I would definitely stay away from 20" wheels if it were my X3.
I couldn't stand the road condition of I5 even with my 17" wheels when I was visiting Seattle.

 

I'm debating about whether to put 19 or 20's on my wife's X3, has anyone put 20's on theirs and have pics/opinions to share? Recognizing it impacts ride comfort a bit, trying to gauge how much. Currently have 17" stock wheels.

Thanks!

I agree with staying away from 20" wheels. Too many times on I-95 have I seen an SUV with huge "DUBS" and one wheel missing.

Cars aren't designed for that and it creates too much stress. So not only is it a rougher ride, but unsafe as well.

 

Thanks for the tip, I'll stay away from 20" wheels.

After some looking around I really like the look of the TSW Vortex wheel in silver. Found a deal with Pirelli M+S tires for around $1680 new delivered. Optional is the TPMS, which runs $70 per tire. Curious whether or not I need to buy it, and if not, how I "turn off" TMPS inside my car (if possible) so it's doesn't beep or leave the light on. I'm assuming taking the TPMS from my current OEM wheels is a bit of a hassle, but perhaps worth the charge by the tire store if I can save $280! Appreciate any thoughts.

 

Thanks for the tip, I'll stay away from 20" wheels.

After some looking around I really like the look of the TSW Vortex wheel in silver. Found a deal with Pirelli M+S tires for around $1680 new delivered. Optional is the TPMS, which runs $70 per tire. Curious whether or not I need to buy it, and if not, how I "turn off" TMPS inside my car (if possible) so it's doesn't beep or leave the light on. I'm assuming taking the TPMS from my current OEM wheels is a bit of a hassle, but perhaps worth the charge by the tire store if I can save $280! Appreciate any thoughts.

They can be a pain, but we had a rash of someone taking an ice pick to tires in our area. Since the hole was so small it was a slow leak. The TPMS caught it right off the bat. So a nail in the tire would be about the same.

 

What year or production date is your X3? I don't know the cut-off date; can y'all with 2007s comment? Pre-facelift X3s do not require TPMS sensors as it uses the ABS sensors to determine relative rotational speed.

 

I may be a bit late, but the X3's ride can be a bit jarring at times, and I noticed you said it was your "wife"'s X3...

Does she know what the ride penalties are for going that high up in wheel size?

 

My wife knows I'm looking (I put larger wheels on her last car too, for aesthetics). It was the first time we've put tint on any of our cars and it actually looks pretty good on the X3 (plus it'll be useful for our new baby). Now when I look at the car it feels like the wheels should be a tad bigger, and I like the look of the 19's (fill it out more so there isn't so much space between the wheel and car).

The car is a 2006, has 33k miles on it. I'm also looking at getting the chrome step pad thing to go on the black plastic running board, but haven't decided if it's worth the $400-$500 they seem to be selling for.

Thanks for the thoughts

 

If your car is 2006, no separate TPMS purchase would be needed as it uses ABS sensors instead like AzNMpower32 mentioned.
19" wheels would be the max I would be willing to go. And please make sure to get the one with all-season tires if you plan to keep the wheel a year around. Summer tires during Seattle winter season would be like waiting for accidents to happen.

As for the fake aluminum running board look pads that are on sale on ebay or etc, I would rather spend few hundreads $ more and get the OEM BMW aluminium running board that's actually functional. If you drive down to Portland, Oregon, you can get the aluminum running board installed for less than $900. Do not go to Tacoma BMW. They asked for like $1200 installed.

Have fun with modding your X3.

 

Thanks for the tip about Portland, in fact that's where my wife is from so we go down often to visit family. Not sure I'd call it modding, but perhaps a couple more updates to her car and then i'll be done My Audi A6 came with sport package and larger wheels so I haven't done anything to it.