[crackerjack15]

Congrats! The factory tour is awesome seeing all the machines make the machines.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Excellent point. I debated for a long time, going with 21's, if nothing else, than being consistent when swapping out with a 21" winter tire set. Regardless, I did want to go with a second winter set, for true winter performance, and true summer performance. (goes back to the principle of "All Season tires are No Season tires")

So, if I was getting a second winter set anyway, I eventually just decided to go with the 22" summers. I think they look better, and they're no cost on the M50i, so... heck with it.

If I end up deciding not to pack a second set of rims/tires on the road trip, I think I could get away with the 22", doing a southern route to LA, then I-5 due north to WA State. Then ship the car from WA to AK, and get the winter rims/tires at the AK BMW dealer. (I've had good experiences with their service, even if it was bad with sales)

Since you seem to be looking forward to the drive, why not save some money on shipping....

1) Order a set of BMW winter wheel/tires when you take delivery in SC and have them shipped to a BMW dealer in WA state.

2) Enjoy your drive to WA on your 22’s.

3) Swap your wheels/tires at the dealer in WA and ship your wheels to AK.

4) Enjoy the rest of your drive to AK with proper sneakers on your X7 ..

I don’t think you want to pack a set of 22’s in the back of your new X7 for a bunch of reasons (even with a black interior and some cover materials), the biggest ones being road grime/dirt and potential scratches....

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by wesleyan92

OP your post really touched my heart. I don't know you but I am genuinely happy for you. Look forward to getting updates on the build, and most importantly, hearing about the road trip home.

Originally Posted by Cocogrey1985

Touched my heart too OP. I'm looking forward to seeing your pics and the amazing adventuring you're going to do!

Aww, thanks, fellas. Has been great the last several years interacting with the folks here in the forum, helping them out, while I learn as well. Good bunch here.

Originally Posted by jmciver

Since you seem to be looking forward to the drive, why not save some money on shipping....

1) Order a set of BMW winter wheel/tires when you take delivery in SC and have them shipped to a BMW dealer in WA state.

2) Enjoy your drive to WA on your 22’s.

3) Swap your wheels/tires at the dealer in WA and ship your wheels to AK.

4) Enjoy the rest of your drive to AK with proper sneakers on your X7 ..

I don’t think you want to pack a set of 22’s in the back of your new X7 for a bunch of reasons (even with a black interior and some cover materials), the biggest ones being road grime/dirt and potential scratches....

Yeah, good thoughts, and am considering it. The hard part would actually be shipping the wheels from WA to AK, if they're not in the back of the car being shipped.

Originally Posted by jasheaer

Same thought process I've had for my last 2 Xs. Just so you're aware, when I sold my X5d to a guy in Pennsylvania last month, we packed up the summers in the back and they fit fine laying down with the seats folded and wrapped in blankets, so no doubt they would fit in the X7 if you decide to do that.

Jay

That's great to know! I'm getting Captain's Chairs, which don't fold down, but still anticipate the 4 wheels/tires could be put in the back of the larger X7 trunk, with 3rd row down.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

That's great to know! I'm getting Captain's Chairs, which don't fold down, but still anticipate the 4 wheels/tires could be put in the back of the larger X7 trunk, with 3rd row down.

Captain’s chairs? Since the Captain’s chairs can’t fold down, after seeing this pic below, I doubt you be able to fit four 22’s with the 3rd row folded down (at least not “comfortably” fit)...

https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...28&postcount=1

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by jmciver

Captain’s chairs? Since the Captain’s chairs can’t fold down, after seeing this pic below, I doubt you be able to fit four 22’s with the 3rd row folded down (at least not “comfortably” fit)...

https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...28&postcount=1

They will fit but you need to stand them up.

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by jmciver

Captain’s chairs? Since the Captain’s chairs can’t fold down, after seeing this pic below, I doubt you be able to fit four 22’s with the 3rd row folded down (at least not “comfortably” fit)...

https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...28&postcount=1

Originally Posted by MystroX5

They will fit but you need to stand them up.

Ooof. yeah, that's rough, seeing that picture. MystroX5 are you sure that all 4 will fit, standing up?

[Wanderer73]

... BTW I'll pile on and agree that your story is very touching and inspiring. I spent so much time thinking about my build, but your experience in totality is so cool. Cheers!

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Ooof. yeah, that's rough, seeing that picture. MystroX5 are you sure that all 4 will fit, standing up?

My dealer said it would fit. They said they have done it many times. I never had to try as they just delivered them to my home as a courtesy since I was driving my M2C that day.
Full disclosure: I didn’t actually try it myself.

[AVZ12345]

I’ve done it - they definitely fit with captains chairs. I wouldn’t do a long road trip like that though because believe it or not, you do smell the rubber etc and so it might feel like you’re driving around in an auto body shop. I guess you can make sure they are properly wrapped and it should be ok but the dealer used large trash bags with mine and the smell was still strong.

[Wild Blue]

Great info, thanks!

[MomoM3]

You finally did it! Been waiting for this post for a while. Congrats bud! Hope you enjoy it. Really nice spec. Glad you didn't waste your money on the matte paint. Very happy for you.

[Savoy2001]

Getting back to the summer tires thing. The problem isn’t necessarily if you run into snow covered roads, although that compounds the problem. The problem is summer compound tires get hard as hockey pucks in temps below 50 degrees. The colder is gets the worse the traction gets. Not to mention you’re not supposed to drive those tires in temps below 30/35 because the rubber sidewalls could crack. Compromising the integrity of the tire and completely ruining them.

The traction issue is very real in the cold. You would be way better off with all season tires and then you don’t have that problem. It’s why I didn’t order my m50i with the 22’s. I wasn’t getting involved with a summer/winter set too much of a hassle and expense. The 22’s in the cold and wet in winter are worthless. Light snow the all season tires are fine. Heavy snow obviously you need dedicated winter tires. I don’t drive in ridiculous snow like that anyway so all seasons made the most sense. You should think about this op.

[Saejin]

OP lives in Alaska, so I'm sure he knows very well about the winter versus summer tires setup. I think he has a good plan if he sticks to the southern route heading up to WA.

He rational is spot on with the need to have a dedicated set of winter/snow tires, so it made sense to just get the 22's from the factory. I did the same things, but our winters in Colorado are not as harsh as AK. The mountains do get bad sometimes, but was up there last weekend with snow and ice and had no issues on our Scorpions and 21's we got from the dealer.

I guess if someone says the 22s can fit in the back with Captains chairs then maybe they will. I didn't even try when the dealer swapped my wheels out. I just came by later with my Jeep and loaded them up. The rear wheels are especially huuuuuuge. Still debating on whether or not to have the dealer swap them back in the Spring or do it myself at home. Dealer is only charging like $40 to do it, again just got to the the 22s there and then 21s back.

OP enjoy the PDC and the trip back to AK. Been up there a few times myself at Elmendorf...really beautiful place.

[NOVA99]

Originally Posted by Saejin

OP lives in Alaska, so I'm sure he knows very well about the winter versus summer tires setup. I think he has a good plan if he sticks to the southern route heading up to WA.

He rational is spot on with the need to have a dedicated set of winter/snow tires, so it made sense to just get the 22's from the factory. I did the same things, but our winters in Colorado are not as harsh as AK. The mountains do get bad sometimes, but was up there last weekend with snow and ice and had no issues on our Scorpions and 21's we got from the dealer.

I guess if someone says the 22s can fit in the back with Captains chairs then maybe they will. I didn't even try when the dealer swapped my wheels out. I just came by later with my Jeep and loaded them up. The rear wheels are especially huuuuuuge. Still debating on whether or not to have the dealer swap them back in the Spring or do it myself at home. Dealer is only charging like $40 to do it, again just got to the the 22s there and then 21s back.

OP enjoy the PDC and the trip back to AK. Been up there a few times myself at Elmendorf...really beautiful place.

Wild Blue - First off congrats on the new ride and best to you. I know you live in AK and I have been there many times. I have spent time in all 4 corners and driven from Anchorage to Fairbanks and on to Deadhorse/Prudhoe many times so you must know those tires are not even close to adequate unless it is during the 4 months of "warm" weather and you don't leave Anchorage. Please do not drive on the 22's in the March timeframe in the lower 48 either. It can snow and ice in TX, NM, and parts of AZ mountains that time of year. Northern Cali and through the pass up into OR as another person posted can turn to serious shit, even requiring chains at some points. Summer tires are useless even in dry weather below 45 degrees. The 4 tires will fit standing up but it will smell like a tire shop the entire way inside your new rig. Again, happy for you but you really need to heed some of these opinions as I would hate for you to F'Up your dream ride. Best.

[Savoy2001]

Originally Posted by NOVA99

Wild Blue - First off congrats on the new ride and best to you. I know you live in AK and I have been there many times. I have spent time in all 4 corners and driven from Anchorage to Fairbanks and on to Deadhorse/Prudhoe many times so you must know those tires are not even close to adequate unless it is during the 4 months of "warm" weather and you don't leave Anchorage. Please do not drive on the 22's in the March timeframe in the lower 48 either. It can snow and ice in TX, NM, and parts of AZ mountains that time of year. Northern Cali and through the pass up into OR as another person posted can turn to serious shit, even requiring chains at some points. Summer tires are useless even in dry weather below 45 degrees. The 4 tires will fit standing up but it will smell like a tire shop the entire way inside your new rig. Again, happy for you but you really need to heed some of these opinions as I would hate for you to F'Up your dream ride. Best.

This is exactly what I was saying. Summer tires in just cold weather turn to crap. It doesn’t have to snow or be an ice covered road. Just very cold and you’re summer compound rubber is rock hard and offering no traction. To the poster above who said I’m sure the op knows what he’s doing. Guess what he might not. Since most people don’t consider the cold weather enough being a factor to making summer tires useless. No snow or ice needed. Use you’re head.

[naiza3k]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

You guys may be sick of me lurking, as I've been here on Bimmerpost stalking the X7 since back when the model was only a rumor. You may have seen my early-on threads with preliminary pictures and reviews when it finally got released. But my own X7 is FINALLY about here! (about time)

I'm moving on from my beloved 2004 330i w/ZHP with much reluctance. Has been a perfect unicorn vehicle (and still under 100k miles), bought new when I was stationed in Germany. But more than it just being 17 years old, I'M getting old, and need an auto tranny and higher sitting height. This year hit me hard, physically, too, getting sick when my company mandated that I travel internationally during the height of the COVID outbreak.

This X7 is a VERY special car to me. Because of a muscle disease, and that I obviously keep my cars long-term, this will be the last car I'll ever drive. I've wanted to do it right. I don't have a ton of extra money to spend on a car, so I've been saving up for more than 10 years, and doing a ton of research, to be able to get the exact perfect car that I want. Hence, why I've been here the last couple years, as I save up the rest of the funding.

I had pre-ordered a Dark Shadow X7 in July, but had a very bad experience with BMW of Anchorage, and they canceled my order after they waited until it was already enroute to the dealer. Details in this post here. So I tried to order an M50i from a broker here on Bimmerpost, but was told there were no production slots open, and any eventual discount would be small. I waited for a slot from the broker, but never got one, so eventually I moved on. Got a great deal from another dealer, with a production slot, and 10% off before incentives.

So the order just hit the third dot on the BMW order tracker yesterday, "Production Begins". Likely not actually physically started, but no worries. It was originally a Week 5 production, that got delayed to Week 9, but must have been moved back up some.

Fully loaded 2021 X7 M50i, in Mineral White, black interior, and Ash Grain matte wood trim. 22" wheels. Nothing too different than what ya'll have done, but again, this car's very special to me. I'm disappointed that with the 2021 deletions I wasn't able to get Night Vision, Ambient Air, and Full Black Leather, but... oh, well. The time was right for me to buy, and didn't want to wait any more, on the hope those items return. Was even hoping BMW would return those features in 2021.5 models in December, but... apparently not.

I'm doing a Performance Center Delivery, and got my confirmation date of Feb 24th. Based on others' great PCD experiences, I'm anticipating a wonderful couple days. And after picking up the X7, she's going right around the corner the same day to Extreme Colors Auto Spa for full PPF, ceramic coating, window tinting, and more, which will take a little less than a week. Then it's going to be a massive, massive road trip, literally cross-continent, back to Alaska. I'll do a separate thread documenting the PCD and road trip with pictures, as I'm guessing people will be interested to see.

Planning lots of accessories, too. Programming, mods. Will discuss

Finally happening! Can't wait!

Congrats! Do you mind me asking which dealer did you go with? How did you manage to get the 10% off?

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by Saejin

OP lives in Alaska, so I'm sure he knows very well about the winter versus summer tires setup. I think he has a good plan if he sticks to the southern route heading up to WA.

He rational is spot on with the need to have a dedicated set of winter/snow tires, so it made sense to just get the 22's from the factory. I did the same things, but our winters in Colorado are not as harsh as AK. The mountains do get bad sometimes, but was up there last weekend with snow and ice and had no issues on our Scorpions and 21's we got from the dealer.

I guess if someone says the 22s can fit in the back with Captains chairs then maybe they will. I didn't even try when the dealer swapped my wheels out. I just came by later with my Jeep and loaded them up. The rear wheels are especially huuuuuuge. Still debating on whether or not to have the dealer swap them back in the Spring or do it myself at home. Dealer is only charging like $40 to do it, again just got to the the 22s there and then 21s back.

OP enjoy the PDC and the trip back to AK. Been up there a few times myself at Elmendorf...really beautiful place.

Right on, man. I grew up in Colorado through college, retired out of Elmendorf, and have lived in Alaska now for 15 years.

Definitely used to winter driving, whether it's snow, ice, and/or just cold. Lots of good videos here demonstrating performance of summer, winter, and "all season" tires. And when dealing with multiple seasons/climates/temperatures, it's really not that hyperbolic that "All Season" tires become "No Season" tires. I have All Seasons on one of my vehicles here in AK, and they're ok, but recently contributed to a winter accident by another driver, that winters would have done so much better.

The best way to go for situations like mine really is with dedicated summer and winter tires. That's what I have for my BMW 330i, and even as a RWD vehicle, the winter wheel/tire set is golden. It's eye-opening when you see how winter tires can improve winter driving performance.

Good inputs from all here, and I'm working out the plan to make it all come together the best for the road trip too! Thanks

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by naiza3k

Congrats! Do you mind me asking which dealer did you go with? How did you manage to get the 10% off?

Will PM you with details. Can be done with the right dealers that don't try to arrogantly gouge you with above MSRP without negotiation.

[naiza3k]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Will PM you with details. Can be done with the right dealers that don't try to arrogantly gouge you with above MSRP without negotiation.

Thanks!

[Wild Blue]

On a whim, I called the BMW 1-800 line, and they say my vehicle production will be done February 1st, which is tomorrow. Since I'm only on dot 3, and obviously the factory isn't open today on Sunday, I'm a little skeptical. But I've seen how the prodution dots can fly through in just 1 day, so it's possible.

Feb 1st would also give plenty of time for BMW to prep it for my 24 Feb PCD. They schedule PCD for at least 14 days after production. Interesting how the production dates have moved up and back for this car. But I'm not as anxious since I've got the PCD scheduled. Barring some big issue that would delay the delivery, I'm locked into that, and it won't be coming any earlier than that. Flying in the afternoon of the 23rd, and they put you up in the Greenville Marriott the night before your delivery.

[Wild Blue]

Awwwww, exciting day! I guess the Spartanburg plant works Sundays after all. I thought they didn't.

I've jumped to dot 6, "Entering Assembly Line", so maybe they'll finish on Monday after all!

[Wanderer73]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Awwwww, exciting day! I guess the Spartanburg plant works Sundays after all. I thought they didn't.

I've jumped to dot 6, "Entering Assembly Line", so maybe they'll finish on Monday after all!

It won't be long!!!