Newbie with ignorant questions

[kruzer00]

Having just recently bought a 2011 x6 50i for my wife I have been lurking around reading all the recent posts. There is obviously a tremendous amount of info here and I have been thoroughly enjoying folks projects so kudos to everyone on the forum.

Although I am on a limited budget I do want to spiffy up ours. It is a white one with stock 19" brushed metal rims and Bridgestone oem tires. I know I want to add a black rear and roof spoiler, black roof rack and black front grills. But the big change I want to do is buy a set of "cooler" black wheels for non-winter use and would like to make them bigger. My limitation is that I have to be able to simply swap them out - meaning I can't add spacers or other stuff so that when my wife goes to swap wheels for the Winter she can simply show up at the local tire guy. So here come the stupid questions - I assume they can be taller as I see people with 21-22" height. Can they be wider as well without having to do other things as well? Also will smaller and or thinner wheels on the front versus the rear drastically change the handling? Do people tend to use the same size for front and back? Once again apologies for basic questions but I have to start somewhere. Thanks in advance....

[denaliman]

Originally Posted by kruzer00

Having just recently bought a 2011 x6 50i for my wife I have been lurking around reading all the recent posts. There is obviously a tremendous amount of info here and I have been thoroughly enjoying folks projects so kudos to everyone on the forum.

Although I am on a limited budget I do want to spiffy up ours. It is a white one with stock 19" brushed metal rims and Bridgestone oem tires. I know I want to add a black rear and roof spoiler, black roof rack and black front grills. But the big change I want to do is buy a set of "cooler" black wheels for non-winter use and would like to make them bigger. My limitation is that I have to be able to simply swap them out - meaning I can't add spacers or other stuff so that when my wife goes to swap wheels for the Winter she can simply show up at the local tire guy. So here come the stupid questions - I assume they can be taller as I see people with 21-22" height. Can they be wider as well without having to do other things as well? Also will smaller and or thinner wheels on the front versus the rear drastically change the handling? Do people tend to use the same size for front and back? Once again apologies for basic questions but I have to start somewhere. Thanks in advance....

Maybe I can help explain the wheels. You do not need to go to a "taller" size tire. What you want to do is keep the tire rolling circumference the same as the original tire if going with a larger tire. For example, I assume you current tires are 255/50/19 if you want to go to a bigger tire you would need to get a different profile tire for 21" you would need 285/35/21 or if you wanted to go larger to say a 22" you would need 295/30/22. You can stagger the tires which means skinnier tires for the front and wider tires for the back this makes the stance much more aggressive and will give you better handling with a little trade of on ride comfort (less rubber between the rim and road.) This is fairly standard with BMW X6 & X5. On 22" you would need 295/30/22 for front and on the rear 335/25/22. Generally, a wider tire means a wider rim also, both 21" and 22' will fit your ride if you stay within the sizing guidelines I have explained. There are tire size calculators on the web you can consult. You don't need spacers if you get the correct offset which is the distance from the hub mounting surface to the center line of the wheel. This determines how far the wheels "stick out" from the body or "tuck" into the fender well. A good wheel shop can give you advice or check with your dealer for offsets. There are some offset calculators on the web as well. These options if done correctly will be easy on/off swaps with no modifications or fuss. I change my wheels from summer to winter set up all the time.

As to the rear spoilers BMW performance spoiler works and looks great and it is just a small lip that attaches to the deck lid with 3M tape. Get the primed spoiler so you can have it painted at a local body shop the same color as your vehicle BMW part # 51.62.2.166.959 or Black spoiler 51.62.2.161.763. They are about $400 (at least in Canada). Roof spoiler you can look on ebay there are all kinds of fiberglass or carbon fiber options. The roof rack will require more work. I believe you need to remove the headliner to install the OE rack. However, another option would be you can get Thule or BMW crossbars that attach to the roof and they do not require roof rack and are removable when not in use. The front grills you can get from IND or BMW dealer they are called performance grills, you will need 2, one right and one left about $155 for both from IND (they are a forum sponsor check the Vendor section of the site). Hope this helps.

[bigred1100s]

Hi, I don't mean to hijack this tread but I am also a newbie and just picked up my 2010 x6m. i am also working with a small budget for a few mods and was wondering which sites you guys recommend for aftermarket parts.
1. wheels
2. SS DP catless
3. AA flash
4. carbon fiber eye lids
5. carbon fiber grill
6. carbon fiber hood
7. carbon fiber front bumper lip
8 carbon fiber interior panel

any help please?

[kruzer00]

denaliman- much thanks for the advice. I am loving the car. Frankly it is more fun to drive than a 2008 S8 which is my daiy driver. On that one I did the same thing carrying really gorgeous 22" wheels in the good months and all weather 19"'s for the winter. And you are absolutely right on my current wheel size. They just don't do it for me. So if I am reading correctly if I stick to those sizes and make sure the offset is correct I can just swap them out and re calibrate the automatic tire sensors. The other thing I have noticed is that some 21 and 22" set-ups look huge (lot of space between the fender well and the tire. Will the lower profile tire make it look bigger or smaller than stock? I see a lot off people lower their cars and was wondering whether I should consider it or lowering will have different impacts on ride and appearance based on the two different wheel sets. I am going to go with black for sure in any case. I will take a look at your other suggestions. Right now I am stealing my wife's car every time I can.