[XGoober]

Hey gang. Getting very close to a deal on an M40i. I test drove the 21" rims and felt they were a little harsh on the freeway. Can anyone comment on how much softer the ride gets with the 19s?

Thanks!

[chicagofan00]

I never drove one with the 19" wheels but my test drove was with the 20" wheels. I ended up getting one with the 21" wheels. Honestly, don't notice a single difference from the 20 to 21's. Ultimately I think it really depends upon the road conditions where you are located and what you are willing to do with. I have yet to be annoyed with my choice of the 21's. It's a world of difference better from the good old days of the pot hole explosion experience with the 19" wheels on my e92 335i.

[derklink]

Test drove 21s, 20s, and 19s. Bought 19s. Not a big difference b/w 21 and 20. Didn't find either overly harsh. 19s make the ride a little more compliant in my opinion. M40i suspension is on the firmer side, certainly no plush Escalade feeling. I mainly chose 19 b/c the roads here are bad and I bought an in stock car that had them on. So far no regrets or worries, have already been through quite a few pot holes. Just wondering how the all seasons will put the power down, still in the break-in period. Think a few people here actually drive 21s in the summer and 19s in the winter, they'll probably have more insight.

[MechX3M40i]

Are you going to order, or take dealers stock?

I've been advocating the adaptive suspension for whomever wants to order. This modestly priced option takes care of all your concern about comfort of larger wheels. Unfortunately though, I've yet to hear people finding a stock car in US came equipped with this, since dealers have no clue what it does and not smart enough to spec it in stock vehicles.

[derklink]

Agree. Out of the 50+ X3s the two dealerships I visited only 1 car had it. Did not test drive it so can't really speak to the comfort. The folks who have it, like it though. Well, can't miss what you don't know

[XGoober]

Thanks guys. Taking from dealer stock. Working numbers right now. No adaptive on the car but they are willing to swap in 19s instead of the 21s on the car I tested as it is the only one they have that ticks all the other boxes.

Wish me luck! :-)

[XGoober]

Well that didn't take long, lol. Apparently BMW Seattle think they sell all their cars at $500 below MSRP, lol.

Avoid BMW Seattle folks :-)

Update: It seems I was working with a new sales team member. BMW Seattle reached out to me and made it right. I got a deal I am happy with for this area and looking forward to taking delivery.

[MechX3M40i]

Originally Posted by XGoober

Well that didn't take long, lol. Apparently BMW Seattle think they sell all their cars at $500 below MSRP, lol.

Avoid BMW Seattle folks :-)

Unfortunately, all deals are local... Dealerships in some cities are harder to deal than the others...

[b.guggenmos]

Originally Posted by XGoober

Well that didn't take long, lol. Apparently BMW Seattle think they sell all their cars at $500 below MSRP, lol.

Avoid BMW Seattle folks :-)

Sorry to hear that. I ordered my M40I and decided to stick with the 19's. Not really a cost issue but the 21's are quite expensive up front and to replace in the future. I also thought the 19's with the all season tires should be better here in our rain. Hope something works out for you?

[XGoober]

Originally Posted by b.guggenmos

Sorry to hear that. I ordered my M40I and decided to stick with the 19's. Not really a cost issue but the 21's are quite expensive up front and to replace in the future. I also thought the 19's with the all season tires should be better here in our rain. Hope something works out for you?

Thanks. Well it can't be hard to beat Seattle's numbers! If it comes to it I will order and ship from somewhere like SoCal. Hopefully someone local will offer a decent deal so I can avoid that hassle.

[Mykwong]

Originally Posted by XGoober

Thanks. Well it can't be hard to beat Seattle's numbers! If it comes to it I will order and ship from somewhere like SoCal. Hopefully someone local will offer a decent deal so I can avoid that hassle.

I had a similar experience with BMW Sea. I let them know I would need to shop the deal with other dealers. First up BMW Portland. Ended up by getting the exact deal I thought was fair. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience. My wife has her new X3 and couldn’t be happier.

[Vik1292]

Originally Posted by XGoober

Hey gang. Getting very close to a deal on an M40i. I test drove the 21" rims and felt they were a little harsh on the freeway. Can anyone comment on how much softer the ride gets with the 19s?

Thanks!

I test drove and ordered mine with adaptive suspension along with the 21 inch rims. I thought comfort/drive was smooth. I think the adaptive suspension is a game changer.

[Lux700]

I wouldn’t have bought the car if it only came on 19” rims. Nor would I have bought the car without adaptive. For me, the large 21” rims give it ‘the’ look. Together, 21” rims and adaptive, work very nicely.

[JamieA]

My X3M40i has adaptive and 21in rims. Australian roads can be quite harsh and so far I think it is firm but very comfortable - certainly a far more refined ride quality than my (non adaptive) 535d MSport I traded

[Benandluna]

Huge difference in my test drive. Only on street though. Love the larger rims though, but I went with 19

[XGoober]

Just a quick follow up after I got to test drive the 19s today. There was a noticeable difference in comparison to the 21s. The car still felt stiff, as it should, but I felt less of the road texture. The 21s clearly let me know when we were on a coarse surface, but the 19s seemed to mask that nicely.

I do think the M Adaptive could further refine the Comfort ride so I think I'll add that to my build along with the 19s. Should get a very solid all rounder that way.

Thanks all for the input.