Across the ever-growing BMW SUV lineup, the X4 has been one of their breakout models. As a ‘Sports Activity Coupe’ the X4 is a sports-focused alternative to the X3, and comes in a range of engine specs. Within the X4 range, you also have a number of different wheel designs, each with its own tires.
With tires available in 19-inch, 20-inch, and 21-inch styles, it’s not easy to find the best tire for your X4. We’ve put this guide together to help you find the best tire for every occasion and matched them to every X4 model.
For every tire spec, we’ve chosen our favorite performance, all-season, winter, and budget options. In the sections below you can find your tire specs and our matching picks.
Let’s get started!
What tires are available on the BMW X4?
Across the BMW X4 range, there are a number of different tire sizes. The below table covers each different tire and the X4 that features each tire. For example, on X4 M vehicles, your tire specs will be different from an X4 M40i.
| Model | Front Tire Specs | Rear Tire Specs |
| X4 30i / M40i | 245 / 50 / R19 | 245 / 50 / R19 |
| X4 30i / M40i | 245 / 45 / R20 | 275 / 40 / R20 |
| X4 30i / M40i | 245 / 40 / R21 | 275 / 35 / R21 |
| X4 M | 255 / 45 / R20 | 265 / 45 / R20 |
| X4 M | 255 / 40 / R21 | 265 / 40 / R21 |
How Do I Check My Tire Specs?
Along the edge of every tire, you will find the specs. They are usually shown like in the image below, with three numbers and a letter:
- Width (the larger number, usually between 200-400)
- Profile (often between 30-100)
- Tire Construction (a single letter)
- Rim Size (the size of your wheel, often between 15-25)
There may be extra details after the rim size, which can include:
- Load Rating (a number between 90-120)
- Speed Rating (a single letter)
What Do My Tire Specs Mean?
Tire specs provide information on your tire dimensions and performance:
- Width: measured in millimeters, this is the width of the tire from side to side
- Profile: this is the height of the tire’s sidewall, as a ratio against the width. In simple terms, the larger this value, the ‘thicker’ the tire
- Construction: The structure of the tire. Most modern tires are radial (shown with an R), but some run-flat tires will have a different designation.
- Rim Size: the diameter of your wheel, measured in inches
- Load Rating: How much weight the tire can support. This number is from a load index chart, and the higher the number, the more weight a tire can cope with
- Speed Rating: A letter designating the maximum safe speed a tire can handle. Common speed ratings are H (130mph), V (149 mph), W (168 mph), and Y (186 mph)
What tires are best for an X4?
Below, we’ve covered our favorite tires for the BMW X4. It’s important to check your X4 tire size and specs to make sure you choose the matching tires for your vehicle.
19 Inch Tires
The X4 range comes with one 19-inch tire option:
- Front: 245 / 50 / R19
- Rear: 245 / 50 / R19
below, we’ve broken down our top 19-inch tire choices for your X4.
Performance Tire: Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06+
Our performance tire of choice is the Continental ExtremeContact. This tire offers a balance between high performance and all-season durability, but it’s still a great option if you want the best handling for your X4.
With excellent wet grip, even the more powerful M40i model can be easy to handle with the ExtremeContact. Fuel efficiency isn’t the best, but that’s standard for high-performance tires like this.
All-Season Tire: Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season
For a great all-season option, the Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season is one of the best tires out there. These are an expensive set of tires, but the pricetag is matched by the quality you get here. With a higher speed rating than most all-season tires, the Pilot can still be used when you want to push your X4.
The Pilot Sport all-season excels in both dry and wet conditions, making it perfect as a tire you can use all year round. It’s not the best in snow and ice though, so if you need a tire for winter conditions, the next option will be better for you.
Winter Tire: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
If you need to use your X4 in snow or ice, you need a winter tire. There aren’t many options out there, and winter tires can be expensive, but our favorite has to be the Pirelli Winter Sottozero. Pirelli is one of the best tire manufacturers on the market, and the Sottozero shows that build quality.
With any winter tire, it’s always best to keep them for short-term use only. Winter tires don’t perform well in the dry, so you’ll still need a tire for the summer. If you want to keep costs down for your X4, our next tire might be perfect for you.
Budget Tire: General G-Max AS-05
Our final tire for 19-inch X4 models is the General G-Max AS-05. Compared to the other tires on this list, the G-Max is a budget option, but it’s still a capable tire. Compared to the Continental Pilot, the G-Max offers around $60 saving per tire, so it’s a fantastic option for anyone on a budget.
This is still a capable all-season tire and works well in the dry & wet. Tire lifetime isn’t as good as more premium brands though, so it has some shortcomings. Even so, for most drivers, the handling and lifetime of the G-Max will be enough for most drivers.
20 Inch Tires
The X4 range comes with one 20-inch tire option for standard X4 models and one 20-inch model for the X4M (we’ll cover that later in the list)
- Front: 245 / 45 / R20
- Rear: 275 / 40 / R20
below, we’ve broken down our top 20-inch tire choices for your X4.
Performance Tire: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
For 20-inch models, the Pilot Sport 4S is head and shoulders above every other performance tire. This is one of Michelins flagship tires, and although it comes with a premium price tag, there’s no compromise for quality.
The Pilot Sport 4S allows you to push your X4 to the limits. My BMW currently has a set of Pilot Sports, and it wouldn’t go back to any other brand if these were an option. It’s a big investment, but if you want the best out of your X4, these are the tires for you.
All-Season Tire: Yokohama Geolander X-CV
If you need a tire for every occasion, the Geolander X-CV is a solid all-round tire. Like every all-season tire, the Yokohama works well in most weather conditions, but it’s not the best for handling at higher speeds, with a W rating.
Still, the Geolander will get you plenty of miles, and it wont wear as quickly as other all-season options. This means you’ll probably save money in the long term on these tires
Winter Tire: Pirelli Scorpion Winter
Just like our earlier pick for the best 19-inch winter tire, Pirelli’s Scorpion Winter is our favorite option here. Side-by-side the Sottozero is arguably the better tire, but on 275/45 specs, Pirelli only offers the Scorpion. That’s no bad thing though, as this is a fantastic winter tire.
Specially designed for SUVs, the Scorpion is the choice of tire for most premium brands. You’ll find Scorpion tires on Range Rovers, Mercedes models, and most of the BMW range. If you’re looking to add a set of winter tires to your X4, you can do a lot worse than these Pirelli Scorpions.
Budget Tire: General G-Max RS
Finally, if you’re looking for a quality tire on your 20-inch X4, but you’re trying to keep costs down, the General G-Max is our pick. We chose this tire for 19-inch models, and on the larger wheel size this performs just as well.
With around $50 a tire saving against the premium options, the G-Max is a great tire for this kind of money. It can’t match the Pilot Sport for handling or the Geolander for all-year use, but for most drivers, the difference in tire performance will be minor.
21 Inch Tires
The X4 range comes with one 21-inch tire option for standard X4 models and one 21-inch model for the X4M.
- Front: 245 / 40 / R21
- Rear: 275 / 35 / R21
Below, we’ve broken down our top 21-inch tire choices for your X4. There are no winter tires available at this level, and there are no genuine budget tires either.
Performance Tire: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
If you’ve seen our picks for 19 and 20 inch models, you won’t be surprised to see the Pilot Sport on this list. Michelin has created an almost flawless performance tire here, and if you want to push your X4, you need a set of the best to handle it.
The Pilot Sport isn’t a budget tire by any stretch, and it will wear down quicker than all-season options. Even so, the improvement in handling is worth those setbacks, and you will struggle to find a tire as good as this anywhere else.
All-Season Tire: Michelin Primacy Tour
For our all-season tire, the profit of 21-inch wheels on the X4 makes it difficult to find many all-round performers. Thankfully, one of our favorite tires from the X5 range is available here, and it’s the Michelin Primacy Tour.
Michelin claims this tire is one of their quietest all-season options and longest-lasting tires. We haven’t been able to test the life of this tire fully, but feedback from customers is impressive, so it’s probably a true claim.
We do agree with Michelin on the noise though – this is one of the best tires for blocking out road noise that we’ve used in a long time.
X4M Tires – 20 inch
We’ve covered the standard X4 models, but what about the performance version? With over 500 bhp, and almost 500 lb-ft of torque, you’re going to need tires to handle all that power. The X4M starts out with 20-inch tires, with the specs shown below:
- Front: 255 / 45 / R20
- Rear: 265 / 45 / R20
Performance Tire: Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06+
Performance tires on these specs are hard to come by, and there are no Michelin Pilot tires to go for here. A close runner up though is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS, which is one of our favorite tires on standard X4 models.
Although the ExtremeContact can’t match up to the likes of the Pilot Sport 4S, or Pirelli P Zero, this is still a high-performance tire. Tire life is claimed by Continental to be at least 30,000 miles, which is higher than most performance tires.
Finally, although this is a performance-focused tire, the DWS (Dry, Wet, Snow) is included by Continental to show this tire is capable in all conditions. It wouldn’t be our choice for your X4 in the snow and ice, but it’s good to know this offers you some control in poor conditions.
All-Season Tire: Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4
Like our 19-inch choice for all-season tires, the Pilot Sport 4 is our pick here. When it comes to premium tires, Michelin is currently head-and-shoulders above the rest when it comes to their range of tires, and this is a great example.
A full set of these tires won’t come cheap, but if you’re driving an X4M, handling and quality should be the focus here. If you want to see the runners-up for our all-season pick, there’s a link below too.
Winter Tire: Pirelli Scorpion Winter
I doubt anyone will be taking their X4M on the snow and ice, certainly not on a regular basis, but if you do want the best tire for that, it’s this option from Pirelli. The Scorpion is their premium SUV winter tire, and it shows in the cost and quality.
We don’t have experience with the X4M on these tires, but judging by our time with a standard X4 on Scorpions, these make a noticeable difference in the winter.
X4M Tires – 21 inch
Finally, for the highest spec X4M tires, there is a single 21-inch option.
- Front: 255 / 40 / R21
- Rear: 265 / 40 / R21
Below, we’ve covered our picks for the best tires, if you have a set of 21-inch wheels on your X4M
Performance Tire: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
There isn’t much to say here that we haven’t already mentioned about the Pilot Sport 4S. We picked this as our favorite for 20-inch X4M models, and there’s no reason to choose anything else here.
If you want to find out more about the Pilot Sport, check out our thoughts in the earlier section, but this is the go-to tire for the best performance in your X4M
All-Season Tire: Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4
Once again, our favorite all-season tire for 21-inch X4 models is the same as the 20-inch option. We won’t repeat that section again, but in a quick summary; the Pilot Sport 4 is an expensive tire, but it’s going to last you a long time, and offer quality all-year round.
Winter Tire: Pirelli Scorpion Winter
Our final tire for 21-inch X4M models is the Pirelli Scorpion Winter. Like we’ve said before, I’d be surprised if anyone wanted to drive their 500 bhp X4M on snow, but if you do then get this tire. It’s not a great option for the dry, but in the worst weather, this tire will perform far better than any all-season options.
The Best Tire Accessories
If you’re looking for a new set of tires for your X4, you’ll want to make sure you look after them too. Keeping your tires clean, inflated, and stored safely is vital, so I wanted to share a few of the items I keep to make sure my tires are in the best condition.
These accessories include places to store and protect your tires when they are not in use, which is ideal if you have a set of winter and summer tires. You’ll also need a tire inflator kit, and it’s important to keep tire sealant in case you end up with a puncture.
Finally, keeping your tires clean is overlooked by so many drivers. I’ll see people spend hundreds on keeping their car paint and interior surfaces in top condition, but you need to make sure your wheels and tires are in the best shape too!
- Holds up to 35kg per bag
- Machine Washable
- Holds up to 400 lbs
- Adjustable for different tire widths
- Includes different nozzles for various tires
- Available in four colors
- Includes a 20V battery for portable use
- Automatic shutoff valve
- 24 fl.oz spray
- Suitable for up to 100 miles on damaged tires
- Eco-friendly
Summary
Overall, if you need a tire for every occasion on your X4, you can’t beat the Michelin All-Season options here. They won’t give you the best performance, but the all-weather tire choice is often the best for everyday driving.
Pilot Sport 4S tires are unbeatable when it comes to handling though, so if you want to push your X4, these are the tires for you. They won’t last as long as other tires, but you’ll be impressed by their level of control in the wet and dry.
With X4 tire sizes there aren’t many budget tire choices, but the General G-Max option is a great alternative. They can’t compete with the Michelin and Continental options, but they are value for money!
If you want to see our favorite tires for other models, check out the links below:
