325/30/21 - Ditching runflats worth it?
Discussion
I have owned an x5 for 2.5 years and in all of that time have been riding around with BMW Performance 21" Alloys Type 375 and runflats. Although I have found the ride ok-ish, a recent trip in my father's new Discovery has suggested that the ride comfort could be improved!
I do wonder though whether with these wheels, the ride will be fairly harsh regardless of whether the tyres are runflat or not.
Does anyone have any views on this? I have not discounted swapping the wheels for 19s or 20s but one of the reasons I bought the car in the first place was its stance and I am slightly reluctant to let go of the look!
I do wonder though whether with these wheels, the ride will be fairly harsh regardless of whether the tyres are runflat or not.
Does anyone have any views on this? I have not discounted swapping the wheels for 19s or 20s but one of the reasons I bought the car in the first place was its stance and I am slightly reluctant to let go of the look!
I doubt you’ll ever get a decent ride on 21”; the bigger the diameter, lower the profile the less effect the RFT sidewalls will have.
I’d definite go for a smaller rim, though you may struggle to get the ride to match the Discovery in any case.
I know my XF on 19” non RFT has a far better ride than my F10 did on 17” RFT, even though it had adaptive drive.
I’d definite go for a smaller rim, though you may struggle to get the ride to match the Discovery in any case.
I know my XF on 19” non RFT has a far better ride than my F10 did on 17” RFT, even though it had adaptive drive.
You do have a car with the M-Sport package, which does include the sports suspension. Realistically, it is a X5, it is designed to handle very well for a SUV, and for that to happen there simply has to be a stiffer suspension setup. There is a reason why the Discovery you drove is much more comfortable, I don't doubt that it isn't, but it is very comfy simply because of its soft suspension (and probably air suspension if specced). The discovery is a tall car and there definitely is roll in the corners, it won't have that flat cornering setup of the X5. Also explains why there is a staggered setup on these cars. Tyres won't really affect this, many over on xDrivers have ditched them and said it wasn't the biggest difference, even on the SE. On top of this, running tyres that aren't star marked is risky, as it can (and does) play havoc on the xDrive system. I think the only thing that really did improve ride comfort was the self levelling rear air suspension (standard on 7 seat models, does give a floaty feeling at high speed) and the adaptive drive system.
Thanks for all of your comments.
Although the car is a Sport, because it is a 7 seater it actually has the "m sport suspension delete" which I have always assumed was aka known as the SE suspension - and also of course the self-levelling airbags at the rear.
It is certainly true that, even with SE suspension, it does handle well. I was surprised how much more roll there was even on my recent VW Polo hire-car...
Although the car is a Sport, because it is a 7 seater it actually has the "m sport suspension delete" which I have always assumed was aka known as the SE suspension - and also of course the self-levelling airbags at the rear.
It is certainly true that, even with SE suspension, it does handle well. I was surprised how much more roll there was even on my recent VW Polo hire-car...
jboy72 said:
Thanks for all of your comments.
Although the car is a Sport, because it is a 7 seater it actually has the "m sport suspension delete" which I have always assumed was aka known as the SE suspension - and also of course the self-levelling airbags at the rear.
It is certainly true that, even with SE suspension, it does handle well. I was surprised how much more roll there was even on my recent VW Polo hire-car...
Interesting, as we have a 7 seat M-Sport as well, but there is the sports suspension option on the spec list, as well as self-levelling. I don't think there is a difference between sports and m sport suspension, was probably called m-sport suspension in the facelift as the m-sport package had been introduced later on in the life of the X5. I had read that the comfort of the ride wasn't a vast difference if you had SE, as many had SE's with the dynamic package (and therefore 20") and claimed that SE softens the ride slightly but that is about it, it is wheel size which is what changes the ride the most on these cars. Although the car is a Sport, because it is a 7 seater it actually has the "m sport suspension delete" which I have always assumed was aka known as the SE suspension - and also of course the self-levelling airbags at the rear.
It is certainly true that, even with SE suspension, it does handle well. I was surprised how much more roll there was even on my recent VW Polo hire-car...
There is much more roll on our C1 than the X5, but the benefit of that is that you don't have to slow down to a snails pace going over speed humps, in the X5 if you take one at 20mph there is a huge thud!
jboy72 said:
Indeed - which I had always felt a little counter-intuitive in a large SUV, but this thread is starting to convince me to just live with it!
I will admit, these handle alarmingly well for what they are. The A6, even with its active steering, has no match for steering feel compared to these. You can certainly feel everything in the suspension of these cars, but it's certainly worth living with as they can take roundabouts and country lanes much better than many SUV's and even saloons of today. The feeling of hustling one of these along at speed is matched by few cars, for sure.
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