F11 2012 520d Alloy upgrade 245/40/19

traskix · 07-01-2017, 07:11 PM

Hi Guys,

I've posted some time ago for advice on alloy upgrade on my 2012 F11 520d.

I followed the advice on trying to get 18-19 inch genuine BMW wheels rather than 20" replicas.

I recently fitted the 19" BMW wheels (going up from standard 17") with Goodyear Excellence tyres 245/40 19.

Driving around the city I do feel the ride is much less comfortable and it feels heavy on stearing but it is something I expected from bigger wheels and lower profile tyres, especially run on flat.

Today I had a chance to test it on a motorway and the handling was DRAMATIC !!!!!

At speeds above 100mph the car was very unpredictable when changing lanes it felt like it drove itself making me feel veery uncomfortable. I owned this car for the past 18 months. I did a professional 4-wheel alignment soon after purchase but not after putting the new wheels on.

Does anyone have a similar experience with wheels upgrade???

Normally at speeds 100mph + I could drive this car with two fingers on the steering wheel and felt very comfortable, it behaved as it should, now very puzzled as the car looks awesome with large wheels.

I am thinking about going back to 17".

I know that the high spec BMWs, especially M5 do come out with large wheels as standard and I can't believe these would behave like that as they can get up to 155mph in no time.

I would appreciate any comments or your own experiences.

Does the car need a computer reset to different wheels size???? (like anything else in BMW?)

Appreciate any advice.

TEF · 07-03-2017, 07:50 PM

In switching to 19" wheels did you retain the same offset? Changing the "scrub radius" from "0" to a positive or negative figure can affect steering and, perhaps stability. To better understand visually the relationship of scrub radius and wheel offset, take a look at this site:

https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/

I know from my annual switch between summer (18") wheels and tires to a winter setup (17") that I much prefer the smaller wheels and narrower tires. Like the 5 series, the X3 was offered in different markets and trim levels with wheels ranging from 17" through 19". While I recognize that moving to smaller wheel sizes, particularly on enthusiasts' websites, is heresy, I have yet to see a single advantage - other than appearance that is subjective - of larger wheels and wider tires. More to the point, OEM wheels and tires seem the best compromise and are likely installed by the manufacturer for good reason.

traskix · 07-04-2017, 03:15 PM

The offset I believe was 30 on my 17" and it has gone up to 40 with the 19" I got now.

Thanks for the link - very useful website. Comparing the two sets there is a difference in almost every aspect. The scrub radius has gone -10mm and it says that this would affect handling. It makes sense.

The 19" I got are BMW OEM from the exact car model as mine, so stupidly I thought I could just stick them on the car.

Can I have it corrected with proper computer tracking??

TEF · 07-04-2017, 04:14 PM

Perhaps the scrub radius can be addressed in a wheel alignment and a your alignment shop would be able to tell you that with a phone call. Another possibility might be the addition of a 10 mm spacer (I am never sure about which way the outside face of the wheel moves when adding or subtracting offset), but this could be verified, using the link provided, by changing 19" wheel offset to 30 mm. Of course, if that corrects scrub radius, then a cheap fix is possible. On the other hand, one cannot remove 10 mm from existing 19" wheels. Good luck.

07-01-2017, 07:11 PM	#1
traskix New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: (F11) 2012 520D SE Jet Black Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: LONDON iTrader: (0)	F11 2012 520d Alloy upgrade 245/40/19 Hi Guys, I've posted some time ago for advice on alloy upgrade on my 2012 F11 520d. I followed the advice on trying to get 18-19 inch genuine BMW wheels rather than 20" replicas. I recently fitted the 19" BMW wheels (going up from standard 17") with Goodyear Excellence tyres 245/40 19. Driving around the city I do feel the ride is much less comfortable and it feels heavy on stearing but it is something I expected from bigger wheels and lower profile tyres, especially run on flat. Today I had a chance to test it on a motorway and the handling was DRAMATIC !!!!! At speeds above 100mph the car was very unpredictable when changing lanes it felt like it drove itself making me feel veery uncomfortable. I owned this car for the past 18 months. I did a professional 4-wheel alignment soon after purchase but not after putting the new wheels on. Does anyone have a similar experience with wheels upgrade??? Normally at speeds 100mph + I could drive this car with two fingers on the steering wheel and felt very comfortable, it behaved as it should, now very puzzled as the car looks awesome with large wheels. I am thinking about going back to 17". I know that the high spec BMWs, especially M5 do come out with large wheels as standard and I can't believe these would behave like that as they can get up to 155mph in no time. I would appreciate any comments or your own experiences. Does the car need a computer reset to different wheels size???? (like anything else in BMW?) Appreciate any advice.
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07-03-2017, 07:50 PM	#2
TEF First Lieutenant 111 Rep 377 Posts Drives: 16 X3 28d/18 540d xdrive Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Western PA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 540d xdrive [0.00] 2018 540d xdrive [0.00] 2016 X3 28d [0.00]	In switching to 19" wheels did you retain the same offset? Changing the "scrub radius" from "0" to a positive or negative figure can affect steering and, perhaps stability. To better understand visually the relationship of scrub radius and wheel offset, take a look at this site: https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/ I know from my annual switch between summer (18") wheels and tires to a winter setup (17") that I much prefer the smaller wheels and narrower tires. Like the 5 series, the X3 was offered in different markets and trim levels with wheels ranging from 17" through 19". While I recognize that moving to smaller wheel sizes, particularly on enthusiasts' websites, is heresy, I have yet to see a single advantage - other than appearance that is subjective - of larger wheels and wider tires. More to the point, OEM wheels and tires seem the best compromise and are likely installed by the manufacturer for good reason.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-04-2017, 03:15 PM	#3
traskix New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: (F11) 2012 520D SE Jet Black Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: LONDON iTrader: (0)	Thanks TEF The offset I believe was 30 on my 17" and it has gone up to 40 with the 19" I got now. Thanks for the link - very useful website. Comparing the two sets there is a difference in almost every aspect. The scrub radius has gone -10mm and it says that this would affect handling. It makes sense. The 19" I got are BMW OEM from the exact car model as mine, so stupidly I thought I could just stick them on the car. Can I have it corrected with proper computer tracking??
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-04-2017, 04:14 PM	#4
TEF First Lieutenant 111 Rep 377 Posts Drives: 16 X3 28d/18 540d xdrive Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Western PA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 540d xdrive [0.00] 2018 540d xdrive [0.00] 2016 X3 28d [0.00]	Perhaps the scrub radius can be addressed in a wheel alignment and a your alignment shop would be able to tell you that with a phone call. Another possibility might be the addition of a 10 mm spacer (I am never sure about which way the outside face of the wheel moves when adding or subtracting offset), but this could be verified, using the link provided, by changing 19" wheel offset to 30 mm. Of course, if that corrects scrub radius, then a cheap fix is possible. On the other hand, one cannot remove 10 mm from existing 19" wheels. Good luck.
	Appreciate 0 Quote