[JK479]

Anyone dare to drive either car during the winter with the 20's. Could you get around with light snow?

Or are winter tires a must? 950 seems like a deal!

[54Me]

Winter or all-season replacement tires will be a must. Even on my X5 the 20" performance tires were no good in the snow.
The 20" winter run-flats were about $1300 installed but were noisy as heck... I later bought 20" all-season non-run flats which were a massive improvement in the summer and worked fine this winter, but you won't be able return the lease with non-run flats on the car.
Long story short $950 is not the final price.

[w4termelon]

Well, it is never a good idea to drive on snow with summer tires, whatever the size.
On the other hand, with winter tires I feel safe whatever the size too. No issues on my x5 20' nor my other 4 series rwd (18' though) as soon as they are equiped with proper winter tires.

[JK479]

Originally Posted by 54Me

Winter or all-season replacement tires will be a must. Even on my X5 the 20" performance tires were no good in the snow.
The 20" winter run-flats were about $1300 installed but were noisy as heck... I later bought 20" all-season non-run flats which were a massive improvement in the summer and worked fine this winter, but you won't be able return the lease with non-run flats on the car.
Long story short $950 is not the final price.

Great point

[vtknight]

Originally Posted by JK479

Anyone dare to drive either car during the winter with the 20's. Could you get around with light snow?

Or are winter tires a must? 950 seems like a deal!

People forget that AWD only helps with traction - not stopping. So without a tire - besides the limited grip you would have with summer tires (which most rate as useless below 7 degrees Celsius (or 45 F) due to the compound of the tire - you will have a very difficult time stopping. I have seen many a SUV in ditches because they forgot about this fact.

So - yes - please do get the winters and I would say 19's for the wheels as there are just so many pot holes and other road issues during the winter months.

Cheers!

[54Me]

You are right VT but honestly traction is not even a possibility with 20" ultra or summer performance tires in anything more than a light dusting of snow, even if you have X-drive. I just want to say for the record that I love 20" set-ups, but if you live in a spot that expects ANY snow you need to consider a winter tire. Stopping doesn't matter if you can't even get up the street.
I'm not sure why people go as far as to buy all new rims, as I have had good luck buying good 20" winter tires on TireRack or even Costco with a $100 change-out onto the current rims in my wife's X5, but I'm sure there is a reason to spend the extra $???

P.S. And I am talking 20' of snow in a year... The 20" Winters on 20" rims work GREAT!

[daveschroeder]

The trouble on the staggered low-profile 20" setup (as opposed to X5/X6 "truck" tires) is that there are really no pure winter options (for the rear 275/35-20 in particular), so all seasons are the choice...and all seasons paired with AWD are a fine option for daily driver in most winter driving conditions. Concur that any summer HP/UHP tire is TERRIBLE in any amount of snow, even with AWD, which is to be expected. Pure winters on even a RWD vehicle is also just fine, and all seasons with AWD is a nice compromise all year round.