The cherry blossom was already dropping, which around here is the signal that a BMW X5 tyre change is overdue. Winter tyres have outstayed their welcome by April.
So the first free Sunday in April went on a BMW X5 tyre change, back onto the summer set. One corner at a time on the driveway, the way I always do it.
The numbers for the record:
- Date: 5 April 2026
- Odometer: 71,280 km
- Winter set this season: 5,736 km
- Winter set lifetime: 14,966 km
- Summer set lifetime: 22,150 km since I bought the car used
- Coming off: Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V3, 265/50R19 XL
- Going on: Continental ContiSportContact 5, 275/45R20 XL VOL
Back on 20-inch summer wheels
The summer set is the factory 20-inch M Sport wheel with Continental ContiSportContact 5 tyres, which came on the car when I bought it.
Tread depth is still healthy, so this set has at least another season in it.
The 19-inch winter wheels look calmer, which I do like in its own way. Come spring, though, I want the aggressive stance back. A big SUV suits big wheels.
Tools that make a BMW X5 tyre change easy
Three tools cover the whole job.
A 3.5 tonne floor jack, which I have had since university, lifts even an X5 one corner at a time without drama. A rubber jack pad is worth having so the pinch weld does not get chewed up.
A cordless impact wrench does the rest. Loosening bolts with a cross wrench alone is miserable, because the wheel just turns with you. The impact wrench cracks them off in a second, then runs them back on for the initial nip-up.
A preset torque wrench finishes the job properly. More on that below.
One more thing worth having on a driveway: a chock at the opposite corner. An X5 is heavy, plus a slope you cannot see is easy to park on.
If you are putting the kit together from scratch, this is roughly what it looks like.
Brake check while the wheels are off
A BMW X5 tyre change is the one time a year you get a clear look at the brakes, so it seems a waste not to.
Front
The blue M caliper looks properly good with the wheel out of the way.
The front disc has developed a lip at the outer edge over the winter. Pad material is still there, but I would plan on replacing both by the end of next season.
Rear
The rear discs carry more surface rust, plus a more obvious lip.
Surface rust is nothing. It wipes off within the first few hundred metres of driving.
The rear caliper carries the same blue paint with the M badge. This is the detail that most reminds me the car is an M Sport.
Torque to 140 Nm
Socket on, squeeze the trigger, bolts out. That part never gets old.
Nip everything up with the impact wrench, lower the car, then do the final tightening by hand.
The G05 wheel bolt spec is 140 Nm. Leaving an impact wrench to do the final tightening will overshoot that, which is how threads get stretched, so this step stays manual. Work across in a star pattern until the wrench clicks, then move to the next corner.
The winter set going away
The Blizzak DM-V3 set has only done two seasons. Plenty of tread left, so it goes back on next winter without question.
They get washed, then stacked at the back of the garage.
I did the same seasonal swap on our old X3 for years, which is where the routine comes from. That car ran Michelin Primacy 4 summer tyres in 235/55R18.
Wrapping up
A BMW X5 tyre change at home is not hard, it is just slow. One corner, then the next, then suddenly it is late afternoon.
- Floor jack, cordless impact wrench, torque wrench. That is the whole kit
- Check discs plus pads while the wheels are off, because you rarely get the chance otherwise
- Final tightening at 140 Nm, always by hand
Next swap is in the autumn. Until then, the 20-inch M Sport wheels stay on.
This article is also available in Japanese.
