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[dude500]

I commute into NYC every day with my stock e92 335xi. Because of all the potholes I've had to replace tires several times. Especially from the recent weather, the potholes have gotten much worse, and I regularly see 4"+ potholes during my commute. I just hit one yesterday and unfortunately am going to have replace my third tire in 12 months!

I'm thinking about having a dedicated set of commuting tires and a separate set for track days. For the commuting tires, I'm thinking of increasing the sidewall to help mitigate against all the pothole impacts. I'm currently using stock 225/45/17 and am thinking about going up to 225/50/17s or even 225/55/17s (and of course non-run flat). I'm aware that I'm sacrificing some handling and increasing the ride height by .44" and .89", respectively, for those increased tire sizes.

I'm also aware and not too concerned about the speedometer issues. I think that by having a completely new set of 4 tires, I am avoiding damage to the x-drive. I'll get the car realigned, since the suspension geometry will have changed due to the height increase. I think that the wheel wells have enough space both vertically and horizontally to handle the increased tire diameter.

Has anyone done this before, and if so, how is it? Is 225/55/17 too tall? Any other concerns? Thanks in advance!

[VMRWheels]

Being that the car is an X-Drive, I would recommend sticking as close to the OE sizes as possible. Running the taller sidewall can result in inaccurate speedo, odometer, differential, as well as rubbing issues during compression or a full cabin. Looking into a tire that has a stiffer sidewall characteristic may be a safer option.

-Charles@VMRWheels

[dude500]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

Looking into a tire that has a stiffer sidewall characteristic may be a safer option.

Unfortunately I think that the stiffer sidewall is contributing to the problems, with all the complaints about runflats and bubbles. Do you think the tolerances for the wheel wells are really less than 1" (the 225/55s increase radius by .88" and 225/50s by .44")? Thanks Charles for your response.

[EuroB6]

Or the east coast can just actually do some fuking work and fix the roads.. I am so sick and tired of having to pay out of my pocket for the messed up roads our taxes are not fixing ...Ive bent 3 rims already within a matter of 6 months.. But if i was you, id go with a taller sidewall man , NY roads are crazy lol

[MikesBMW]

i just avoid NYC all together because of how awful the roads are, i barely get by here in NJ

[dude500]

Yea man it's absolutely ridiculous here. All these taxes for naught. And yet Whitestone bridge has been in construction forever, and roads that are perfectly fine are being torn up!

And the NYC pothole claims dept. is a joke. I filed a claim for a busted tire and rim. They asked for additional paperwork, etc. Then, 18 months after the claim was made, they send me a letter that my claim is denied, and that I can sue them *within 18 months of the damage occurrence*!

I'm thinking about Conti DWS, but they only sell them in 225/50s. There are P Nero Zeros at 225/55s but I'd rather have the better wet and snow capabilities since I'll have dedicated track tires. But the ruggedness against potholes is important, so maybe go Sumitomo HTR P01s 225/55s to balance. Decisions decisions...

[Orient330iNYC]

i'm running 245/45/17 snows all around on my LCI E90 Xdrive. minor rubbing at full lock, no other issues.
diameter is 25.8.

i suspect my rubbing is due to the width, not the height, have not tested anything taller.

[dude500]

Do you guys think that running a wider tire would be a better idea to handle potholes versus a taller tire? Maybe 235/45 or 245/45 like Orient330iNYC?

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by dude500

Do you guys think that running a wider tire would be a better idea to handle potholes versus a taller tire? Maybe 235/45 or 245/45 like Orient330iNYC?

235/45/17 is perfectly fine. This will increase the sidewall slightly but still stay within 3% of your OE diameter.

-Charles@VMRWheels