20 x 10 or 20 x 8.5 and what tire size?
 

I'm ready to pull the trigger on some wheels and tires for my 08S. I've decided on the 20" Victor Zehn in hypersilver and the Continental DWS (I want the all season so they last longer). Different dealers seem to stock either 10" or 8.5" wide Zehns. Which is the best size to get? How would the appearance be different? What tire size (275; 295) would look and work best with each? I'm a little concerned with the 10" on a 275. This is primarly my wife's car and the rims WILL NEED sidewall protection from curbs ;) TIA

I don't think I would put custom wheels and tires a vehicle where curbs are commonly hit. Why put yourself through that agony?

I would go 295s. thats what i have but on 21"s. Just make sure you get a load rating of at least 109. Our PIGs are, well, heavy.

Fwiw, when I showed my wife that her car had the "curb view" auto tilt right mirror option all the curb rash suddenly vanished from her wheels and has not appeared on the new set.:thumbup:

Curb view is already on and, to her credit, she has become very careful (she loves her P!G). But I wouldn't want the rim to stick out past, or be flush with, the tire sidewall.

Some models of tires have the "rim rib"(?) to help protect the wheel.

Good to know. What is the difference in appearance between the 10" and 8.5"?

I believe the OEM 20" wheel is a 20x9. At least this is the case for my Cayenne. I run 275 width tires on these wheels, per factory recommendations.

FWIW - I run 265 width tires on 18x10 wheels for the winter tires on my C4S, per Porsche recommendations. The 265 doesn't look too narrow for a 10" wheel.

IMHO, your concern about damaging the wheel is justified--a 10" will give her little margin for error.

Equally concerning, however, is a 275 on an 8.5" rim. Most tire experts recommend a minimum wheel width of 9" for a 275 width tire. You can mount a 275 on an 8.5" wheel, but the sidewall will be subject to more roll which could be unsafe in an emergency handling situation.

If it were my choice, I'd go with the 10" and 275 and live with the inevitable curb rash.

Thanks guys! Sounds like the it would be safe to go with 10" and 295s. Kosmo has 295s on 21s, but not sure what MY he has. How can I check to make sure that the aforementioned combo will work fine on an 08S (no rubbing etc.)?

I ended up with 275/40/20 Continental DWS on 10" wide Victor Zehn rims. In case anyone searches, so that you aren't in the position I was of not seeing pics of these wheels in a 20", I have attached a couple below. I love them! I have winters on but had to put these ones on just to see how they look. The 275s do stick out past the wheel well just ever so slightly, but it looks good.

Doug- Thank you for the pictures and information! Your Cayenne looks great with the Zehns! I just ordered the 10" Victor Zehn rims in Black for my 2006 Pig and have a new set of 275/40/20 Pirellis (Summers) waiting to be mounted to them. You answered several questions I had about with this set up. Do you have any pictures direct on from the rear or front to show the over all width of the tires on these rims? I was wondering about the over all width, look and handling aspects these wheels provide with this wider set up. Should have mine in a week or two.

I don't have good direct front/back pics, sorry. I was concerned about a rougher ride. While it is a little rougher compared to the 18's, I found the ride not too bad at all. Post some pics when you get them on.

Will do...Thank you!

Getting there. Now I just need summer to get them mounted up. Still snow on the ground here in Germany.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3...006/photo3.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3...006/photo5.jpg

Looking good! I love the silver crests with the black.

Since 3 set of tires (about 60'000 miles), on the OEM 20x10 R and 20x9 F rims, I use 315x35 and 275x40 tires.
It works perfect, and imo, it is a lot better (curbs) than 275x40 ..on 20x10, where walls of the tires get inclined inside and rims are not "covered" ! Note that such staggered config on 20", is ..what is OEM on BMW X5 !
..And by the way, you also get a better stability if you tow with the 315 on the rear.
(The circumference remain the same, as the 35 wall ration, do compensate the extra width, so all OK for the central dif.)

Could 315x30x22 tires fit to the rear without rubbing the inner wheel well wall? If so I might try out 315x30x22 rear and 295x30x22 front.

How well do the Zehn wheels balance out? I have the same tires.

I'm not sure what you mean by "balance out." Please clarify and I'll try to answer.

Do you have any vibrations in the balancing of the wheels at any speed? Not all wheels are made the same and due to manufacturing, some balance with no vibrations and some don't. I might be changing out my wheels due to minor bends that are causing a vibration over 70mph. Just trying to confirm that they balance out smooth at all speeds. Thanks.

Mine are fine, though I haven't tried them at very high speeds.

Mine are good and I have had them on the Autobahn over 110-120 mph with no issues.

I'm really liking these wheels in 20x10 and will likely get a set with the same Conti DWS tires that Doug_B_928 has...
I notice however, that 295/40x20 is only slightly taller (29.29" dia.) than my OE 19x9s with 275/45x19 (28.74" dia.)

I'm wondering if this size isn't feasible and they would offer additional rim protection as well as a wider look.

Any hint about where to get the center caps Dstinson has would be appreciated

I was told by TireRack that 295s wouldn't fit. Personally, I wouldn't want any wider than 275 on the front as even the 275s stick out past the wheel well a bit. I don't think you'll be disappointed with DWS tires.

2nd that.

My 20" OEM rims are 20 x 9" running 275/40 - 106V Black Wall (BW) in all four corners.

Hmm...thanks for the heads up re the 295s.
In this case, I may just go for the same Zehn wheels, but in 19x9.5" using the same 275/45 size I currently have on my 1/2" narrower 19" OE wheels.

The 19s have an offset of +49 (vs +60 on OE). Between the additional +11mm offset and the extra rim width, they won't appear as inset as OE.

Anyway, I'm still mulling over this and probably have enough tire to get through the summer...after which these OE wheels will be relegated to winter use only with the almost new 255/50x19 snows that I already have and got with the vehicle when I bought it two months ago.

Thanks