Lifted E70 X5 with Oversized Tires

[jandref321]

Originally Posted by parkypine

Just wanted to hop in this thread to say thank you! I recently destroyed the OE wheel on a pot hole, which gave me a great excuse to change wheel/tire setup.


In the midst of searching for the right tire size, I came across your thread and was able to pick the right size!

I went with Hankook RF10 265/60/18. I had a set of 18" Hamann HM2 that I had on my e34 previously so I threw those on. Hub bore is 74.1mm and offset is et13 (compared to stock et46) so I had enough clearance from the offset difference itself. All worked out and now the car sits pretty and rides amazing! Definitely glad to get away from those terrible runflats.

Anywho, this is how she sits now. Thanks again for this write up!

Your truck is looking good with those rims and tires! Definitely makes it look more capable.

[parkypine]

Originally Posted by Googone20

What’s the specifics on the E34?? I have owned 8-10 of them over the years, and I have a huge sweet spot for the E34. Would love to see some more pictures of it.

It's my 540i! Not trying to nerd out but here are the specs:
- M60B44 swap (m60 heads and timing system + m62 bottom end)
- SPEC singlemass
- 3.15 LSD
- BC Coilovers
- Extras

You can see some pics on my insta @parkypine_

Do you currently own any?

[parkypine]

Originally Posted by jandref321

Your truck is looking good with those rims and tires! Definitely makes it look more capable.

Thanks! The functionality increased too. I live in Michigan and with this new setup it plows through snow, mud, rain, and pot holes without trouble

[ggabriele3]

I'd love to do this if i could.

my old Bronco had 285/75/16's at stock height and I loved it.

[rbryantaz]

I used the info from this thread to do my own version of the larger tire install. This thread was very helpful!


My newly purchased 2007 4.8i X5 that had snow tires on it when I got it. Given that it will likely never see snow and it has been over 110 degrees all week... I got some different wheels and tires but the cost wasn't that high and I can probably sell the originals to recoup some of it.

I purchased 265/60/18 Cooper AT3 4s. The 4s is the next generation of the previous AT3 that I had on my '96 Jeep XJ so I had some experience with a similar tire. They have a bit more aggressive sidewalls than the original at3 and are supposed to be improved. I considered BFG TA K02s but they were only available in LT for this size which I don't think would work well on an X5 due to the extra stiff sidewalls and higher inflation pressure requirements.

I do not have a lift on it and only have a slight rub. Lifting a small amount might actually make the rub worse because it would center the bottom front fender well on the center of the wheel making it even tighter. Rubbing is very minor so far and I think I can trim it or let it self trim but I am watching it closely. <update>I think the rub might only be on the driver side fender liner vent on a single fin that is longer than the rest which I can easily trim </update>.

I used Style 93 OEM BMW E65 wheels from a ~2004 740i/750i because they were readily available for a good price on ebay and junkyards. These wheels move the tires out by 24mm (48-24=24) without needing spacers and are a strong double spoke design to support the heavy X5 (5300lbs).

They came with 72.56 hub centers so I had the shop machine them out to 74.1 which was $40 each (perhaps high but they also test fit them carefully and did the rest of the install for another $140). Enlarging the centers really has to be done on a lathe or you can't balance the wheel properly because most balance machines use the hub center rather than lugs. I also wanted a strong beefy wheel designed to take the weight of a heavy car.


Wheel info:

BMW Applications: E65 745i/750i/760i
BMW Style: 93
Hub: 72.65 (modified to 74.1)
Size: 18x8
Offset: 24
BMW Part #: 6116753239
Interchange # 59394


5 Series wheels could probably be used without needing the hubs enlarged but the ones I liked looked weaker than the style 93 double spoke wheels and were $40 more each refurbished anyway.


Here are some pictures:

Before...


After...






I did hear a slight rub when backing out of a spot at this angle. I will take a look and trim or get out the heat gun to make some room but it was very minor.


Upper balljoint clearance is similar to previous posts.


I also picked up a 175/90/18 spare tire from an Infiniti FX50 and a new bmw steel spare wheel to mount it on so that it matches the size more closely. I have heard that it is important to make sure that tires are the same size or the Xdrive clutches can wear out so I wanted to be sure and have a matching diameter spare.

I bought some flares for it which I plan to install shortly. I will have to post some more pictures after that install.

If anyone needs some nice 19" wheels and/or snow tires or an excellent condition (appears to never have been used) stock sized donut spare let me know as they will be for sale!

-Rich

[jandref321]

Sweet! Looking good!

[rbryantaz]

My oil cooler vent self trimmed after the tires were installed and removed 6 slats form the vent. I then cleaned it up a bit and added metal honeycomb material on the back side by bending it around the back and screwing it in with some short self tapping screws. Now no stones can go through the missing slats and bounce around in there and damage the oil cooler.




It is now painted black and essentially invisible and actually provides more protection than the stock slats did with no rubbing..

With ABS ebay flares...



The ABS flares fit pretty well. I had to add a hole in the previously unused front fender tabs. I also used OEM rivets because the ebay ones were a bit small and didn't fully cover the slots in the holes.

The ebay flares are not painted and you can see the molding mark/seam in them. I put some "Trim Protector" on them (and the rest of the trim) which shines them up and makes the seam much less apparent and I think after another coat it will make the seam invisible.

My only issue is that the flares are wider in the rear which wasn't required for my setup. I just wanted to extend them by 1" but I got more than that in the rear so it is slightly off balance.

-Rich

[JoeyBimX5din]

looks good, do you have any desire to drop the side steps? I feel these trucks look so much better without them.

[rbryantaz]

Originally Posted by JoeyBimX5din

looks good, do you have any desire to drop the side steps? I feel these trucks look so much better without them.

I don't think I care much either way.

I do see the annoyance of brushing my pant leg on them from time to time when getting in.

I would probably only change it if it didn't cost me anything to do it.

-Rich

[rodnex]

I went for 255/ 60 R18 and still getting a rubbing on the front fenders.
But it looks amazing and it's perfect for winter.

I also installed 20mm spacers on the rear to keep the bold look, since I have the wide fenders.

[rbryantaz]

Originally Posted by rodnex

I went for 255/ 60 R18 and still getting a rubbing on the front fenders.
But it looks amazing and it's perfect for winter.

I also installed 20mm spacers on the rear to keep the bold look, since I have the wide fenders.

Looks great.

I am now not the only one with those easy to find style 93 24mm offset 7 series wheels on my X5.

I assume that you also had to bore the wheel centers from 72.5 to 74.1mm?

I got bad rubbing on the driver side oil cooler grate but after the trim it is just a friendly rub at full lock with the 265/60/18s.

Note that when using larger tires it is important to either get a larger spare or make sure you don't drive very far on the spare or you could cause issues with the Xdrive. I believe that even your 3% difference could cause issues.

Of course RFTs don't have that issue but if you drive on the RFT you will need a new tire so I don't see the point in them if you are capable of changing a tire.

-Rich

[rodnex]

Originally Posted by rbryantaz

I am now not the only one with those easy to find style 93 24mm offset 7 series wheels on my X5.

Hey Rich,

you actually inspired me to get the style 93 wheels

Easy to find, affordable and nice offset... Didn't want to spend a fortune to get nice looking wheels for winter setup.

I had them sprayed in this bronze to look a bit more interesting... and of course center bore was fixed to 74,1mm.

My wife is driving the X5 and it"s without runflats and no spare either. If my wife kills a tire, she's got my number to call

Cheers,
Rod

[Spyro235]

Originally Posted by rodnex

Hey Rich,

you actually inspired me to get the style 93 wheels

Easy to find, affordable and nice offset... Didn't want to spend a fortune to get nice looking wheels for winter setup.

I had them sprayed in this bronze to look a bit more interesting... and of course center bore was fixed to 74,1mm.

My wife is driving the X5 and it"s without runflats and no spare either. If my wife kills a tire, she's got my number to call

Cheers,
Rod

You guys make me want to go 255 60 18 on my 18's..... I just have normal 5 spoke style 210's as my 18 inch set. Hmm.... I guess it really depends. I'd love more sidewall to have a nice ride, but I just bought a set of 255 50 19 defender ltx's for my 19" set. Ah well. Maybe the next set of tires will be upsized on the 18's.

[mack0917]

Here is my winter set up, 255/50/19 Hercules Avalanche w/ M sports. I wanted to go bigger but didn't want to risk the chance of rubbing, but will definitely be testing the platform size limits soon.

[Spyro235]

Originally Posted by mack0917

Here is my winter set up, 255/50/19 Hercules Avalanche w/ M sports. I wanted to go bigger but didn't want to risk the chance of rubbing, but will definitely be testing the platform size limits soon.

Nice! I've got a set of 255 55 18 nokian hakkapelita R3 SUV's mounted on my 18's, I've been waiting for truly cold weather to put them on, but need to put them on this week as I'll be heading up to NY/ VT this weekend. Been going through the snow just fine on my 255 50 19 michelin defenter LTX's, but I can't wait to test the performance of the nokians.

[Reubyace]

Originally Posted by jandref321

You can still do the 265/60R18 without suspension. You need either 20mm spacers in the front on the stock 18x8.5 ET46 rims or you need lower offset rims. I got the idea for the tires from a thread on another forum, xoutpost, and there was a guy who put Touren TR60 5x120 18x8" ET20 rims with 265/60R18 tires on. The problem is always the design of the front suspension the hub carrier arm extends around and over top of the tire on the inside and connects to the upper control arm. This stays fixed in place and does not move, even with a lift. The largest exterior diameter you can get is 265/60R18 without touch the top. But that isn't the immediate problem...the hub carrier arm bends inward toward the tire as it comes around the top so for the wider tires you need to push the rim and tire farther away from the arm using spacers or having rims with a lower offset.

This low offset and wide tire also means you need to get fender flares if your vehicle doesn't already have them. I have the fender flares and running stock rims with 20mm spacer front and 30mm spacer rear.

If you want bigger tires than 265/60R18 then you will need to wait for a company to design a legit suspension lift complete with redesigned control arms, longer axle shafts, brake lines, wider fender flares, and rims with super low offset to completely clear the hub carrier. You would need several inches of lift to clear the wheel well and prevent the tires from rubbing on the front and rear of the wheel well. I doubt anyone will make a legit lift for this truck since it would be a lot of R&D for an almost non-exsistent market. I'm not sure it can even be done because of the front differential design.

So do u think my ET40 8.5x18 rims with a 265/65r18 bfg ko2 would fit it ok with a 1” spacer? On stock suspension so far, I’m looking at a 3” front spacer I found for pretty cheap and programming the aired rear to sit higher

[rodnex]

Originally Posted by Reubyace

So do u think my ET40 8.5x18 rims with a 265/65r18 bfg ko2 would fit it ok with a 1” spacer? On stock suspension so far, I’m looking at a 3” front spacer I found for pretty cheap and programming the aired rear to sit higher

I don't think that will fit. Probably will rub against the springplate on the front shock absorber

[mack0917]

Just got my 3" front spacer in! Was piecing together a rear 3" kit and USPS lost my spring spacer.. lifted E70 on hold now.

[mack0917]

255/55/19 Atturo Trail Blade M/T on Style 467 with 20mm front spacer and 45mm rear. No lift yet.[IMG][/IMG]

[userX]

Originally Posted by mack0917

255/55/19 Atturo Trail Blade M/T on Style 467 with 20mm front spacer and 45mm rear. No lift yet.

Looks great!
Do you have any more pics?

[RL18]

Okay so I decided to go through with the oversized tires on my x5 35d. I ended up going with cooper discoverer a/t in 265/60r18. First impressions were really good. I actually got them mounted before taking a trip to visit a friend in Boston. Ended up putting 348 miles on during that trip, mostly highway but a solid amount of city too. The ride was very cushiony, very smooth, and not any more noticeable tire noise than before. The mpg return was... well... not the best at 22.1 lol. Usually on a trip like that I'm more like 25-26mpg. I guess it really depends on how fast I'm going (I was probably cruising faster than normal cause of the speedo change). It didn't seem to struggle going up hills on the highway in Maine either. We'll see how it does this winter though!

As far as looks 20mm front is perfect fitment. And the rear needs 30mm to not look awkward. I'm going to be adding adjustable control arms so I can dial the camber in a degree or so, it's just too aggressive. So I'll update when that gets changed cause I suspect it'll pull the look off better.

Anyways pics of the final result and one before tires with just spacers (first pic also shows really well the difference between tinted windshield and non tinted windshield)

[T-Dubbs]

i love this thread, been constantly thinking of what oversized all terrain tires to get for summers.

My last SUV was a lifted 4 runner with 33's(Duratracs), loved how aggressive they look.
I've got another set of studded winters for the cold season.