[newbie78]

Hi everyone,

I’ve just pulled the trigger on a iX 45 which I’m really looking forward to getting and returning to BMW ownership after a few years away with an Audi etron.

I’ve spent many an hour on the configurator trying to come up with my ideal spec. I have decided on tanzanite blue, m sport pro and air suspension.

The bit I’m really struggling with is the wheels.

There is, what I believe a very limited choice with the m sport 45. I don’t really want to go all black as I like some silver in the wheel. The 21” is a sensible choice but aesthetically I prefer a bigger wheel. One 22” option has bronze accents but I’m struggling to imagine what this would look like on a dark blue car in real life, especially as I don’t want to spec the bronze accent pack.
Anyway, I’ve decided on the 23” but a glance through historical posts suggests this would be a daft idea. The main argument being tyre replacement costs. As the car would be salary sacrifice I will not be paying for the tyres so this isn’t a consideration for me.
The range on the bmw website suggests you get more with the 23” than the 21” tyre which I find really odd?
So my only real concern is ride quality. I appreciate it isn’t going to be as good as the 21” but do people who own these cars believe there will be a noticeable difference between the 22” and 23” with air suspension?

Any advice is hugely appreciated as this is the last day I can modify my order.

Many thanks.

[ricerboi]

Your ride with 23” wheels is absolutely fux0red even with air suspension. Come on. If you know cars you know better.

Even numbered inch wheel diameters have cheaper tires because of volume. 21 and 23 inch tires are at least 50% more expensive generally than 20/22 inch tires. But since tire costs aren’t a consideration for you and you’ve decided on 23”, then…you’re basically locked in.

If you’re all for aesthetics you can be like me and get custom 22” forged wheels. 23” is just gonna suck all around for ride quality. if you wanna ride on rubber bands, all the power to you but I’m 20 years past that life.

Save $5000 and get 20” wheels and go get customized 22” monoblock forged wheels at exactly what you want and run 285/40R22 with +25 offset. Thank me later.

[newbie78]

I’m really grateful for your reply.
In my defence, virtually all test cars have the 23” wheels and I’m yet to watch a review where the person driving it complains about the ride quality - quite the opposite.
As for the $5000 saving, the company that does the leasing charges $1700 for the m sport pro pack and the upgrade from 22” to 23” was an extra $300 so that’s why the cash wasn’t really a factor.
I came here for opinions of people with iX’s and that’s what I got, so I’ll spec the 22” and leave it at that.

[chanders]

Originally Posted by newbie78

I’m really grateful for your reply.
In my defence, virtually all test cars have the 23” wheels and I’m yet to watch a review where the person driving it complains about the ride quality - quite the opposite.
As for the $5000 saving, the company that does the leasing charges $1700 for the m sport pro pack and the upgrade from 22” to 23” was an extra $300 so that’s why the cash wasn’t really a factor.
I came here for opinions of people with iX’s and that’s what I got, so I’ll spec the 22” and leave it at that.

+1 to your decision.

[thebishman]

I would strongly recommend the Adaptive Air Suspension regardless of wheel size, but it’s mandatory if you go 22” or 23” wheels, imho.

I have the OEM 21” wheels on my ‘24 M60 and am very glad that the car has air suspension.

One last thought: UK roads are quite rightly castigated for how poor they’ve become over the last couple of decades, and the larger the wheel diametre, the greater the risk of bending a wheel; damaging a tyre from a pothole impact, etc.

[KRS_SN]

Pretty sure as go flat the ride will be acceptable. Sourcing the 23 in case of a flat tyre is going to be hard. It will look blingy with 23 but feel comfier a guess 10-20% more comfort with 21 or 22. I feel 22 is is good mix of comfort and bling.