19" vs 20" tires

[merbella]

Any advice? It seems I have 20" on the current loaner (on extended test drive). Don't need to worry about snow or winter tires....

 

[alohart]

My feeling is that the higher profile 19" tires offer more wheel damage protection when hitting potholes which is important with our poor roads.

Some have commented that the ride with 20" wheels/tires is more harsh than with 19" wheels/tires. However, the lower profile 20" tires might corner slightly better.

Many have commented about a drumming sound that is apparently caused by the 20" wheels/tires and which doesn't occur with 19" wheels/tires.

In the U.S., 20" wheels are the only wheel option with the 3 standard wheels tied to the trim level. I prefer the looks of the Tera wheel, but it was not available on my Giga i3, but I didn't want to pay for the 20" wheel/tire option considering their downsides (IMHO).

 

[WoodlandHills]

The elephant in the room in this discussion is lack of winter tires in 20" sizes. If you live where the 20" summer tires are not suitable for winter, you will have to budget for 19" rims and M&S tires at a cost of approx $1800. If you live in Los Angeles like me it's not an issue.

 

[alohart]

Currently, Bridgestone is selling both all-season and summer tires in the 19" sizes whereas only summer tires are available in the 20" sizes. WoodlandHills mentioned the current lack of 20" winter tires. So at this time, there are more tire options for 19" wheels.

 

[Sparky]

I test drove the 19" and 20" back to back, on the same streets, felt the 20" gave a noisier, harsher ride. Note, I did not make sure air pressures were to spec.

 

[jadnashuanh]

If it regularly gets cold, throw in snow and ice into the equation making it worse, the summer tires on the 20" wheels can turn into ice skates. Think of winter tires as an insurance policy...you hope you never need it, but it's there when you do, potentially saving your butt in the process. Depending on where you live and drive, summer tires can be an all-season thing. Your ultimate stopping and cornering grip will decrease as the temperature drops forgetting entirely about the lack of microsipes (edges) to help grip the road when it gets icy. Your call, your car, your life.

 

[DeafSoundGuy]

Unless you live where there's snow a lot, I wouldn't worry about it. Go with what you think looks best. I love my 20" wheels and the tires are awesome. I posted here a few weeks ago of my experience in the really crappy weather. Icicles hanging off my car, I couldn't even get the tires to slip when I tried. They're way better than most people are making them out to be. Obviously the 19" will give a slightly better ride and quieter, a hair more protection. Pick your poison my friend. Me, I'm 100% happy with the 20's. I'm guessing that traction control devices are doing their job in a most excellent fashion.

 

[i3atl]

Unless you live where there's snow a lot, I wouldn't worry about it. Go with what you think looks best. I love my 20" wheels and the tires are awesome. I posted here a few weeks ago of my experience in the really crappy weather. Icicles hanging off my car, I couldn't even get the tires to slip when I tried. They're way better than most people are making them out to be. Obviously the 19" will give a slightly better ride and quieter, a hair more protection. Pick your poison my friend. Me, I'm 100% happy with the 20's. I'm guessing that traction control devices are doing their job in a most excellent fashion.

Yep.

 

[elasticpurejoy]

The only tire produced for the 20 inch wheels right now are the Bridgestone Ecopia EP500. They are a good tire for the summer. They have a temperature rating of "A" on the sidewall. This means that at 40 degrees F the rubber is starting to loose grip and this is noticeable.

We have the 20's and live in Philly. Temperature has dropped and the rubber is noticeably effected. received a couple inches of snow and it becomes dangerous to accelerate through an intersection that is slightly iced by traffic. I drive to my shop and the street is packed snow/ice. I slowly approach the stop sign. Apply the brakes and proceed to slide through the intersection in slow motion. The anti-lock brakes became rock hard with nothing I could do.
After I new what to expect I could play around a little and the regenerative brakes actually break better on packed snow / ice than the brakes.

If you have seasonal temperatures that remain below 40 degrees for extended periods of time get the 19" all season or plan on purchasing a second set of winter wheels. Our car is parked (when the wife is not around it goes out for snow fun) until our wheels show up.

 

[websterize]

With this week's wintery mix in the Mid-Atlantic, I'm so glad I ponied up for the winter-tire wheel/tire set. At ~$1,800, it's a relative steal for BMW stuff: tires, wheels, TPM, installation.

 

[Blue20]

I have 20" summer and 19" snow tires. I don't feel much different. Just beware the 20" summer doesn't have a lot of grip on wet surface.

There is a pretty detailed blog write up on 19" vs 20" http://electragirl.com/the-difference-an-inch-can-make/

 

[i3atl]

I have 20" summer and 19" snow tires. I don't feel much different. Just beware the 20" summer doesn't have a lot of grip on wet surface.

There is a pretty detailed blog write up on 19" vs 20" http://electragirl.com/the-difference-an-inch-can-make/

My 20's have great grip in the rain - what pressures are you using?

 

[cab]

The other challenge in the wheels is, as always, the aesthetics and the trim levels (in the U.S. anyway) they are tied to. I'm not a fan of the Mega trim rims, consider the Giga trim tolerable and the Tera pretty decent. The 20's are so expensive, they could justify just stepping up to the next trim level instead.