My xDrive Experience: Wheels, Tires, Suspension, xDelete, Maintenance

rgolding · 09-30-2021, 12:28 PM

I always see a lot of threads out there talking about lowering xdrive cars, running staggered wheels, tire sizes for staggered wheels, and xDelete out here. I am by no means an expert, but I'd like to share my ownership experience since I've experimented with many setups.

Wheel Setups Throughout Time:
First, I'd like give give a shout-out to 305Forged Wheels. They have been a sponsor of my build over the past few years and have been amazing to work with, and I'm fortunate that they have given me the opportunity to change up my wheels several times! The specs have always been the same, but the style has been mixed up and help tell the timeline a bit with the pictures below.

305Forged Wheels
FT107 Stealth Grey
FT114 Gloss Black, Diamond Face
FT115 Gloss Black
FT118 Silver, Machined Face
19x8.5 et32
19x9.5 et40

Tire Setups:
225/40/19 Michelin PSS
255/35/19 Michelin PS4
(-0.4% rolling diameter)

225/40/19 Michelin PSS
265/35/19 Conti Extreme Contact Sport
(+0.8% rolling diameter)

235/40/19 Michelin PS4S
265/35/19 Conti Extreme Contact Sport
(-0.4% rolling diameter)

Suspension Setups:
H&R Sport Lowering Springs
BC Racing Extreme Low Coilovers (I-62E-BR)

About my car, stock:
Started life as a base model 428i xdrive on 17x7.5 225/50/17s.

1st:
Stock Wheels
Stock Tires
H&R Sport Springs

Pros:
Less wheel gap
Less body roll

Cons:
Funky offset ugly stock wheels

2nd:
FT107
Tire Setup 1
H&R Sport Springs

I spent a lot of time researching wheels, staggered wheels, staggered tires, the 1% rolling diameter limits. I settled on an 8.5/9.5 19in staggered wheel setup with 225/35 255/40 staggered tires. This stayed within the 1% well enough that I was comfortable with for my first time.

Pros:
Better fitment

Cons:
The 225/255 were a bit stretched for my liking.

3rd:
FT114
Tire Setup 1
H&R Sport Springs

No change here from the previous setup, just a different style wheel.

4th:
FT115
Tire Setup 2
H&R Sport Springs

As I mentioned, the first tire setup was a bit stretched for my liking, so I did more research and had a target in mind: wider tires. My rears died first, and I wasn't ready to replace the fronts at the same time. This caused my rolling diameter to be a bit more aggressive and close to the 1% limit. I ran this setup longer than intended, and I started to notice a stutter on acceleration in low gears. Over time, it got worse. By the end of the time running this setup, my car had broken 100k miles and my transfer case definitely hates me.

Pros:
Better rear tire fitment

Cons:
The combination of the larger diameter difference, different brand tires and high mileage did not seem to please the transfer case.

5th:
FT115
Tire Setup 3
BC Coilovers

By this time, my struts were on their way out the door. Instead of buying brand new OEM struts, I wanted to go lower, so I went with some BC Racing Coilovers. I opted for the extreme low option because I wanted to be able to adjust the car how I wanted, although I'm sure the standard set would have been fine. My front tires finally bit the dust, so I upped those to the 235/35 that I had my eyes on for a while. I wasn't too happy with the Conti's I had on the rear and missed my Michelins, and knowing that the rears would be gone soon I'd replace them with Michelins again, I so I got another set of Michelins for the front.

Pros:
Stanced ride height
Better tire profiles

Cons:
My transfer case still cries itself to sleep every night, but was not impacted by this change up.

6th: Current
FT118
Tire Setup 3
BC Coilovers

By this point, we have the ride height nailed down, and I'm in the range I want to be with my rolling diameter for my staggered wheels.

No change here from the previous setup, just a different style wheel.

Maintenance:
By now, my 110k mile F32 has some parts that are starting to feel some age. I had just recently put on the coilovers because the struts where going bad. After, I have replaced my front passenger wheel bearing/hub assembly as it was starting to grind up pretty bad. After thinking I was done, my drivers side rear bearing decided it also wanted to stop existing. I purchased 2 new wheel bearings/hubs for the rear with the intention to just replace both as a precaution, but since my car spent the first half of its life in the north, the rear half shafts became one with the assembly by the amount of rust and corrosion that had taken place. I bit the bullet and bought one half shaft for the driver side rear and had the bearing, hub, and half shaft replaced. The right rear wheel bearing is making very minimal noise, so I plan to replace that when I get around to buying the other half shaft for that side.

Total Maintenance Items:
Struts
Front right wheel bearing/hub
Left rear wheel bearing/hub/half shaft
Soon: Right rear wheel bearing/hub/half shaft

xDelete:
Since my transfer case hates me, I knew it was going to be sooner or later when it died or started to get really bad. My car was towed on a dolly without me being around (my bad, parked on campus where I shouldn't have) and after that, I noticed I no longer had an annoying stutter. I also noticed if I took off from a stop I'd get a drivetrain and ABS error. Either the tow magically fixed my transfer case issue, or it completely fcked it up, let's check the codes! Low and behold, my transfer case was unable to calibrate the clutch position. I had 3 options:
1. Buy a new transfer case or maybe just a new module ($$$)
2. Do nothing and not be able to accelerate hard (free, but no fun)
3. Buy xDelete and ignore my problems (cheap and more fun than before)
I decided to go with option number 3, I had been looking into xDelete for some time now and it seemed to make the most sense for my current position.

I have been enjoying xDelete, I don't notice any loss in power and there are no drivetrain warnings. There is an option to recalibrate the clutch position, which could possibly fix my transfer case issues, but for now I'm going to ignore it in case it ends up breaking it more since I'm not ready to buy a transfer case at the moment. I have not run xDelete long enough to really have a large input here, but if anything does happen I'll be sure to make a post.

My next and final setup:
305Forged FT118 silver, machined face
235/40/90 MPS4S
265/35/19 MPS4S
BC Racing Extreme Low Coilovers
xDelete

Overall, I'd say if you want to lower your xDrive car and run staggered wheels and tires, do your research first. There's is tons of information on this forum, and I wanted to put my experience out there to help the next guy out. I daily drive my car, and drive it hard on a frequent occasion. I've had some maintenance issues come up that I would attribute to my driving style, aggressively lowering the car and high mileage, but that is something to be expected when modifying a car.
Below are a bunch of pictures of my various setups throughout time, and tons more can be found on my instagram, @alpinef32.

StealthF32 · 10-06-2021, 05:04 PM

The above info is definitely useful & one I'll keep as reference.

Do you run any spacers (if so, what mm size) & what's your thoughts?

rgolding · 10-06-2021, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StealthF32

The above info is definitely useful & one I'll keep as reference.

Do you run any spacers (if so, what mm size) & what's your thoughts?

I haven't needed to run spacers with my wheels since I had the offsets at exactly what I've wanted. From what I've seen (on 19s) on an 8.5 front you'll want to run between a +30-35 offset wheel and 9.5 rear somewhere around a +40 offset wheel to have a pretty flush fitment. Mine have always been 32 front, 40 rear

StealthF32 · 10-07-2021, 08:23 PM

That's the ideal setup I would like to get with 18", by not having to utilize spacers....

09-30-2021, 12:28 PM	#1
rgolding Private First Class 54 Rep 115 Posts Drives: '23 Supra A91-MT Join Date: May 2016 Location: DFW iTrader: (0)	I always see a lot of threads out there talking about lowering xdrive cars, running staggered wheels, tire sizes for staggered wheels, and xDelete out here. I am by no means an expert, but I'd like to share my ownership experience since I've experimented with many setups. Wheel Setups Throughout Time: First, I'd like give give a shout-out to 305Forged Wheels. They have been a sponsor of my build over the past few years and have been amazing to work with, and I'm fortunate that they have given me the opportunity to change up my wheels several times! The specs have always been the same, but the style has been mixed up and help tell the timeline a bit with the pictures below. 305Forged Wheels FT107 Stealth Grey FT114 Gloss Black, Diamond Face FT115 Gloss Black FT118 Silver, Machined Face 19x8.5 et32 19x9.5 et40 Tire Setups: 225/40/19 Michelin PSS 255/35/19 Michelin PS4 (-0.4% rolling diameter) 225/40/19 Michelin PSS 265/35/19 Conti Extreme Contact Sport (+0.8% rolling diameter) 235/40/19 Michelin PS4S 265/35/19 Conti Extreme Contact Sport (-0.4% rolling diameter) Suspension Setups: H&R Sport Lowering Springs BC Racing Extreme Low Coilovers (I-62E-BR) About my car, stock: Started life as a base model 428i xdrive on 17x7.5 225/50/17s. 1st: Stock Wheels Stock Tires H&R Sport Springs Pros: Less wheel gap Less body roll Cons: Funky offset ugly stock wheels 2nd: FT107 Tire Setup 1 H&R Sport Springs I spent a lot of time researching wheels, staggered wheels, staggered tires, the 1% rolling diameter limits. I settled on an 8.5/9.5 19in staggered wheel setup with 225/35 255/40 staggered tires. This stayed within the 1% well enough that I was comfortable with for my first time. Pros: Better fitment Cons: The 225/255 were a bit stretched for my liking. 3rd: FT114 Tire Setup 1 H&R Sport Springs No change here from the previous setup, just a different style wheel. 4th: FT115 Tire Setup 2 H&R Sport Springs As I mentioned, the first tire setup was a bit stretched for my liking, so I did more research and had a target in mind: wider tires. My rears died first, and I wasn't ready to replace the fronts at the same time. This caused my rolling diameter to be a bit more aggressive and close to the 1% limit. I ran this setup longer than intended, and I started to notice a stutter on acceleration in low gears. Over time, it got worse. By the end of the time running this setup, my car had broken 100k miles and my transfer case definitely hates me. Pros: Better rear tire fitment Cons: The combination of the larger diameter difference, different brand tires and high mileage did not seem to please the transfer case. 5th: FT115 Tire Setup 3 BC Coilovers By this time, my struts were on their way out the door. Instead of buying brand new OEM struts, I wanted to go lower, so I went with some BC Racing Coilovers. I opted for the extreme low option because I wanted to be able to adjust the car how I wanted, although I'm sure the standard set would have been fine. My front tires finally bit the dust, so I upped those to the 235/35 that I had my eyes on for a while. I wasn't too happy with the Conti's I had on the rear and missed my Michelins, and knowing that the rears would be gone soon I'd replace them with Michelins again, I so I got another set of Michelins for the front. Pros: Stanced ride height Better tire profiles Cons: My transfer case still cries itself to sleep every night, but was not impacted by this change up. 6th: Current FT118 Tire Setup 3 BC Coilovers By this point, we have the ride height nailed down, and I'm in the range I want to be with my rolling diameter for my staggered wheels. No change here from the previous setup, just a different style wheel. Maintenance: By now, my 110k mile F32 has some parts that are starting to feel some age. I had just recently put on the coilovers because the struts where going bad. After, I have replaced my front passenger wheel bearing/hub assembly as it was starting to grind up pretty bad. After thinking I was done, my drivers side rear bearing decided it also wanted to stop existing. I purchased 2 new wheel bearings/hubs for the rear with the intention to just replace both as a precaution, but since my car spent the first half of its life in the north, the rear half shafts became one with the assembly by the amount of rust and corrosion that had taken place. I bit the bullet and bought one half shaft for the driver side rear and had the bearing, hub, and half shaft replaced. The right rear wheel bearing is making very minimal noise, so I plan to replace that when I get around to buying the other half shaft for that side. Total Maintenance Items: Struts Front right wheel bearing/hub Left rear wheel bearing/hub/half shaft Soon: Right rear wheel bearing/hub/half shaft xDelete: Since my transfer case hates me, I knew it was going to be sooner or later when it died or started to get really bad. My car was towed on a dolly without me being around (my bad, parked on campus where I shouldn't have) and after that, I noticed I no longer had an annoying stutter. I also noticed if I took off from a stop I'd get a drivetrain and ABS error. Either the tow magically fixed my transfer case issue, or it completely fcked it up, let's check the codes! Low and behold, my transfer case was unable to calibrate the clutch position. I had 3 options: 1. Buy a new transfer case or maybe just a new module ($$$) 2. Do nothing and not be able to accelerate hard (free, but no fun) 3. Buy xDelete and ignore my problems (cheap and more fun than before) I decided to go with option number 3, I had been looking into xDelete for some time now and it seemed to make the most sense for my current position. I have been enjoying xDelete, I don't notice any loss in power and there are no drivetrain warnings. There is an option to recalibrate the clutch position, which could possibly fix my transfer case issues, but for now I'm going to ignore it in case it ends up breaking it more since I'm not ready to buy a transfer case at the moment. I have not run xDelete long enough to really have a large input here, but if anything does happen I'll be sure to make a post. My next and final setup: 305Forged FT118 silver, machined face 235/40/90 MPS4S 265/35/19 MPS4S BC Racing Extreme Low Coilovers xDelete Overall, I'd say if you want to lower your xDrive car and run staggered wheels and tires, do your research first. There's is tons of information on this forum, and I wanted to put my experience out there to help the next guy out. I daily drive my car, and drive it hard on a frequent occasion. I've had some maintenance issues come up that I would attribute to my driving style, aggressively lowering the car and high mileage, but that is something to be expected when modifying a car. Below are a bunch of pictures of my various setups throughout time, and tons more can be found on my instagram, @alpinef32. Attached Images
	Appreciate 4 rcaso26331.00 Skyhigh1879.00 Insane435476.50 Tommi_Mav65.50 Tweet Quote

10-06-2021, 05:04 PM	#2
StealthF32 Private First Class 235 Rep 143 Posts Drives: BMW F32 xDrive M-Sport Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: YYZ iTrader: (0)	The above info is definitely useful & one I'll keep as reference. Do you run any spacers (if so, what mm size) & what's your thoughts?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-07-2021, 08:23 PM	#4
StealthF32 Private First Class 235 Rep 143 Posts Drives: BMW F32 xDrive M-Sport Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: YYZ iTrader: (0)	That's the ideal setup I would like to get with 18", by not having to utilize spacers....
	Appreciate 0 Quote