has been fitted with H&R sport springs which has lowered it by approx 35mm.

EMJ wrote

Thanks!

20 x 8.5 front with 245/40 and 20 x 10 rear with 275/35. Pirelli P Zero.

X4 has been fitted with H&R sport springs which has lowered it by approx 35mm.

Good Job! I will try the hamanns in 2016 on my x3 35d. Can you post more pics please?

SQP wrote  

EMJ wrote

Thanks!

20 x 8.5 front with 245/40 and 20 x 10 rear with 275/35. Pirelli P Zero.

X4 has been fitted with H&R sport springs which has lowered it by approx 35mm.

Good Job! I will try the hamanns in 2016 on my x3 35d. Can you post more pics please?

Here's a couple closer of the wheels and some overall pics. I've now added a carbon fibre 3D Design front spoiler.

The hamann´s are realy good on the x4!!!

My 2.0d with cv5 replicas









9x20 ET 35 with 245/40 in front and 10.5x20 ET 42 with 275/35 tires at the rear.

Here's my new setup... Sorry for the crappy iPhone pics.
20" m5 replicas:happyanim: